Author's Note:

Thank you all for continuing to read and review, and welcome new readers! We're moving along here and getting close to the end! Just a few more chapters and a future take. An outtake in Alice POV is also in the works!

I don't own Twilight or any of these lovely characters, I just like to bend them to my will. Enjoy!

Chapter 30

BPOV

I smiled as I pulled up in front of Rose and Emmett's house and saw Rose standing on the porch. It was Saturday and we were going shopping for my wedding gown. Since we lived just a few blocks from each other it made sense for us to ride together. I was driving because, with only about three weeks until her due date, Rose didn't currently fit behind the wheel of a vehicle, not that any of us were stupid enough to address that fact. The whole family just made-up excuses to drive her wherever she needed to go. I wisely kept a straight face as I watched her waddle toward the car, then smiled as she dropped into the passenger seat.

"Good morning," I said brightly as she got comfortable in the seat. "How are you feeling?"

"Oh, just peachy," she said sarcastically. I smiled in sympathy as she turned toward the back seat. "Good morning, Maggie May."

"Good morning, Aunt Rosie," Maggie chirped. "Your tummy is so big! The baby is gonna be as big as Uncle Emmy!"

I cringed but couldn't smother the giggle that escaped my lips at Maggie's innocent declaration. The adults in the family were smart enough to keep their mouths shut, but the kids hadn't developed that filter yet. Her own two gave her a hard time constantly, so I knew she wouldn't be upset with Maggie.

"You hush," Rose said to me before addressing Maggie's statement. "And yes, Mags, the baby is gonna be big, which is why Uncle Emmy will be on permanent diaper duty as punishment."

Maggie giggled before turning her attention back to her Nintendo Switch, and I laughed out loud at Rose's declaration and said, "Yeah, good luck with that."

"It's only part of what he owes me for this," she said with a scowl, rubbing her distended belly. She acted put out, but I knew she wasn't really upset. We'd talked about it several times throughout her pregnancy, and while it was true this baby was unplanned, Rose and Emmett were both thrilled to be adding to their family.

"What other torture are you planning?" I asked with a laugh.

"He's getting snipped," she said. "He doesn't know it yet, but I've already made the appointment."

"You're just going to drag him there without telling him?" I asked, half afraid that was exactly what she was planning.

"No," she sighed. "We've talked about it. I tried to convince him to do it after Kate was born, but he whined his way out of it. But this time, he has no choice. I can't stay on birth control forever, and we now know it's not reliable. Plus, I'm too old for this."

"You're only thirty-seven, Rose. You act like you're the oldest woman to ever have a baby," I pointed out.

"Yeah, well, when you've heard the term 'geriatric pregnancy' as many times as I have the last eight months, you'll feel like you're a hundred, too," she said dryly. "Seriously, though, I'm excited, but I never planned to have another baby after Kate. And after I push out the jolly green giant here in a few weeks, I'm done."

I laughed at her description, but I knew it wasn't far from the truth. The doctor had already informed Rose and Emmett that she may have to induce labor if the baby got too much bigger in the next couple of weeks. Despite Emmett's size and Rose's own tall stature, Tyler and Kate had been average sized babies, but this one was already measuring bigger than either of his or her siblings had been.

Rose and I continued to chat until we pulled up at the bridal shop where we were meeting Esme. I helped Maggie out of the back seat, then walked around and hauled Rose out of the passenger seat.

"Not a word," she growled when I opened my mouth to speak. I just raised my hands in surrender as I grinned at her.

"Nana!" Maggie squealed from beside me as Esme walked up to the car from where her own was parked a few spaces down.

"Hello, my Magpie," Esme hugged her granddaughter, then straightened to hug Rose and me. "And hello my beautiful daughters."

"I'm a whale," Rose grumbled.

"Whales are beautiful too, dear," Esme deadpanned as her eyes danced with humor. Rose and I both burst out laughing as Esme ushered us all into the bridal shop.

Once inside, we were greeted by the sales consultant, Chelsea, who asked all the pertinent questions to determine what direction I wanted to go for a dress before going off to pull some selections. Rose, Esme, and Maggie got settled on the sofa outside of the fitting room I'd been assigned while I went inside and changed into the proper undergarments and slipped on the silk robe the shop provided. I stepped back out while I waited for Chelsea to come back with dresses.

Another associate came by and offered champagne, which Esme and I both accepted, and water for Rose and Maggie. I kept one eye on the door, waiting for Angela to join us, as I listened to Maggie chatter to Rose about the game she was playing on her Switch. Apparently, Kate wanted the same game and had enlisted her cousin's help in getting it, so Maggie was pointing out all the features while Rose maintained that Kate didn't need another game. I laughed quietly as Rose shot me a wink, since she'd already bought the game. She was only waiting to give it to Kate as part of the goodie bags she'd prepared for both of her kids to help occupy them when the baby came. As Maggie continued to entertain her aunt and grandmother, Chelsea came back with an armload of dresses for me to try, so I followed her back into the fitting room.

I heard Angela join the party outside of the room as the first dress dropped over my head. I studied my reflection with a pensive look as Chelsea clipped the back to make it fit properly. It was a lovely strapless, A-line dress, but it wasn't anything special.

"There we go. What do you think?" she asked as she peered at my reflection from over my shoulder.

"I don't know. It's pretty, but…" I trailed off.

"Gotcha," she said. "Why don't we show the others, anyway, just for something to compare the next one to."

I nodded in agreement, then turned to follow her from the room. Once outside of the fitting room, Chelsea guided me to step up onto the pedestal situated in front of the three-way mirror. I faced the mirror for a moment, then turned to the sofa.

"Hi, Ang," I greeted.

"Hey, sorry I was late," she said with a smile.

"No big deal," I said. "So, what do you guys think?"

"It's pretty," Esme said hesitantly, and Angela nodded.

"You don't look like you love it," Rose said.

"It's a no," Maggie said, matter-of-factly, causing the adults to break out into laughter.

"Agreed. Onto the next," I said, then turned back toward the fitting room.

"Your daughter is adorable," Chelsea said as she helped me out of the first dress and into the next. I grinned and thanked her as I studied the second option. It was better than the first, but it still wasn't quite right. I couldn't really put my finger on what was wrong with it though. On paper, it fit all my criteria, but I just couldn't get excited about it. Something was missing, and I was afraid it didn't have anything to do with the dress.

"I can see that you're not in love with it," Chelsea said.

"Not really, but I feel like I should be, you know?" She nodded in understanding but ushered me from the room despite my lack of enthusiasm for the dress. I stepped back onto the pedestal but didn't even bother facing the mirror this time.

"What's wrong, Bella?" Esme asked softly. "You don't look like you're enjoying this at all."

"I don't know," I said. "Nothing is wrong exactly, but I really wish Sue was here. I didn't think it would bother me that she couldn't make it today. It's not like I haven't done this before. I know she's busy, and I couldn't really put this off any longer, but I do wish she were here."

Rose, Angela, and Esme all nodded in understanding, but didn't say anything. I turned back to the dressing room as I tried to shake off the melancholy. I wasn't upset that Sue hadn't been able to make it. I understood that she had already had a commitment today, and Forks wasn't close enough to just pop in anytime. This was still an occasion a girl wanted her mom around for, though. I hadn't expected to feel so emotional since this wasn't my first time going through this ritual, but now that I was standing there in a wedding dress the gravity of the moment hit me. Though Edward and I both truly wanted a small, intimate wedding, I'd been so focused on not getting carried away because it was my second wedding that I had sort of lost sight of the fact that I was marrying Edward. It didn't matter that we'd both done this before, this time was so much more important than our previous weddings because it was us. I was marrying my soulmate, and I deserved to find the perfect gown to do it in. I forced myself to shake off the mood and try to enjoy the process as I changed into the third dress. It had some promise, but I still wasn't sold.

Stepping back out of the fitting room, I was determined to give the dress a real chance. I looked in the mirror for a moment, then turned to the sofa.

"This one is really pretty, Bells," Angela said. Rose and Maggie agreed, and Rose started talking about how I should fix my hair to accentuate the neckline.

"It is pretty, but I don't think it's the one." My head shot up at the voice, convinced I was hearing things. I was shocked to see I hadn't imagined it when I saw Sue's grinning face as she walked up behind the sofa the others were sitting on.

"Oh, good, you made it!" Esme exclaimed.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were busy today," I said as tears welled in my eyes and Sue came around and pulled me into a hug.

"Of course, I'm here. I wouldn't miss it, Sweetheart," Sue said. "I just had to rearrange some things, then your dad started talking about coming up with me, so we decided to surprise you."

"Daddy's here, too?" I asked as I swiped away a tear.

"Yes, I dropped him off at your house to harass Edward before I came here. Sorry I'm late."

"It's fine. I'm just so happy you're here," I said as I hugged her again before she turned to take a seat on the sofa. Chelsea had slipped away for another glass of champagne for Sue, and I grinned as she returned.

"Okay, now it's time to find a dress," I said.

After some discussion of what we did and didn't like about the dress I was wearing, I moved on to the next. Three dresses later, and I was starting to get frustrated. All of them were pretty and had most, if not all, the elements I'd been convinced I wanted, but nothing was just exactly right. Chelsea was patient and stood listening to all the feedback after each one, trying to figure out where to go next. I was back in the fitting room when Chelsea said she had an idea and would be back. When she returned, she pulled the dress out of the bag and slipped it over my head with my back to the mirror.

"Now," she said as clipped the dress, "I know you wanted strapless, and this is not exactly what you asked for, but the one thing I've heard about all the others is that they just weren't special enough, so I think this may give you that extra something that was missing."

I turned toward the mirror when directed and my breath caught in my throat. The dress was ivory and off the shoulder with a crisscross detail forming a sweetheart neckline. It was fitted to my knees and then flared out softly from there to the floor. Chelsea fastened a thin beaded belt around my waist and then stood silently, waiting for my reaction. I met her eyes in the mirror and smiled, then said, "Let's show them."

Once I was settled in front of them, I turned to my group and asked, "Well, what do you think?"

"Mama, you're so pretty!" Maggie cooed.

The others all echoed her sentiment, then Sue asked, "More importantly, what do you think, Bella?"

I turned to the mirror again and smoothed my hands down the sides of the dress, then spun back around. "This is the dress I'm going to wear when I marry Edward," I said as tears gathered in my eyes.

"Yes! I knew that was it when you stepped out!" Angela said with a grin as they all surged forward to hug me.

After we had settled down and discussed accessories and such, Chelsea had the girls all gather around me for a photo before I changed back into my clothes. As I smiled for the picture, my heart was full. I was so happy I'd found the perfect dress, and so grateful to have these women and Maggie here with me, but I couldn't ignore the twinge of sadness that Alice wasn't here as well. Even if it was her own actions that had left us in this place, she'd always been a part of the milestones in my life, so it was odd to not have that anymore. I tamped the feeling down, not wanting anything to dampen my mood, but I couldn't help but hope that maybe someday Alice and I could be friends again, though I was almost certain it would never be the same as it had in the past.

A couple of hours later, I was headed to drop off Rose. After dress shopping, we'd all had lunch and Maggie had insisted on riding home with Grammy Sue, because having to drop her aunt off at home, only a few blocks from our own home, would have kept her away from Grandpa Charlie for way too long. As if the child wasn't spoiled enough, she now had a third set of doting grandparents. Not that it bothered me, of course. I was thrilled that my parents had integrated her and Edward into our family so seamlessly.

"Thanks for coming today, Rose," I said as I drove.

"Of course. I wouldn't have missed it, Bells," she smiled then shifted in her seat uncomfortably.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, just hard to get comfortable. My back is killing me today," she explained.

"Why didn't you say anything? I could have brought you home sooner."

"It's no big deal, I wouldn't have been any more comfortable at home," Rose said.

"Well, be that as it may, still be sure to make Emmett wait on you hand and foot for the rest of the day," I said with a grin.

"Oh, don't worry, I've got big plans for Emmett this evening," she said with a smirk.

"I don't even want to know. Just make sure you take care of yourself and my new niece or nephew," I said as I pulled into her driveway.

"Hey, Bells," Emmett boomed as he came outside to greet us and made his way around to the passenger side of my car. "There's my gorgeous baby mama."

"Kiss ass," Rose grunted as Emmett pulled her out of the car. "See ya later, Bells."

I said my goodbyes and laughed as Emmett fawned all over Rose, then backed out of their driveway and drove the short distance home.

"Hey, beautiful," Edward greeted me with a kiss as I walked into the house. "How'd you like your surprise?"

"You knew they were coming?" I asked as I kicked off my shoes inside the door.

"Yep, Sue called last week and needed directions to the bridal shop, so we planned it all out for her to drop your dad here before she met up with you girls."

"Thanks, babe," I said as I hugged Edward. Edward dropped a kiss on my neck as I snuggled into his arms for a moment, but we were broken apart by a voice entering the room.

"Alright, unhand my girl, Cullen," Charlie's gruff voice demanded.

"Dad!" I exclaimed as I rushed into his outstretched arms.

"Hey, baby girl," he said as we hugged.

"I'm so glad you're here!" I told him.

"Me, too, Bells. You know Sue couldn't miss out on dress shopping and I couldn't miss a chance to see my girl."

"Grandpa Charlie! Come on!" Maggie called from the living room.

"Excuse me, Bells, but I have a rousing game of Go Fish waiting with my other girl," he winked as he walked away. I smiled as I waved him off, thinking again how grateful I was that my family had accepted Edward and Maggie so completely.

"As if the child wasn't spoiled enough already," Edward murmured as he walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around me.

"Right?" I snorted. "She has him wrapped around her little finger."

"Just imagine how bad he will be with a baby," Edward said. I closed my eyes and had to swallow past the lump in my throat like I did every time this subject came up. I wanted a child with Edward more now than ever, but I was so afraid for Edward to get his hopes up and wind up disappointed.

"Edward," I sighed as I turned in his arms to face him.

"I know, baby. I'm sorry. I don't want to upset you. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, but don't ever forget that I'm happy with you no matter what."

I nodded as I wrapped my arms around his waist and laid my head on his chest. We'd had the baby talk a few times since Christmas, and we were planning for me to go off the pill and try to conceive after we were married. We both knew it was likely to be a difficult undertaking, if it happened at all, but we wanted to try. I thought I had come to terms with my fertility issues back when Jake and I had tried, but it was a harder pill to swallow now with Edward. I was determined not to ruin the weekend with my dad and Sue, though, so I shook off my thoughts and gave Edward a quick kiss before we followed Dad into the living room.

We sat and watched Maggie and her newest fan club members play their game for a while, and then Sue and I worked on part of dinner in the kitchen while Edward and Charlie grilled steaks out on the deck. I enjoyed the evening and the next morning with my family, but as lunch on Sunday got closer, I began to get nervous. Esme had invited everyone over while Charlie and Sue were in town, and it would be the first time the whole family had been together with Alice present since Edward and I had announced our engagement. It had been less than a week since she'd apologized to everyone, and while I would never expect Esme and Carlisle to leave her out, I felt like it was maybe a little soon for this big of a test.

I had kept my parents up to date on the drama with Alice, and Edward and I had discussed her apologies and the future with them the night before after Maggie had gone to bed. I knew Sue would be her gracious self, but Charlie had been over-protective of me my entire life, and I was anxious about how he might react if Alice started any drama. We had to start somewhere though, so I was trying to be optimistic that Alice would be on her best behavior. I guess we'd see either way the next day.

Author's Note:

Well, a bit of a cliffhanger…how do you think Alice will act at lunch?!

On a brighter note, Charlie and Sue showed up for her and she found a dress!

Let me know what you think!