.
Chapter 198
Bachelorette Party
Bella
I had really not looked bad when Edward had fetched the Monopoly game from the cupboard. That had actually just been a joke. Or let's say a synonym for the fact that I had wanted to do something completely different when all the children were finally out of the house. But Edwards' rule changes had something. It had been a really nice evening and my angel was also making me breakfast now, which I had negotiated with the hotel owner of the Illinois Ave. That had been a tough negotiation to get that too.
I was just coming out of the bathroom when my cell phone beeped.
A text message. From Alice.
Good morning, Bella.
I can see through your windows that Edward is busy in the kitchen right now. That's why I'm writing to you right now, so he won't notice. I have a very urgent task for you. At nine o'clock sharp, Jake and Leah are coming to take Edward away, but he must not know about it. Your job is to distract him from any thoughts that might be approaching your house! So he doesn't notice anything yet! Can you do that?
I bristled.
What was Alice up to that she didn't want Edward to notice?
I immediately asked about it.
You are getting married tomorrow!
she texted back immediately.
I blinked a few times and read it several times.
Okay
I merely wrote back, which was already an ordeal.
I was shaking, which is why I didn't hit the right keys on the first try.
From happiness.
I would marry my angel tomorrow. It came as such a surprise. I had already completely forgotten that I had told Alice that I wanted to surprise Edward with it. Because of Leah, it had all been forgotten again. But tomorrow would be the day.
I let myself fall onto the bed, joyfully excited, before I possibly collapsed. I stretched, turned myself over the lying surface and laughed. From happiness.
"Who texted?" asked Edward as he entered our bedroom with my breakfast.
"Alice," I said in the heat of the moment. Damn. He wasn't supposed to know that something was up.
Leisurely, I sorted myself out and sat up straight, meanwhile coming up with a plausible explanation for her early news. I actually found one.
"She asked if she should run over to make breakfast for the kids."
"In the name of our children, I hope you stopped her, don't you!?"
"I told her they'd probably still be asleep," I lied. Apparently I was convincing enough.
I tried to keep a casual attitude, but the thought of my impending marriage made that damn difficult. I also kept squinting at the alarm clock so that I wouldn't miss the time.
I knew very well how to distract my fiancé from his gift. Actually, even from everything outside the bed.
I ate a little faster as nine o'clock approached, but then immediately snuggled into Edward's arms and began kissing him invitingly.
I had intentionally tangled myself a bit in the bedspread to slow us both down a bit with it. My children would be shocked if they caught us in the middle of sex ...
Their faces nevertheless came very close to that when they then actually stood next to the bed, even if they looked rather amused overall.
"I'll see you at the altar," Edward then said goodbye to me.
"I'll be there," I promised and kissed him goodbye.
"Get the hell out of here, Dad!" said Leah, almost shoving him roughly out of the bedroom.
Leah then sent me to the bathroom to wash.
I wouldn't need a shower, as she said.
Dressed, we went downstairs and there were already Sonya, Emma, Alice, Rosalie and Becky sitting in our kitchen. They were all grinning at me. My baby was there too.
"How does the bride feel on her last day as a bachelorette?", I was asked as everyone hugged me exuberantly.
"Don't know. Happy. Surprised. Overwhelmed. Take your pick," was all I said.
We sat together for a bit over coffee and tea while I was told that Alice had decided last Friday to let the wedding take place this weekend. Apart from Jasper, who had been actively helping her organize it, no one had known anything about it until last night.
I didn't know what to say to that. So I had absolutely no idea how it would go tomorrow. Which priest would come. Where we would celebrate. When we would be married at all. Who would come.
"There, the men are on their way for now. So we can move," Alice sounded after her cell phone beeped.
"Uh ... moving?", I inquired. "And what are the men doing?"
"We have scheduled male-free wellness for the bride today. Of course, the best place to do that is over at Esmé's house," she replied.
"So you and all of us will be in great shape tomorrow," Rosalie added.
"Even if it's a round shape?" echoed Sonya, rubbing her twenty-six-week pregnant belly.
"That's a shape, too!" stated Alice in response.
My baby was definitely excited about the prospect of getting into the pool. I wasn't sure yet whether wellness appealed to me. I had never thought about such things before and had never done it. But I had nice company.
So we put on our thick jackets and we humans drove over while the two female vampires ran.
Then I sat in the water with my baby. The prevailing opinion was that Ced was a man, albeit a rather small man, so he would join the male group as soon as they got back from Paintball.
Paintball, I thought, shaking my head. Boys stuff. They'd seemingly only do stuff like that today, with us ladies being superfluous.
In this respect, Ced took full advantage of the time. He romped above water, under water, jumped sitting on the swimming mat, slid off the air cushion, but paid close attention to me.
The injuries from Leah's attack on me had largely healed. I still had a reddish mark on my cheek that only hurt if you hit it exactly, but otherwise I only had a small band-aid on my forehead.
However, Emmett very soon stood with us and jumped into the middle of the pool that the water splashed wildly. It splashed even on the rather high ceiling.
Ced applauded to that.
Emmett told us, dejectedly, that he was probably better off with us. With the weak women. He had been hit before the hunt had even really started.
"You very likely just ran into the woods without looking right or left, didn't you?!" stated Rose to that.
Em looked briefly irritated.
"Not at all!" he then said, offended.
So … I didn't believe him.
He stayed with us for a bit, playing the charming but naughty solo entertainer. With Sonya, for example, he asked three times whether she really wanted to go into the water. With her girth, there would be hardly any water left in the pool. He also romped with Ced and Emma in the water until I had to say goodbye to my baby.
"And take good care of Daddy today!", I urged my son.
He nodded very seriously, gave me a whole big kiss on the cheek and hugged me tightly.
Em took him, but Rose accompanied him for the time being.
It was better that way. Otherwise, my baby would probably crawl naked through the winter because Emmett destroyed all his clothes with his gross motor skills. Emmett just had no patience for the delicate little snaps and buttons that entailed baby clothes.
Rose also came back soon.
I swam a few more laps through the pool when suddenly more ladies appeared.
Anna Clearwater, Rachel Lahote, Sue Swan, and Emily Uley.
I was so surprised that I almost sank in the water.
I greeted them with joyful surprise, hardly able to believe that they were there, even if it became a rather wet greeting.
I introduced Anna and Rachel to the ladies they didn't know yet. And then someone else came.
Actually, two came that I had not expected. Esmé. I still thought she was on her tropical island. And at her side, linking one arm with my mother-in-law's and a walking stick in the other hand, Orenda Young entered the pool area. An awe-inspiring old lady. Every time I'd been to La Push, she'd told me something about raising children. Told didn't quite hit the mark. Rather, she had told me emphatically all the things I was doing wrong. In the past, when my twins were still babies, she'd really beat me up about it. Not just me, but everyone. Even Emily, Anna or Rachel. Even if it wasn't about raising children, but also about everything else. But over time I understood that she was just bossy by nature. Once one internalized that, all that was left was a cute little lady who wanted to share her life experience and one got along very well with her.
"Look, Mrs. Orenda. There's Bella and the others," Esmé just said softly.
"I can see that. I may be old, but I'm not blind!" replied Orenda.
In her usual tone of voice.
Esmé smiled over this tone of voice.
"And you there. Aren't you ashamed of yourselves, loitering around here so naked? You'd better put some clothes on," she rumbled next, pointing with her cane at the ladies in swimwear.
Yes, that's how I knew her. Orenda could take on a vampire at any time. At least as long as it would stay with verbal attacks, and she could sit down.
"But Orenda, we're in a swimming pool down here," Emily explained to her great-grandmother.
Orenda looked around, probably only now noticing the large pool behind the many ladies, but of course did not admit her 'mistake'.
"Bella. I thank you for the invitation to your wedding," she therefore deflected.
"I am very happy that you have come here," I replied and hugged her lightly. I had given birth to Quileute and was therefore family to her. Well. Less me, rather my twins. That the twins bore the family name of their father - their Quileute father, mind you - she gave me a lot of credit.
Leah also greeted her in her usual gruff way, and I then introduced Sonya as well.
"Now where is the Little one?" she then asked impatiently.
"Who do you mean?" I asked. My 'Little one' was standing with her, after all.
Emma cautiously peeked past her mommy.
This little old lady apparently gave her the creeps.
"My great-granddaughter! ... Becky!" Orenda thundered indignantly, looking at Emma doing so.
She apparently wasn't sure if the girl matched the description.
I chuckled at that.
Becky winced a little at that moment, though.
Of course, I thought. She didn't know who Orenda was. Becky was usually a fearless girl and had smiled at Orenda's brusque manner. But now to hear - without warning - that it was her great-grandmother had to actually irritate and surprise her.
"Don't be afraid. She seems very authoritarian, but she's actually quite a sweet person," Emily whispered encouragingly to Becky.
Becky had apparently regained her composure, though her eyes were still a little wide with surprise.
"Well, I guess you're not quite that little anymore," Orenda then stated first and examined Becky from head to toe.
"You're ... my great-grandmother?" asked Becky, meanwhile.
Orenda merely nodded.
"You're very pretty, but what's up with that?" she asked brusquely, pointing to the tattoo Becky wore between her belly button and groin.
A little wolf.
"It's a sign of my heritage. A Quileute wolf," Becky answered, a touch belligerent and without being intimidated.
That's how I knew my daughter-in-law-to-be.
"Then you know the legends?"
"Of course."
"Good child!" nodded Orenda. "I guess you got your blue eyes from your mother?"
"No. From my father, and he in turn from his father. My Granny has dark eyes."
"Your Granny can get ready for something tomorrow!" thundered Orenda again.
"She had her reasons. It may have been wrong to just leave, but at the time she felt it was the right thing to do!" rumbled Becky back.
The hint of a smile appeared on Orenda's lips.
"And such a nice thing has been kept from me for twelve years!" grumbled Orenda to herself.
"Becky is seventeen," Leah commented.
"I said that," Orenda, of course, wanted to pass over this little faux pas as well.
Esmé and Becky led her to one of the loungers, where she then rested for a while.
The journey had been very exhausting for her. The drive to the airport in the very early hours of the morning, then over five hours of flying and then the drive here from Boston again. She couldn't sleep on the plane. If she was going to crash, she wanted to get something out of it and not sleep through it.
The other Native American women went upstairs again to get their bathing suits and say goodbye to their husbands for the time being.
Alice had been quite clear about this: gender segregation. At least that was true for those who lived in this state. Until tomorrow, when the festivities began. The way she said it, it sounded like a coronation ceremony or royal wedding. But I was in too good a mood to get upset about Alice's possible overzealousness.
The ladies were barely out of the pool when we heard a constant snoring.
Orenda.
We chuckled at that.
Emma stood very close to Orenda and watched her doing just that, amused.
"She sure is adorable," Sonya chuckled at Orenda's general appearance.
"She's always been like that," I opined. "She's actually goodness personified, but she hides that under a lot of tenacity and stubbornness."
"Are we going to be like that at that age?"
"I hope not!", I said emphatically.
"Becky, what are you saying ...", I wanted to ask and turned around, but there was no Becky standing there anymore. "Oops. Where did she go?"
"Jake just peeked through that window," Emma chuckled, gesturing to said window.
I took a few steps toward the window facade and shook myself.
She had to be cold - only with the sweatshirt over the bathing suits. But otherwise I smiled at the sight. My son in love and his girlfriend, no less in love, were hanging on to each other. Literally.
"Um ... Leah?", I called to my little daughter as I saw someone else out in the cold.
"Yes, Mom," she also came to me immediately.
"Could you maybe explain to someone exactly how Alice had envisioned the gender ban today?", I asked her.
"Sure. Who isn't playing by the rules?" she said challengingly.
"Marcus," I pointed behind her.
She smiled, grabbed her cardigan from a lounger, and left the pool on the side where Marcus was strolling along indeterminately.
"It's nice that the two of them still get along so well despite everything," Sonya commented on the two teens.
"Yes, it is," I nodded affirmatively. I watched the two of them for a moment longer, but as I did so, I really shook myself. Leah barefoot in the snow. I was already freezing at the mere idea.
"The sauna is at optimal temperature," Rose announced as if on cue.
"Fortunately. I'm freezing," I said and immediately went in that direction.
Before the sauna I took off my bikini and quickly washed the chlorine from my body. Then I stepped into the hot cabin.
That was nice and cozy!
With a towel, I lay down on the lowest step.
Rose came again, asked if the temperature was okay, but everything was perfect.
I was so wonderfully deeply relaxed. In my mind I listened to Edward's music and bobbed along with the foot of one bent leg.
Okay, it wasn't quite perfect. My fiancé was missing for complete perfection. I imagined what he would do if he were here with me now. How his cool fingertips would brush over my shoulder. Uh ... had my imaginative powers grown lately? I actually felt that.
Startled, I raised my head.
"Ed ...", I wanted to say when I actually saw him sitting next to me, but his refreshing lips stopped me. He was really here. Edward. He wasn't following Alice's orders. What a naughty fiancé I had. What luck!
I enjoyed the minutes I had left with him and my son.
After all, it would very likely be the only minutes I would see him today.
We cringed caught as the door to the sauna opened and Becky walked in.
"Hey, Edward," she said casually.
"Hey," Edward replied nonchalantly as Becky lay down a step above me.
Ced turned a little in her direction, babbling something, with Becky tousling through his wild hair.
As if today was just a normal day, I continued to cuddle through Edward's nape and his fingers gently stroked my back. I stifled a chuckle because Becky had apparently forgotten Alice's bidding.
"What are YOU doing here?!" she asked then, however.
So Edward left again.
If Alice caught him here, our wedding would probably be in question. I could hardly marry someone who was no longer alive. On the other hand, Edward was actually already dead.
Leah, Esmé, and Sue came into the sauna shortly after Edward disappeared.
Whether they had still seen him?
"Are you sure you want to marry Edward? He can't even follow the simplest rules!" asked Esmé.
"Maybe that's exactly why I want to marry him. If he always followed all the rules, we wouldn't get married and we wouldn't have had a baby!", I countered.
"Point for Mom!" chuckled Leah.
I nodded affirmatively and finally asked how it was that both Esmé was back and the guests from La Push were here.
I learned that Alice had already called the Native Americans after I asked her to make the wedding arrangements a few weeks ago. Then last weekend she would have fixed the date and called both Carlisle and Esmé as well those in La Push. Except for Jasper, everyone else had only found out about it last night so no one could reveal it to Edward. Be it only by their thoughts. The Native American flights had been booked and Carlisle and Esmé had left for Boston in the early morning hours today to pick up our guests from the airport. My in-laws had already arrived last evening and had helped with the final preparations last night. Among other things, Esmé had probably spent a lot of time in the kitchen getting ready for the human/wolfish guests.
When I got back to the pool, I saw what Esmé had been doing all night.
All kinds of delicacies were set up on a table. Various desserts, but also savories. Snacks, finger food, small salads. Similar to Christmas, that one could help oneself more or less in passing. One table further were other things, of which I was not sure at first whether they were intended for consumption. This was the beauty table, as I was then explained. Various face masks were ready in little bowls, which I had almost taken for dessert. They smelled so fruity.
Then we lay there. With soothing music, wrapped in fluffy bathrobes, dozing off from ourselves while the vampires applied the masks to us.
I had actually refused, but they did not tolerate any backtalk.
"You'll certainly want to knock Edward socks off tomorrow, won't you? Besides ... who knows when I'll get my hands on all of you next!" Alice and Rosalie had equally toned.
Leah, Becky, and Emma were simply thrilled with the envisioned beauty program.
Sonya was also happy about it.
She usually treated herself to a lavish trip to a wellness farm two or three times a year, but had not found the time for it for a long time now. So right with pedicure, manicure, steam bath, various massages, well-being treatments, in between yoga, swimming, walking or the like and with constant accompaniment by the associated restaurant, which served various light courses throughout the day.
Our Native American guests were rather curious.
They knew about massages, Sue went regularly for manicures, Emily liked to go to the sauna, but otherwise their experiences with such things were comparable to mine. So it was rather non-existent. I just knew the masks you could buy at the drugstore, but I had done that maybe three times in my whole life.
When did one have the time to take care of something like that?
Orenda had lowered herself to at least taking off her shoes and vest, but she didn't want to know about all those creams. She sat there smiling and drinking her 'Long Island Iced Tea'.
Her comment about the alcoholic long drink earlier in the afternoon was that she had not gotten so old for no reason.
Maybe her increasing smile was because of the drink.
Even Emma got a face mask, but she was too bored with lying there relaxing. So Esmé went romping with her in the water again.
Becky and Orenda sat together and chatted.
They seemed to get along well, which made me very happy.
Leah and Sonya talked about Sonya's pregnancy.
What Sonya meanwhile had for side effects. Except that she went to the toilet in what felt like 'ten minute' intervals.
I stroked over my belly.
With one laughing and one crying mental eye. I would just be at the beginning of the third month if Ced hadn't been in such a hurry. I probably wouldn't have known I was having a baby for that long either. Edward and I could have looked forward to it together for a few more months ... Provided that he would have believed me in that case that it would be his baby. Edward had been so great during the pregnancy, which had been much too short. So sensitive and loving. And how he had only been at birth. He was a great father, though ... actually he had become that much earlier. When he had knocked on our front door. How he had tried to protect Leah from me when she told me she was going to tell Ben about the wolves. Or how he had made sure Jake didn't get beat up by Mike Hanks' supporters. How he tried to comfort Leah after Ben broke up with Leah in such an unsightly way. How he had assisted Jake when Becky was raped. What was that crying eye for again? ... Oh yeah, the pregnancy went by way too fast. So I hadn't been able to enjoy and live out any of my pregnancies to the fullest. With the laughing eye I perceived that today - barely two months after I knew about the baby inside me - I was already as well as before. And that our little angel had been brightening all our lives in every way for more than six weeks. I was happy. Happy all around. Tomorrow my happiness got the last icing on the cake for the time being. If I would marry Edward tomorrow. In my white ...
"Alice? What's going on with the dress? Is it ready?", I asked in a panic. I hadn't worn it since that one Saturday when I asked Alice to plan and keep it a secret.
"No, I'll let you go naked in front of the priest," she replied dryly.
"What?!", I jumped up and would have almost started hyperventilating. Would have, if everything hadn't started spinning as soon as I got up.
Leah held me up as I regained my composure and she continued to support me as I made my way to Alice.
This little evil whirlwind smiled hypocritically when I arrived at her.
"It's already hanging in your bedroom and all that's missing is the finishing touches," she purred.
"You can't scare me like that!", I snapped at her anyway. I just had to vent my panic a little. "And the dresses for Leah and Becky?" it occurred to me to ask, though.
"We're getting new dresses?" asked Leah suddenly with interest.
"Are also almost finished and also just need the final adjustments," Alice fluted good-humoredly.
I took a deep breath, calmed down, and flopped back on my lounger.
That would have been just what I needed. I want to get married, but would not have a dress!
"What kind of dresses?" then Becky also wanted to know.
"Well, you'll get dresses for tomorrow that, while cut to your exact personal preferences, incorporate the style of Bella's dress," Alice said simply.
"So what does your dress look like?", Leah sat down excitedly with me.
She loved new clothes. Especially when Alice had picked them out or tailored them.
"Yours is white, after all, as befits the bride!" said Becky, sitting down on my other side.
"Yes, it is white. But you will see everything else only tomorrow," I refused to give exact details.
This aroused the general interest of the ladies present and I had to tell the Native Americans in great detail how Edward had asked me to marry him.
All three times!
Emma asked if Edward was kneeling down like the princes always did in their movies.
Sue found the last proposal very amusing, which was more like an oversight.
Rachel and Anna also told of their men's proposals.
Paul had apparently been very pragmatic about it. He had determined that Rachel would love him. Rachel affirmed this and he pulled out the ring. With the words: 'Then I guess we should get married!'
So romance was somehow different.
Seth had really come up with something against that. They were hiking together, resting at a little clearing where a stream fell over a mini waterfall. On it floated a large heart, in which a love letter arrived at them. While Anna was reading it, Seth had taken out a red rose and the ring and knelt beside her.
With all the narration, the first bottle of sparkling wine was opened.
Even Emma was taken care of in this regard.
With a bottle of sparkling cider, which Sonya also tried. It was much too sweet for her.
Late in the afternoon, we changed locations and strolled over to our house, freshly 'wellnessed' - or so.
The cold air and exercise really felt good ... after the relative heat of the pool.
Orenda was driven by Esmé.
Emily, Rachel, Anna and Sue found Alice's arrangement that I would not see Edward again until tomorrow at the ceremony quite funny and decided to do likewise. So they got their things from the guest rooms, left their husbands only a message to that effect, and Esmé took those things to our house as well.
Leah gladly made her attic available for the ladies.
As a result, Orenda's bag was also taken, as she didn't want to sleep alone with all those guys under one roof.
Who would know what they would do with a defenseless woman at night?! She had clearly already drunk too much of her 'tea'.
Our house.
It was strange, but I felt as much at home here as I did in my house in Saco. I smiled every time I hung my key under my name. None of my out-of-town guests knew this building as it looked today. In this respect, a guided tour was requested first.
Leah and Becky quickly ran upstairs to add a touch of order. The others were just thrilled with the three children's rooms and Rachel wondered if this glass roof could be implemented in her boys' rooms. She had two sons, and their rooms were both in the upper floor of her house.
Orenda was also very taken with it, even though she only climbed the spiral staircase a few steps to be able to see the slowly darkening sky.
Then we stood and sat in my large kitchen and very leisurely prepared our dinner.
Esmé had thought of several little aisles and had stocked my refrigerator and kitchen cabinets accordingly, for which I thanked her heartily.
Not for the first time today.
It was fun to cook with so many ladies.
Each had different ideas of seasoning and the like, but they agreed very quickly after extensive tasting.
In the middle of cooking, my baby finally came home.
I had not seen my little angel for such a long time. Much too long!
"I'm here, too, by the way!", Jake reminded me.
Teasingly smirking.
So I also hugged my older son and my almost-son Marcus.
Becky also immediately took care of her wolf, if he was already here.
That's how I introduced Marcus to the guests.
Except for Sue, after all, the Native American women didn't know him.
He greeted everyone kindly and even saw the blood relationship between Rachel and the twins.
I just didn't have an eye for that sort of thing, other than recognizing their father in my twins. With Jake, though, that wasn't really hard either. He looked more and more like his father every day, with the only difference being that his hair wasn't black, but had gotten a slight brown tint from me.
Marcus talked a bit about the male society and how silly the grown men would act, which the ladies could believe quite easily.
"And what are you snacking on again?" he then asked Leah, who sat chewing on the kitchen counter.
She dipped a pastry stick into a Nutella jar and held it out for Marcus to take a bite.
"They're yummy, aren't they?", Emma tugged on his jacket.
"Yep ... they are," Marcus confirmed and picked up Emma, who handed him a stick of his own so he wouldn't have to share it with Leah.
Emma explained to him that it was very difficult to share something like that with Leah, because she would keep most of it to herself.
"She knows you too well," he teased my daughter.
I turned away as Ced asked for a bottle through his gift.
Rosalie saw that I was heading to the small chamber with the blood refrigerator and prepared the bottle for me while I was already going to his room with Ced.
Even though everyone except Emma knew about wolves and vampires, and also that Ced as half vampire took blood, I thought it was inappropriate to feed him in front of so many eyes. Besides, I wanted to have my baby to myself for a bit.
So I re-diapered him and laid down with my baby in his big nest swing.
Rosalie also came as requested as soon as we lay.
Ced was already reaching out his hands to the bottle.
"Well, someone's thirsty," Rosalie noted happily. "You must have been up to all sorts of nonsense with Daddy and the others!"
"That was no nonsense. That was fun!" I informed Rosalie matter-of-factly, which Ced instructed me to say the same way with his fingers on my cheek.
"Oh ... Sorry!", Rose said and left us laughing alone.
She knew how important those minutes with Ced were to me - or to Edward, for that matter - when he fully allowed us to treat him like a baby.
Ced showed me, while drinking, a little of his afternoon.
The stroll to a hut at the end of the property. Well, to me it was more of a slightly more comfortable shelter than an actual hut. A climbing wall he had climbed up with Jasper's help. Charlie had told him something about ice fishing, but Ced hadn't understood the point of it. How Daddy and Marcus had argued at baseball games. How Jake had rubbed snow on Marcus' face and shoved the snow under his sweater, too. A gift from Billy, which he also immediately showed me quite proudly. Everyone had slid down a little hill with him. An exciting afternoon for the little man.
But Ced asked me one more thing.
Namely, whether Daddy would really be right about Marcus and Leah. They looked just like they used to. Ced couldn't tell the difference.
It really wasn't easy to explain, especially when one saw the two of them together. Their love had not worked anymore, but it had been very intimate. Therefore, they couldn't let go of each other completely, even though they were supposed to.
My son was only moderately satisfied with my thoughts on this. He would continue to observe this.
When I went back downstairs with Ced, my teenagers were standing behind the fireplace room on the patio. Actually, the boys wanted to go back to the others, in reality they couldn't quite tear themselves away from the girls.
Not wanting to disturb the young people, I merely gave the two boys a kiss on the cheek with the stipulation that they deliver this to Edward from me and wished them another quite enjoyable evening.
Our dinner was taking shape more and more, but during the meal Esmé excused herself.
The men should not starve either. They were just grilling, but she wanted to prepare a few little things for later. There were wolves with them.
We made ourselves comfortable in the living room with sparkling wine and various desserts.
Ced tried everything and was more than pampered by the many ladies. He was entertained every second.
My son liked that.
Becky was asked to play something for us on the grand piano, which of course she did.
Orenda was visibly thrilled with her newest great-granddaughter. With Emma, however, she had difficulties.
"The Little one is really very cute, but too exhausting for me," she had said in response.
I could understand that. Emma, soon to be four years old, was a tireless whirlwind. Orenda couldn't quite keep up.
But she showed great emotion when Emma brought her a plate with some dessert cream to the armchair without being asked.
She just didn't dare to really approach Ced. A half-being. And a baby, too, who didn't want to behave accordingly. He had started an approach by crawling across the floor, pulling himself up by the armrest and holding out his Kraken to her. But she hesitated and my baby could only hold onto his little legs for a moment before he fell back onto his pampers-padded bottom. He peeked sadly and wanted to crawl back, but Becky picked him up and sat on the armrest with him.
"That's an honor to hold his Kraken," Becky told her.
"He only shares that with others in absolutely exceptional cases," Leah also said.
"And only with people he is fond of," I added.
"But he doesn't even know me," Orenda countered.
"That's exactly what Ced wants to change," I remarked.
The old lady and the baby peeked shyly at each other for a long moment.
Just a very little bit, Ced lifted his hand with his Kraken.
Orenda seemed to think about it, but then she took it.
Very carefully.
My baby then smiled as charmingly as a baby shouldn't be able to do, which Orenda took in visibly confused. It took quite a while, but then Ced sat happily on Orenda's lap.
At least until he almost fell asleep.
Even Orenda was getting quieter and quieter, and for Emma it was already time for bed anyway.
Therefore, I took Ced upstairs with me.
Sonya also put her little sweeper to bed.
As long as the rest of us would stay in the living room, though, Emma would sleep in our big bed and move to Leah's room later, when Sonya would also go to bed. Leah and Becky would later share Jake's bed, or more likely Jake's loft. Orenda got the guest room on the first floor. She was ninety-eight years old. Though mentally and in overall good health, she was still frail and could no longer do many things on her own. Changing clothes, for example. So Esmé and Emily helped her.
I was sitting in the rocking chair in his room with Ced and a bottle when I was handed a phone.
It was allowed for me to talk to my groom.
I switched to speaker.
"Daddy!" exclaimed Ced enthusiastically, immediately wide awake again.
Oh great.
"Hey, my little treasure. Why are you still awake and not lying in bed and sleeping?", Edward's beautiful voice sounded softly through the small speaker.
"You know, Daddy. This is all way too exciting here to be able to sleep," I answered in his place.
Ced still hardly spoke and when he did, it was unintelligible babble. Except for a few words and addressing us all by name, he used almost exclusively his gift to communicate with us. For Carlisle, however, this was no cause for concern, since Ced obviously understood everything we said. He was probably just too comfortable to talk to us. Through his gift he was able to express himself much more understandably, to underlay his opinions, thoughts and wishes with appropriate images, that it was simply not important for him to articulate himself. I could see the day coming when Ced wouldn't stop talking for real. Because that's what had happened to Zoey. Her little Daphne had always just said 'There!" and pointed at what she wanted. And Daphne, of course, got away with it. But because Zoey was worried about her daughter's development, she had asked the pediatrician for advice. He advised her not to react to this 'There!'. As a result, Daphne could suddenly talk like a waterfall and could hardly be kept quiet.
"I can imagine that! ... And how is my bride?" asked Edward.
I turned the speaker off again and put the phone to my ear, but Ced put his fingers on my arm so he could hear everything while he drank.
"I'm a little bit tipsy," I admitted.
"Just a little bit?"
"Maybe a little bit more."
We told each other a little about our day without the other, which Ced partly punctuated with his thoughts, if he had been there. Or he tried to imagine it, if he had not been there. But his thoughts very quickly became quieter and darker.
"Our baby fell asleep," I whispered softly.
"It was an exciting day for him."
"As exciting as the one we're facing tomorrow."
"Yes, it will certainly be exciting. I finally get to marry the woman my whole life depends on," Edward opined fondly.
"And what do you think they're going to plan for us between now and then?"
"I don't know. We're sitting here in the living room, socializing. The men are drinking beer and talking weirder and weirder stuff with every sip. Paul even wanted to drink fraternity with me. I suppose I'll go hunting tonight, but other than that, I don't think anything exciting will happen," Edward reflected.
"Yeah, it's kind of like that here, too. We sit downstairs together, chatting, drinking sparkling wine. It's really pleasant."
"So you guys don't have a stripper or something there to turn you ladies' heads, and make you forget that you actually want to marry me tomorrow!", Edward wanted to know exactly.
"I could ask you the same thing!"
Edward laughed.
"I think my siblings know both of us well enough to know that we would not appreciate such entertainment."
"Well hopefully!"
"I'm quite confident that nothing like that is planned. Neither with me, nor with you. After all, our children are also present."
I was willing to believe him when I perceived some restlessness on his part.
Rose also quietly entered Ced's room.
"Bella, my heart, it seems our time is up," Edward said, sounding very contrite by this.
"Seems so. Rose is already standing in front of me and demanding the phone back," I confirmed, offended.
"Go on, say goodbye already! You'll see her again tomorrow. If you're lucky and she still wants you then!", I heard Emmett through the little speaker.
I chuckled.
There, things happened quite nicely.
"Good night, Bel ...", I then heard yet, and the connection was gone.
I also peeked at the phone again to be on the safe side, but the call was really over.
Ced was still sleeping in my arms, so I took him to our bedroom and put him in his crib.
We had not yet brought ourselves to let him sleep all alone in his room.
Emma was about to fall asleep while Sonya was still humming a song to herself.
We then went back downstairs, Sue opened the next bottle of sparkling wine and the mood rose consistently. The music was turned up a little louder.
Orenda wouldn't hear about it, Emily said. Her hearing aid was off and on the nightstand. A bomb could hit here, she wouldn't notice that.
Then all of a sudden the bell rang.
"Can I help you?", I asked confused as I opened the front door.
There stood a young man. In his early twenties, perhaps. Tall and with dark hair. A brash smile on his lips.
"A very good evening, beautiful woman!" he said with a charming smile, taking my hand and blowing a kiss on her back.
"Uh ... I don't think you're in the right place!", I withdrew my hand.
"I think so, Bella," he opined.
"How do you know my name?"
"Then we're in the right place!" he stated.
"We?", I dug deeper.
"Yes, you've come to the right place!" stood Alice as happy as a sandboy next to me, waving the man in.
I, on the other hand, glowered at her angrily.
This could surely not be her seriousness! Alice couldn't possibly have hired a stripper - or since he had used the vocabulary 'we' - a whole horde of them! What was she thinking? My baby was asleep upstairs! My daughter was present! My mother-in-law - so to speak - was sitting on the couch! I would marry tomorrow! And she brought me various half-naked men in the house?!
But the man first went outside again, before he then came back in company. Accompanied by an equally young lady and luggage.
Is this going to be a peep show with extensive costumes ... or what?
"Come in, make yourself comfortable!", Alice invited the two and they complied with this request.
"Alice, what are you doing to me!", I asked, upset, as the two guests, who were very unwelcome to me, were on their way into the living room.
"Don't panic, Bella. It's going to be funny!" she squealed and went after the two.
Funny? I dared to doubt that!
"The house is really overwhelming!" the man commented on the way.
"Oh yes. Everything so spacious and open. With so many windows. The light in here when the sun is shining must be awesome!" the woman mused.
I grumbled to myself while Alice moved them chairs from the dining table and they put down their jackets and bags. A hand was extended to me, but I refused it. I sidled past the 'strippers' to the sofa and peeked in annoyance.
The arrivals were first asked for beverage requests, but the young lady declined the sparkling wine offered.
"We have non-alcoholic, too," Sonya lifted her own bottle.
"I'd take a glass of that," the lady smiled.
"And you?" asked Leah in a tone that caught my attention. "I'm sure you'd rather have a bottle of beer, wouldn't you?" she smiled very nicely at the young man.
"Gladly," she got from him in reply.
I wondered a little about my daughter. This man was exactly Leah's type. Tall, dark and muscular, as the tight-fitting T-shirt made clear. And that's exactly what Leah had noticed, apparently.
For the lady came a glass and for the man the beer, which Leah held out to him very ... devotedly ... after all. They each took a sip, but then they stood before us.
"Well, ladies. My name is Josh, and this is my colleague Jane. We're going to give you a little introduction to erotic 'pole dancing' tonight," Josh announced.
Um ... what?
"Don't you need one of those poles to snake around to do that?" inquired Leah inquisitively.
She sat in the very front of the sofa.
Josh smiled, taking a step toward Leah and smiling very ... meaningfully ... at her.
There was something crackling!
"That's right. We brought a mobile pole," he told to her.
They looked at each other for a moment before he turned back to the rest of us.
"'Pole Dance' means 'The dance on the pole'. This type of dance does not originate from the red light districts of this world, as many people think, but originated in the Asian region and was preferably performed by men with acrobatic ambitions. What began as a popular circus discipline, and then actually spread through permissive performances in America's bars, is now a modern dance sport with very high fitness potential, which is even performed in competitions. Acrobatic exercises performed with fluid elegance are the hallmark of the sport."
Jane took the floor.
"There are people who consider the 'Pole Dance' as indecent or obscene, precisely because it is still used in the erotic scene and is very common there, but nowadays you can book appropriate courses in almost any fitness club or dance studio and learn it. Be it for sports reasons, because you just want to do something different than yoga or swimming ... or to seduce your man at home. Because, of course, it is very worth seeing, especially for the male audience. But in the meantime, for aesthetic or even sporting reasons, it also enjoys great popularity among female guests. Regardless of whether it's a man or a woman dancing on the pole."
Josh took over again.
"The 'Pole Dance' combines strength, endurance, flexibility and coordination, leading that way to a better body feeling and more self-confidence. But today, it's just meant to be fun for you to get to know the pole, and maybe your own body, a little better."
"I would suggest while we are setting up the pole, you might want to change. Normal gym clothes or even just comfortable clothes will do just fine," Jane said, and Becky and Leah immediately jumped up and ran upstairs.
The vampires also rose, and I peeked not badly.
They had already brought appropriate things with them. The Native American women also seemed to be quite taken with it and discussed with Jane whether the current clothing would also fit. For Sue, of course, it was nothing, but they nudged me invitingly.
"Come on, Bella. Dare you!", Sonya urged me.
Admittedly, I was already curious how this worked.
So I went upstairs and quietly slipped into the bedroom to get some suitable clothes. I was the last to return to the living room. The two guests also had sporty tight clothes on, were barefoot and the pole stood already. Better said there were two and they were clamped between the floor and ceiling, but were just being tested for stability. Josh performed a few swinging elements on both, and Leah stood by. Chewing on her lower lip and with tilted head, she watched everything very closely.
But that also looked really interesting, how this young man hung on the pole. Somehow elegant. Somehow sexy. The pole was apparently firm enough.
"To show you exactly what we're talking about here, Jane will perform one of her choreographies for you. But please don't get a fright. Jane has been doing this for quite a long time and is appropriately practiced. It's just to show you the possibilities," Josh said and told us to make ourselves comfortable for the time being.
Josh had music playing over a cell phone that was probably part of this choreography and I had to say that it looked very spectacular, but also equally graceful, what Jane was performing there on the pole.
And complicated. It was certainly not as simple as Jane had presented it.
Then we all stood around the two poles, got the instruction from the sofa to move aside, because Sonya and Sue also wanted to see something and now we got our first lesson in 'Pole Dancing'.
Jane stood at the one pole, sort of as our template, while Josh explained what we were supposed to do.
"The first point is to approach the pole. This can be very elegant on tiptoe ..." which Jane demonstrated ..., "or with a loose hip movement ... or even by handstand ... However, the most important thing to do in every single exercise is: head up, shoulders down, chest out, and stretch your feet and toes. This alone will make each of your movements look smoother ..."
With that, our class began, and it really became quite fun.
So Alice had been right after all. Maybe it was because of the other bottles of sparkling wine that we gradually emptied.
Jane and Josh were very nice and also very patient with us.
Josh, however, drank only one beer. He did not allow himself more. He was there as a man, so to speak, to be able to keep us on the pole when needed. He would have to keep a clear head.
We also chatted a lot with the two of them.
Josh's parents ran a dance school in Portland that had been offering 'Pole Dancing' for a few years. So he could dance just about anything. Jane was a trained dance instructor and worked for Josh's parents. It had been Josh's idea that this kind of dance class could be booked as a private event for various occasions. It was in high demand, he said, especially for bachelorette parties. Josh was involved in the dance school as much as his time allowed, but his older brother would eventually continue his parents' business. He was currently on the dance faculty of the prestigious Julliard School in New York. Josh himself was studying in Portland to become a physical therapist so he could treat the darker side of dance.
Rachel and I had some approach difficulties with the dance apparatus.
My sense of balance was simply not designed for something like that.
However, Jane also showed us elements for which we didn't really have to cling to the pole at all. This worked better and already looked very elegant.
Emily and Anna, on the other hand, had a lot of fun and soon managed simple exercises without assistance.
The vampires of the family behaved a bit clumsy on purpose, I guess. Becky already looked very skilled on the pole. But Leah seemed to be a real naturally talent.
Whether that was because of the teacher? I wasn't sure. Josh and Leah got along really well, like we just got along really well overall, but I couldn't necessarily say right now that it stood out between the two of them in any way. They flirted a little bit, but it didn't really look that different between Josh and Alice, for example.
Much too quickly the booked time was up, which was a pity.
It had been really fun.
Finally, there was a little demonstration by our two teachers. They danced excitingly on the two poles. First synchronously, but with Josh it became more acrobatic, while with Jane it became more sensual. Both looked very erotic in their own way.
Jane had not lied about the introduction. It was artful and very aesthetic. A touch disreputable, but still very much worth seeing. And yep ... Josh was covered from head to toe with sleek and toned muscles.
Leah, by the way, was sitting in the front of the sofa again.
We applauded extensively and some of my girls whistled for encores. But it was far after midnight and the booked time was meanwhile also far exceeded.
Now that everything was over, Josh drank a beer after all. They had come here in Jane's car, which is why he could now drink without hesitation. They put their clothes on over their gym clothes and dismantled the poles again.
"Um ... where do one get poles like that?" asked Becky at that.
Very quietly, but not quietly enough.
All the ladies present chuckled.
I was sure that my son would like it very much.
Jane handed her a flyer in which she found all the important information. She immersed herself properly in the brochure.
"They're not that expensive," she stated with surprise.
Mumbling to herself, as she probably thought.
Another chuckle followed.
"That one would look really good between the bed and the dressing room," Rosalie smirked.
"There would be plenty of room to practice, too," Alice confirmed.
"Jake would also have the perfect place to watch," Sonya added.
"And luckily our bedroom is far enough away from you two," I interjected as well.
While we were having fun, Becky was busy blushing.
Josh and Jane said goodbye after we hugged them sufficiently.
We had probably already had too much sparkling wine.
Sonya still had some left in her non-alcoholic bottle, so we opened another bottle of regular sparkling wine and divided it among us.
Around half past two in the morning we went to the various beds.
Rose carried Emma to Leah's bed, where Sonya then crawled wearily into as well. Leah and Becky went up to Jake's attic, as I had suspected a few hours ago. My Native American guests made themselves comfortable in Leah's attic.
And, of course, I fell into my own bed.
My lonely vampire-empty, way-too-warm bed. I was quite drunk, still chuckling over many a memory from that day, smiling excessively at the thought of the day ahead, while looking at the dress hanging on the closet. I could only make out rough shapes in the darkness, but I knew what it looked like.
My cell phone buzzed silently.
Sleep well, my angel and dream of me!
a text message had arrived.
Doo you draem abot mee to?
I wrote back.
Fortunately, there was autocorrect for messages. I wasn't sure if I still knew anything about grammar and spelling.
All the time.
I loev you perjury tan
I love you too, my heart!
I quickly fell asleep, but I was not dreaming.
At least I didn't remember dreaming anything. But I had slept wonderfully for the fact that I was alone.
It was half past nine on Sunday morning when I stretched with relish. Despite the rather boozy evening, I felt rested.
I laughed.
So today would be my wedding day.
As I lay there quite relaxed and in a good mood, looking through the windows at the bright and cloudy sky, it slowly dawned on me that it was actually much too quiet in the room.
Immediately I jumped up and stumbled to the baby cradle.
Instead of my baby, there was a note on the blanket.
Don't panic! Ced is downstairs with us!
it said, and I breathed an exaggerated sigh of relief.
I went to the bathroom first - toilet, brush teeth, comb hair before going down very gracefully. I was wearing Edward's full pajamas, insofar I pulled up the pant legs so I wouldn't trip over them.
My kitchen was already bustling with activity, and the dining table was serving a breakfast that almost rivaled Edward's after New Year's Eve. My stomach growled at the sight.
"Good morning, Bella! How is the bride?", Esmé saw me first.
"Excellent. Thank you for the great breakfast, Esmé," I hugged her. "And thank you for the great day and fun evening," I turned to Rosalie and Alice.
"It was our pleasure!" the two warbled happily.
Emma, of course, was already awake. She sat next to Sonya on the chair and nibbled on something that definitely contained chocolate, according to her face.
I also gave them both a hug and asked how they had slept.
Leah's bed would have been very comfortable, came the reply.
Orenda was also already sitting at the table, which didn't surprise me. She had gone to bed quite early, unlike the rest of us. On her lap sat my baby, with whom she shared a pancake, but he already stretched his little arms towards me.
I wished Orenda a good morning, which she returned just as warmly, but immediately cuddled my baby.
"Then you might as well say goodbye to the little chap," Rosalie said.
Instinctively, I hugged my baby tighter and Ced also clung to me, a little scared.
"Why?", I asked immediately.
"Since the lords of creation don't take nearly as long to get ready for later, they probably wanted to go to the pool after breakfast," Alice explained, and my baby was already clapping her hands enthusiastically.
Well. Mommy or swim? I had clearly lost.
"But you have plenty of time," Esmé comforted me with a cup of coffee.
"Where are the others? Still sleeping?" I asked as I sat down at the table.
"Partially. Emily is already up. She strolls along the river for a bit and talks to her rascals on the phone. Rachel and Anna are still sleeping. Leah and Becky have been jogging for a long time," Rosalie said.
"Define 'they've been jogging for a long time,'" I challenged her skeptically. For the life of me, I couldn't imagine that.
"They woke up over an hour ago, wore gym clothes and went outside," Rosalie reasoned, glancing at the clock above the door.
"And you seriously think that after that amount of sparkling wine and considering the time they went to bed; they're really going to run around in the cold for over an hour and exercise?"
"What else?"
"They will have run. But only about a mile in that direction," I remarked, pointing in the direction of Carlisle and Esmé's house.
Thank you for reading!
