I don't own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.

Cheryl, Noles, and Gabby, thank you for pre-reading, and April, thank you for editing. Any mistakes left are my own.

Ch. 19

It was late morning, and my shop had hit a lull with customers. Only Rose and Esme were visiting Alice and me in the shop. I was using the down time to leaf through my family's book.

"You have a very cute and unique store," Esme commented, browsing around the items.

"Thank you." I was pleased that she liked it. "It will never make me rich, but I enjoy it."

"Any thoughts on what you're going to wear tonight?" Rosalie asked.

I closed the book. "I don't know. What is the dress code for a ballet performance?

"There isn't really one, unless it's a special event. Although, at the Chicago Ballet people tend to dress up more than jeans," Esme answered me.

"Edward says he had tickets for New York. Is that any different?" I asked.

"No." Alice shook her head. "But I would dress up a little since you'll be in the box. Do you have a black dress, maybe cocktail length?"

"No, but I can easily make one." I double checked no one was about to come in before changing my outfit.

I chose a simple black sleeveless dress with a sweetheart neckline that flared at the waist. I looked down at it thoughtfully, thinking it was a bit too plain. I decided to add a bit of sparkle with a silver glittery belt with a pair of kitten heels to match.

"Very nice; Edward won't be able to keep his hands off you." Rosalie winked.

I smiled before changing my clothes back to how they were. I could only hope that she was right. I was getting mixed messages from him with how often he went from hot to cold.

"I have to admit I'm rather jealous you can go anywhere with a blink of an eye," Alice commented.

"I would be happy to take you anywhere you want sometime," I offered.

Alice lit up with excitement. "Definitely fashion week in Paris."

"Maybe I could go with you the next time you visit Siobhan. I haven't seen her in a long time, Maggie must be fully grown," Esme commented.

I nodded in agreement. I had been hesitant about going back to my aunt in case she still wanted to persuade me to get rid of the Volturi. Hopefully, Esme would be a buffer. "I'd be happy to take you along."

"Speaking of Siobhan…" Rose trailed off.

I waited a moment before responding. "What about her?"

Rose frowned slightly. "I was trying to tell you in my mind."

I blinked in surprise. "Oh. Sorry. I haven't been reading minds lately, since Jasper said it was rude." I read hers now and I bit my lip, knowing I was about to disappoint her. "I'm sorry, Rose. But there is no reversal that she knows of. I even checked this book several times and haven't found anything to help you."

Rose looked disappointed but nodded. "I knew it would be a long shot. What about a baby?"

Esme beamed with delight. "Are you and Edward going to have a baby?"

My shoulders sagged as I shook my head. "It doesn't seem very likely. I've tried talking to him; but he made a good point that if we were to have a baby, they would have a large target on their back, since they would be my descendant. I don't want to do that to any child. And there would be no surprise baby either since witches can only get pregnant during eclipses."

"So, destroy the Volturi and problem solved," Rose said nonchalantly.

I closed my eyes and shook my head rapidly. "I can't do that. I'm not a violent person, I can't kill for the sake of killing."

"But—" Rose was ready to argue but Esme interrupted her.

"Of course, not dear. You're a pacifist like your mother," she said soothingly.

"And the polar opposite of Edward." Alice snickered. "Leave the killing to him, Rose."

I started to smile but then felt uneasy. "Should I be looking out for Edward going after them?"

"Of course not," Alice said quickly, giving me a reassuring smile. "I'm already keeping an eye on him in case he does anything stupid like that."

I gave a sigh of relief but couldn't shake the nagging feeling.

That night, Edward placed his hand on the small of my back as he led me up to the host stand at Le Coucou. Or maybe the correct word was Maître d' since the restaurant was so fancy. The gentleman looked up from his book and eyed me longer than necessary until Edward growled under his breath.

The Maître d' flinched and flushed. "May I help you?"

"First, stop ogling my wife. Second, we have a reservation under Masen," Edward hissed.

"Yes, sir," he stammered, clumsily picking up the menus. "Right this way."

He kept his eyes to the ground as he led the way. When we got to the small booth, Edward stood so that he shielded me as I slid in first then he joined me. The Maître d' awkwardly left the menus and scurried off as fast as his legs would take him.

"You scared him," I accused.

"He should have kept his eyes to himself. His thoughts were lewd too. In fact, you have the attention of nearly every male in this room. You look far too good for here." Edward's eyes flitted around the room.

I shielded him from all the thoughts in the room. Edward looked surprised and his head snapped to me.

"Better? Now you can't hear them," I asked, soothingly.

He frowned and shook his head. "No. Now it makes me feel off guard."

I sighed and let him hear again. "Well, I'm not changing. I like my dress."

He chuckled. "I like your dress too. There are better ways to show them that you belong to me." He leaned in and kissed me heatedly.

Edward broke the kiss all too soon and handed me the menu. I sighed dreamily and opened it to look at the selections. I nearly gagged at the prices, everything seemed so extravagant too.

"What's wrong?" Edward whispered.

"This is all too much. I would be happy with pizza or a simple burger," I said.

"We're not going to some cheap place when you look as beautiful as you do. If you want pizza, get it tomorrow. Now decide or I'll decide for you," he told me.

"Fine. I'll have the lobster. What are you going to do?" I asked.

"I thought I would take your second choice and you can send it home to the fridge for later," he answered.

I nodded in agreement. "That sounds like a good plan. You'll have the duck—I've always wondered what it tasted like," I decided.

"As you wish." He raised his hand and a waiter appeared at our table. Edward surprised me by ordering in French. Thankfully, this waiter was polite and didn't irritate Edward by looking at me more than necessary to get my drink order.

Once he left, Edward pulled a flat square box out of his jacket. "This is for you."

"Why?" I asked. I was confused by the gift because it wasn't my birthday.

"Because I want to spoil you, Kitten. Now let me." He smirked and his eyes smoldered as he tried to persuade me.

I bit my lip as I opened the box. Inside, nestled on the satin, was a beautiful Amethyst stone set in a diamond Celtic knot heart on a silver chain. I lifted it up gently to admire its sparkle in the light of the room.

"It's gorgeous, thank you. Will you help me place it on?" I asked.

He took it from me and clasped it behind my neck. "You're welcome. It reminded me of your eyes when you do magic." He placed a soft kiss below my ear.

I blushed, enjoying his attentiveness. The only thing that would make it better was if the intimacy hadn't slowed. It was a bit confusing.

A few hours later, the ballet was coming to an end. While I enjoyed the performance, I had a hard time concentrating so close to Edward. I was hyperaware of how handsome he was in his tux, and I was also horny since it had been a while. However, when I touched Edward's thigh, he captured my hand with his and kept it still throughout the ballet.

When the final curtain dropped, Edward led me to a small alcove away from prying eyes. I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned into him.

"Shall we go home?" I asked as I played with his collar.

"Actually, there is one more place I would like us to go. Can you take us to the Statue of Liberty?" he requested.

"Isn't that closed this time of night?" I questioned.

"Which is exactly why you need to work your magic. Now can you please take us and more specifically to the torch." He pulled my hand away from his neck and kissed the back of it. "And before you ask, yes I know the torch is closed to the public, but I'm sure it will be safe for the two of us for what I have planned."

"Okay." I blinked, and we appeared at his requested destination.

I looked out over the bay to the city lit up at night. "The view is pretty."

"I find it pales in comparison." Edward's lips brushed my temple.

You're not so bad yourself. You're being very sweet recently," I commented.

"I'm just trying to treat you as I should've when you first showed up. In fact, I shouldn't have waited for you to come to me." His voice grew husky.

"We're together now," I whispered, rising up on my toes to kiss him and frowning when he pulled away.

He gave a small smile. "I also want to make sure you know that what is between us, isn't just physical attraction."

My heart fluttered as he gazed down at me so intently. I wanted to speak, but I was at a loss for words.

"I love you," he declared.

My breath caught and I swallowed roughly as I thought I might explode. "I love you too."

I leaned in to kiss him but again he avoided me. "Edward—"

"Don't electrocute me," he said sternly.

"Wh—"

I stopped when he knelt before me, still holding my left hand. "Isabella Marie, will you do me the honor of marrying me? Not just because we are mates. But because I want to proclaim my love for you for all to see."

"Yes!" I answered him loudly.

Edward slipped an Amethyst ring with a Celtic design on my finger. I admired it for a moment before turning back to my fiancé. He was watching me, looking happier than I had ever seen. My own face felt it would crack with how wide I was grinning.

"Now will you kiss me?" I asked.

Edward threw his head back and laughed before springing to his feet. He lifted me up in his arms and kissed me.

A/N: I'm sure I have a few mixed thoughts about this chapter. Hopefully, Edward did better in the romance department this chapter.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me.