Chapter 12: Walking Around The Christmas Tree

Edward

Tuesday, December 12, 2023

Seattle, Washington

The first sip I take of my morning coffee won't take away the sting of the sun as it streams through the blinds, though I'm hoping it may make it a little easier.

With bleary eyes and heavy limbs, I shuffle my way towards the coffee pot in the kitchen, yawning through every step. There is a mug on the counter waiting for me, and I gladly, but slowly, help myself to a cup.

Between late nights for work and even later nights for wedding planning, it's a miracle I'm standing upright this morning. I feel like I would be this tired even if I were to sleep in today, though I'm sure stress would eventually wake me up, and keep me up, for the rest of the day.

Work tends to get like this every December before the world takes a modified break for the holidays. Everyone is in a push to finish their current deadlines and start with a clean slate for the new year, and it usually looks, and feels, like a frantic mad dash for an exit I can barely see. I've found myself with very few minutes to spare for myself, even for just an hour or two to relax my mind, and it's starting to show.

Though Christmas has never been my favorite time of the year, it's no secret that Bella has shown me the magical side of the season. So, I guess it does help a little when I take my coffee and plop down onto the couch beneath a fleece Christmas blanket and the soft glow of the lights from our tree. Work will always be there; a never ending cycle of obtaining new leads and continuing the thread with old ones. Wedding planning, while temporary, will always feel like crossing one thing off a to-do list only to add three more things to it.

But being exhausted, in all these ways, because of the life they promise for our future?

Worth it.

Even when she comes out of the spare room with a frustrated look on her face and a shake of her head.

"What is it?"

"The venue emailed me last night and I just checked it now," Bella sighs, dressed in scrubs as she disappears into the kitchen to finish gathering her lunch to take to work.

Judging by the way the refrigerator door slams behind her, I'm afraid to ask. I decide it's safer to remain on the couch for this one and talk to her from a distance. "And?"

"They emailed to confirm square tables," she calls over her shoulder. "Square tables? We requested round tables. And normally I wouldn't care, but — "

"I know," I interrupt her, trying to keep this train from derailing. Even though we had a great weekend full of Christmas shopping, I remember her anxiety about another venue falling through. "You're worried this is going to turn out just like the other ones."

"I'm overreacting, I know." Bella sighs and eventually plops down onto the couch next to me. Even though she now has her jacket on with her lunchbox and work bag slung over her shoulder, I lift the blanket up for her to snuggle in next to me. "I'm just paranoid."

"Nothing wrong with being over-prepared in the event of a catastrophe," I reassure her, smiling as her face softens into a grateful smirk. I tap her leg. "Look. You go to work, you save all those lives, and I'll take care of the venue."

"I love you," Bella sighs, leaning back so her lips are an inch away from mine. She gifts me one last smile before leaning in for a quick kiss. I can feel her relax in my arms. "Let me know what they say?"

"Of course."

…

"Yes, round tables. My fiancée was very specific both to you and to me," I reply, with a slight chuckle, to the wedding coordinator, Emily, assigned for our venue. Her voice fills my office as I sign my signature to the latest stack of contracts.

"That won't be a problem, Mr. Masen. Please tell Bella that it was an error on our part and the round tables will be ready and waiting for you both in eleven days."

"Eleven days?" I question out loud. "Wow."

"What you and Bella are feeling is normal," Emily reassured me. "Those last minute tasks sneak up on every couple."

Satisfied that this task has been solved somewhat easily, I hang up the phone and continue signing after sending a message to Emmett about lunch. I've worked like a mad man all day, spending most of my morning on the phone chasing promises for the new year, and I have worked up an appetite. Though I doubt either of us have the time to leave the office right now, a juicy burger from a restaurant down the street has my name written all over it.

Since Emmett is in the office today, we decide on meeting in the downstairs lobby in a half hour, giving me time to text Bella about the round tables being secured for us. She responds eagerly, happy to have one less thing to worry about. In the spirit of keeping her happy, I ask if she needs me to do anything else for her.

I know the wedding is close, but today the number eleven smacked me in the face, and now I'm remembering all the things I knew were coming but didn't realize how soon they actually were. My final tux fitting with all my wedding party. Finalizing the plans for the rehearsal dinner. Calling the credit card companies to tell them we would be traveling.

And of course, my personal Mount Everest: track down that obnoxious, red fucking boat.

I've been in contact, daily, with several rental car agencies trying to track down this Moby Dick of a van for longer than I've wanted to. I'm not ready to throw in the towel just yet, even though the reminder of eleven days makes me roll my neck in a slow circle in frustration.

"And it has to be that particular one?" Emmett asks over lunch a bit later when we're sitting in a booth in the back of the restaurant. His face is covered in amusement as I tell him about my quest to find the same rental car from two years ago. "That's like, almost impossible, dude."

"I knew it was a long shot," I admit defeatedly. "I'm not giving up yet. I still have some time."

"Maybe you can get a similar one," Emmett suggests.

"I'll probably have to at this point," I answer with a sigh. "Bella's just so stressed about the wedding and I thought this would give her a good laugh."

"It would be fucking amazing," Emmett agrees. "Maybe have a back up plan just in case."

I nod, swallowing the last of my burger as Emmett's phone vibrates on the table. He answers once he has cleaned the grease from his burger off his fingers, sliding the call open and pressing the speaker button.

"You're calling me on a Tuesday afternoon during the school day?" Emmett answers the call from Jasper with a questionable look on his face.

"I'm in town on my lunch break doing some things for the Toys for Tots drive. The Mayor always likes to know the dates and drop offs. It's easier sometimes to go in person then to have my email be buried under all the rest."

"Don't you only have like, thirty minutes or some bullshit like that to eat?"

"I choked down a Hot Pocket in my car on the way over here," Jasper laughs, and burps accordingly. "You eating now too?"

"Yeah, Edward and I needed to get out of the office for a bit," Emmett says, and launches into a play-by-play of my hunt for The Boat.

"Oof, good luck, Bro," Jasper whistles. "Definitely settle on a back up plan. I swear, Ali and I had a backup plan for everything."

I think back on the way Bella has been stressing over it all. The tables, the food, the venue.

And I make a decision to take another worry off her plate.

Clearing my throat, I lean in towards Emmett's phone and pray I'm doing the right thing. "Jasper, think you can put in a word for me with the Mayor?"

Uh oh. What is Edward up to?