Chapter 22: Sleigh Ride

Bella

Friday, December 22, 2023

Forks, Washington

I wake to the sound of jingle bells.

Not the song, though it's been basically on a non-stop loop in my head since November. No, when I wake up, there are actually bells jingling somewhere near me.

I stir in the motel bed, confused and disoriented. "Babe? What is that?" My voice is slurred from being pulled out of such a deep sleep, my eyes too blurry yet to fully open them.

The bells ring on.

Edward isn't beside me on the bed, and I struggle in the sheets to twist onto my back so that I can see what's going on. The room is dark, but the moment my tired eyes sweep around the room, I realize that Edward isn't here.

"Edward?" I throw off the covers of the bed and make my way to the motel room door. Without stopping to throw on a sweater or slippers over my pajamas, I pull open the door.

The world is bright and beautiful outside, and I blink against the unexpected sun.

When my eyes adjust, they land on a large brown horse standing in the parking lot, a wagon hooked up behind it. The horse and the wagon are both covered in bells and bright evergreen garlands.

"Edward?" I ask, spotting him talking with a man beside the horse. Edward turns, and his smile flashes across his face as he turns to shake hands with the man before coming to my side.

"Good morning," he says, holding out a cup of coffee. I blink in surprise and take it before tilting my head up automatically to receive his greeting kiss.

"What's going on?" I ask, looking past him back at the horse.

"An early wedding/Christmas present," Edward says, pulling my gaze back to him.

"Huh?"

Edward smiles, wrapping his arms around me as we both turn to look at the horse. "That's Pete, and his horse Peppermint." I giggle and beside me, Edward chuckles. "Pete and Peppermint are going to drive us around today."

I blink, looking up at him. "All day?"

Edward nods. "Yup. Wherever we have to go, they're going to take us."

It's so excessive, but it's so beautiful and romantic and festive that I don't care about how silly it is.

"Oh, Edward," I breathe, reaching up to kiss him again. The man loves me so much, he doesn't even complain about my morning breath. "I love you," I murmur against his lips.

"I love you too," he says gently. "Go get dressed. We're meeting everyone for breakfast, remember?"

I blink and nod, taking a long swig of the slightly too hot coffee. I hand it off to him as I run back into our motel room and fish around for clothes.

Once I'm dressed with my hair and teeth brushed, Edward and I head out to the parking lot where Pete and Peppermint are still waiting for us.

"Pete, this is my wife, Bella," Edward says. The words are such a surprise, I jerk to a halt, looking at him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am," Pete says, taking my outstretched hand even though I'm focused on looking at Edward.

"Y-yes, you too," I say, forcing myself to look back at Pete and forget the way my heart is thundering after hearing Edward call me his wife.

"Me and Peppermint will take good care of you," he continues, patting the horse gently. I smile at him.

"I'm sure," I agree.

He helps us climb up into the wagon, and to my surprise, there are blankets up there already ready to be pulled onto my lap.

Once we're settled, Pete urges Peppermint along, and the sweet sound of jingle bells fill the air.

"Wife?" I ask, looking at Edward.

He grins at me, pulling an arm around my shoulders. "I told you Bella, it's a done deal. Nothing is going to stop me marrying you, so you better get used to it now."

I melt into his side, shaking my head.

"Anything you say, husband."

It's strange to have both my parents in the same room, sharing a meal together.

I can't remember the last time something this… civil happened between them.

Edward and I take our ride to the diner, where my dad, mom, and Phil are waiting for us. They're already at a table when we get there, but as soon as I see them, I can already hear their comments about our transportation. Dad's eyebrows are raised, and mom looks excited. Phil looks politely disinterested, which is fair enough. He's not much into animals of any kind.

"Morning," I call as we approach the table.

"That was such an enchanting ride in," Mom says right off the bat.

I look at her as we slide into our seats. "It was," I agree. "Edward arranged it."

Mom practically swoons while Dad just nods.

"A little, pre-wedding, early Christmas surprise," Edward agrees, gently pulling an arm around my waist.

"Was that Pete I saw up on that wagon?" Dad asks, sipping his coffee.

"Yup, and his trusty steed, Peppermint."

Dad smirks. "Ol' Peppermint has been carrying the kids of this town for years. You remember that picture of you on that horse when you were five? That was Peppermint."

I blink in surprise. "She looks great for her age."

Dad nods. "Pete keeps her in the best of health. Swears she'll outlive him."

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see my mom getting antsy, and I know it's because the conversation is boring her.

"So, Bella," Mom says about two seconds later. "Tell me what you have planned for the honeymoon."

I share a side eye glance with Edward before focusing on my mom. "We're going to be in town for a few days, before we fly off to Hawai'i."

Mom's eyebrows pucker. "Hawai'i? Oh, honey, you should have booked the Bahamas. Phil and I just went and you wouldn't believe how wonderful it is. You know, we found this nude beach that—"

Dad lets out a loud cough that is aggressive enough to make me jump in my chair. I look over at him in concern, but he just reaches for his coffee, taking a long swig.

Mom sniffs. "Charlie, you're such a prude," she complains.

I chance a glance at Phil, but he's found a newspaper that was left on the next table over, and he's too engrossed in the sports pages.

"Anyway, the honeymoon isn't about where you are going, it's about romance," Mom continues. "And Bella, I have to warn you, sex on the beach sound fun and all but just wait until you have to get sand out of your—"

"Renée," Dad growls. "Please."

Mom opens her mouth, likely to start arguing with him, when Edward cuts in.

"We're really excited," he says, loud enough to get everyone's attention. "We've got enough plans to be active but not too busy. Honestly, any time we can get away from cell phones will be a blessing though."

Dad nods in agreement.

"Just make sure to bring plenty of condoms," Mom adds.

"Jesus Christ, Renée, there goes my appetite," Dad complains.

"You don't want a honeymoon baby on your hands," Mom argues, glaring at him.

I slap a hand to my forehead. "Mom, please stop caring this much about our sex life."

When I look at her, she looks hurt, and I internally sigh. My mom is overbearing and difficult and very egocentric, but I also know that this kind of conversation is the only way she knows how to connect with me, and as painful as it can be, I try not to shut it down that often. I know somewhere in her twisted mind she means well, even though she looks like she's about to send my dad to the hospital.

"Phil, how are things going for you with work?" Edward asks. Phil puts down the paper, blinking a couple times before he nods and jumps into the conversation. Once we have a suitable topic to talk about, breakfast is somewhat pleasant, and my dad is even able to recover his appetite.

All in all, it's not a bad breakfast with the Swans.

Edward and I spend most of the day riding on Peppermint's wagon, running errands to check on every last detail before the wedding tomorrow. Once all our tasks are complete, we head to the chapel for our wedding rehearsal. Neither Edward nor I are particularly religious, but the chapel was where my grandparents got married, and it's just about the only place in town to host a wedding.

We meet my parents and Phil at the chapel, as well as Carlisle and Esme, Rose and Emmett, Alice and Jasper, and the priest who will end up officiating the wedding. The rehearsal isn't long, given the relative simplicity of the service we've elected to have, so a little after an hour later, we're heading out again for the rehearsal dinner.

In an effort to keep things simple, Esme volunteered her house for dinner, and as we ride through town, watching the light up houses and feel the cold wind swirl around us, I can't help but feel that Christmas magic swell around me.

Above us, the clouds look swollen, promising snow, and I curl under the blanket tighter, wrapping my arm around Edward. His arm comes around my shoulders and I melt into his side.

"Hey," I whisper, my nose and lips cold from the frigid air, but my body is so bursting with joy and excitement, I hardly feel the chill.

"Hey," he says in response, a smile pulling at his lips.

"There is Christmas magic in the air, can you feel it?"

Edward looks up, and the lights on the houses illuminate his handsome face.

"Yeah," he whispers. "I can feel it."

I grin at him. "Our cheeks are nice and rosy and comfy and cozy are we," I start to sing. "We're snuggled up together like two birds of a feather would be." I gently squeeze my arm around him. "Let's take the road before us and sing a chorus or two." My voice is wobbly and ridiculous, but it makes him laugh. He presses a kiss to my hair before he sighs and gives into the song with me.

"Come on, it's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you."