BPOV
The night is a blur of alcohol and music. We drink and sing and love—some of us more than others, namely Emmett and Edward. At some point I look around and realize that these people are my family. Maybe not the family that God gave me, but they are the family that I chose for myself. The thought makes me smile and then makes me want to cry. It’s been a long time since I felt like I owned my life, but I feel it now.
“You okay, angel?” Edward asks, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“I’m fine, baby. Just thinking.” I wrap my arms around him and place a soft kiss under his chin.
“No thinking, Bella. Just feel.” He smirks and licks the side of my face before he runs away laughing.
“Ew! Edward! That is disgusting!” I yell as I chase after him. He runs out of the bar and when I reach him, I run straight into his arms.
“You know that is the first time you’ve ever objected to me licking you... anywhere.” He chuckles.
“Well, you’ve never licked my face before, Eddie. It freaked me out a little. If you want to lick me, I can think of much more fun places than my face,” I say, playfully biting his neck.
I start to laugh, but I am interrupted as Edward lifts me over his shoulder and starts running towards the motel. I think it’s going to be a good night.
Edward runs straight into our bedroom and throws me down on the bed. Then he walks away. I sit up, confused. I hear him lock the front door and go into the kitchen. I take the opportunity to get cleaned up for bed. I put on a tank top and clean panties before I walk over to my drawer to find some socks. I know Edward hates when I sleep in socks, but I also know that me in a pair of knee socks and panties drives him crazy. I lay down on top of the bed and pretend that I am asleep when I hear him walking back into the room.
“Bella, are you... fuck, B. What the hell are you wearing?” He stutters as he crawls across the bed towards me.
I feel his hands ghost up my legs from my ankles towards my thighs. I try to keep the act going, but when I feel his lips kiss my knee, I can’t help but moan.
“You’re not a very good actress, B. I know you’re awake. The only reason you wear these socks is because you like looking at them when your legs are draped over my shoulders.”
“Mmm... so true. You know me so well,” I answer, running my fingers through his hair as he continues to kiss his way up my body.
We undress each other and Edward leaves my socks on just like I knew he would. He kisses every inch of my body and when I try to return the favor, he pushes me back so that he can settle himself between my legs. The love is slow and tender, though I can feel his passion beneath the surface. My hands trace the muscles in his back. For some reason feeling them flex and strain adds so much to my pleasure. It’s like I can tell that he’s trying. He’s so fucking sexy.
“I love you, baby girl,” he whispers against the skin at the back of my neck. When it’s all over and our heart rates return to normal.
“I love you too,” I say, pulling his arms more tightly around me. As he tugs the blankets over our naked bodies in the early morning light, I feel cherished and wanted.
xoxo~xoxo~xoxo~xoxo~xoxo
When I wake up the next morning, I know that I am alone. I lay still and listen for any sign of Edward. I stretch and relish in the feeling of being deliciously sore. I can’t hear anything and when I look at the clock, I realize why. It is one o’clock in the afternoon, so he must be at work. I check my phone and I find that I have three missed calls, all from Rosalie.
“Hey, Rose. What’s up?” I ask after dialing her number.
“Well good morning to you, sleepy head. I take you had an eventful night.” She chuckles.
“I did, but I’m definitely not talking about it with you!” I cover my face as if she can see me.
“Good thing! I don’t want to hear about my brothers sex life,” she says, making overly dramatic gagging noises into the phone. “What I do want to hear is you agreeing to come shopping with me. We need to find suitable garden party attire. You are coming to the garden party, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I am. And what kind of attire are we in need of?” I yawn and get out of bed.
“The floral kind, of course! Silly girl! Esme Cullen, my mother, requires all of her female guests to dress in some sort of floral print frock. It’s fun, but I need to find something new. I’m fresh outta flowers up here.” I hear her giggle and I know that I’m doomed to a day of shopping.
“How long do I have to get dressed, Rosalie?” I ask as I open the closet.
“Meet me at the garage in thirty minutes and try to look presentable. We’re heading to the Fashion Show Mall!” she yells into my ear.
“Really, Rosalie? I have to dress up?” I sigh.
“Well dress up for you, Bells. No sneakers! I swear I’ll make you change.”
“Fine. See you in a few.” I hang up and throw my phone on the bed, trying to release some frustration.
I dig through the clothes that Edward has so kindly put on hangers for me and try to find something that I think will be acceptable for walking around next to Rose in a fancy mall all day. I find a cute black tank that I pair with some tailored shorts and sandals. I pull my hair into a high ponytail then actually put on some make up. I don’t do it that often, but I admit that I don’t look half bad. I even grab my fancy purse before I walk out the door.
I walk into Edward’s garage and find him and Rosalie talking quietly at the counter. “Good morning, sleeping beauty,” Edward says, making his way over to me so he can wrap me up in his arms.
“Well, you clean up nicely, Bella,” Rose adds.
“My girl always looks gorgeous, Rosie.” Edward leans in to kiss me. “Damn these shorts make your ass look amazing,” he whispers in my ear.
“Stop it or I’ll never leave. I have a big day ahead of me,” I say, kissing his cheek.
“So, are you going to drive or do you want me to?” I ask, turning to Rose as I disentangle myself from Edward’s arms.
“I’m driving today, Bella. I never get to go anywhere, and my baby needs to stretch her legs.” Rosalie winks at me.
“I didn’t even know you had a car, Rose,” I say.
“That’s because she keeps it covered and in the shop,” Edward answers for her, pulling the cloth cover off of a beautiful cherry red BMW M3 that is parked in the corner of the shop.
Edward opens the door for his sister and then walks around the car to open mine. “Bye, babe. Have fun,” he says as he closes the door for me.
“Damn. What is it with you and your brother and your sexy ass cars?” I ask running my hand along the dashboard.
Rosalie laughs loudly before she answers. “You like the Nova, huh?”
“I do, so much. I’d live in it if he wanted to. I’m serious.” I laugh.
“Don’t tell him that. He might take you up on it. And by the way... if you’re going to be in this family, you’re gonna need a new car, Tink,” She says as she steers us towards the highway.
xoxo~xoxo~xoxo~xoxo~xoxo
Rose in a store is a phenomenon. She moves quickly and quietly, like some kind of a shopping ninja. I am in awe. We go into boutiques that I’ve never dared to go in before, and I watch her spend more on a pair of shoes than I spent on last months rent. It’s exhilarating. We try on more dresses than I ever have in my life because Rose insists that fashion is just as important as the charity. She’s kidding of course, but it gets a good laugh from the sales girl. Everything that she tries on looks perfect on her, just like I expect it to, and when she finds the dress, we both know it’s the one. It’s form fitting with red flowers and makes her look like an old fashion pin up girl.
“God, Rose, you look amazing in that. Emmett is not going to be able to keep his eyes off of you.” I can’t help but slap her ass as she spins in front of the mirror.
“His eyes or his hands!” she shouts over the dressing room door.
When I haven’t found my dress after over an hour of looking, I start to get discouraged. Then I see it. It’s silk. It’s Balenciaga. It has hot pink cherry blossoms on it and it is perfect. When I try it on and I still love it, I buy it in spite of its four digit price tag. I proceed to buy an equally expensive pair of shoes, and Rose looks at me like a proud mama.
“Very good, young padawan. I have taught you well.”
After we find the perfect accessories, I have to drag Rosalie out of the store before she empties it. Then we go in search of the necessary under garments. I may or may not pick up something fun to wear for Edward when I get home later. When we finally declare ourselves done shopping, we decide to have lunch and are just sitting down when my phone buzzes with an incoming message.
Come home, baby girl. I miss you already. ~E
I smile and type a quick response.
I think we are almost done here. I’ll be home soon. I miss you, too. ~B
I put my phone back in my purse and look up to see Rosalie smirking at me. “You’ve got it bad, don’t you?”
“I really, really do. I’m so glad to finally be with him. He just told me to come home and it made my insides melt. I want to crawl inside of him and stay there forever,” I say without taking a breath. “I love him, Rose. He’s it for me.”
“Good to know.” It’s all she says before she flags the waiter down and asks for more wine. “I had my doubts about you, city girl, but you’ve definitely grown on me. Now you just have to win over the parents and you’ll be a Cullen in no time.”
I laugh at her, but her words definitely make me nervous. “I’m not a city girl, Rose. My hometown has less than 3,000 people in it! I’ve only been in California for less than five years. I honestly feel more comfortable in Baker than I do in San Diego. Though, don’t get me wrong, I really love the beach.”
“Yeah, I like it there too. I’ve lived all over California, but Baker has always been my favorite place to be. I used to love coming here to visit my grandparents when I was a kid. Running the diner and the motel was my dream job, if you can believe it,” she says, taking a huge bite out of the banana split we’ve ordered.
“You know, for someone with such a killer body, you sure can eat!” I laugh and I realize that I might have had too much to drink. “I’m drunk, man. Take me home to my man and my cat. Please.”
“Okay, but not before I finish this dessert.” She sticks her tongue out at me and takes another bite. “Eat some, bitch. Stop gawking at me. You’re making me feel fat.”
I pic up my spoon and take a bite. “Happy?”
“Very,” she answers and we both dissolve into a fit of giggles.
The drive home is fun. Rose puts the top down, and we sing old Britney Spears songs at the top of our lungs. Who knew she had a greatest hits album? And who knew Rose owned it? I find it funny, but I don’t dare tell her that.
“So, Bella, what’s the deal with the cat? There is a no pets policy at the motel, you know.”
“No, I didn’t know that. Edward rescued it and brought it to me. He’s our baby. You can’t make us get rid of him.” I scoot over and lay my head on her shoulder. “Please let me keep him. I love him. Please, please, pleeeease. I’ll be your best friend.”
“Fine, but the first time I see him pissing on anything or find him wandering around, I’m serving him up for lunch.”
For some reason I believe her.
xoxo~xoxo~xoxo~xoxo~xoxo
EPOV
“Hey, Edward! Come get your girl! She may have had too much to drink!” I hear Rose yell from the parking lot.
I open the door to our apartment, and I see Bella waving at me from the front seat of my sister’s car.
“Honey! I’m home!” she screams.
“I can see that, baby. Good day?” I ask, grabbing her packages out of the back seat. “Neiman Marcus? Louboutin? Definitely an expensive day.”
“So expensive, Edward, but I look so hot in my new dress,” she slurs. “Your parents are going to love me and then Rose says I can be a Cullen.” She wags her eyebrows at me.
I turn to look at Rosalie so fast that I think I give myself whiplash. “You told her what?”
Rose just laughs at me. “See ya later, baby bro. Put the beamer away, would ya?”
“Yeah, I’ll put it away. See ya.” I sigh.
I take Bella inside, and hang her dress up and put her shoes away. I hear her giggling to herself in the bathroom. My girl is tipsy.
“How much did you drink today, love?” I chuckle as she comes out of the bathroom.
“I only had three drinks, but it was wine. Wine is not my friend, Eddie,” she says loudly, though I can tell that she thinks she’s whispering.
“I think you should lay down, B. Sleep off your wine.” I take her hand and lead her to our bed.
“Okay, will you lay with me?”
“Of Course, angel.” I pull the covers down and wait for her to crawl inside.
I lie down facing her and run my fingers through her hair. I watch her eyes flutter closed, and it makes me smile. Even after everything that has happened between us and around us, I am still taken back that she trusts me enough to fall asleep in my arms. She is so beautiful and looks so innocent. I don’t know who or what brought her into my miserable life, but I am one lucky bastard.
My thoughts go to what Rose said about Bella becoming a Cullen. I haven’t really thought that far ahead, and we surely haven’t talked about it yet, but I know that it is definitely something that I want. It seems silly to be thinking about it so soon, but knowing how much I love her, it really isn’t a question in my mind. I want her to be my wife, and I want to have babies with her. I guess it’s something that we should talk about soon.
The room darkens as the sun goes down and Bella moves closer to me, draping her leg and her arm across my body. I tighten my grip around her waist and kiss her hair. Her hand moves under my shirt and rests on my stomach before she speaks.
“Hey, you didn’t have to stay with me.” She moves up far enough to kiss my neck.
“I told you I would lie with you. Did you think I would leave?” I turn my head to give her better access the spot that she is trying to kiss. “I love being with you like this.”
“I do too, love. I want to stay like this forever.”
“Well we’d eventually have to leave the bed, silly. Though it doesn’t sound half bad to me.” She giggles.
“I didn’t mean in the bed. I just meant like this...” I squeeze her tighter to show her what I mean. “I want to be with you forever. I want to never have to wonder or question my place in your life. I want to know that you belong to me, and I want you to know that I belong to you.”
“What exactly are you saying, Edward?” she asks quietly.
“I’m saying that I want to be your husband, and I want you to be my wife. I love you, Bella. I want to share my life with you,” I say lifting her chin with my finger so that her eyes meet mine.
“Edward, is this because of what Rosalie said? If it is, you don’t have to say it just because she mentioned it.” She has tears in her eyes and it breaks my heart.
“Of course not, baby girl. She made me think about it, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t really want it. I do. So much. I love you, Isabella. You’re it for me.” As soon as I say it she starts laughing and I am confused. She must see it in my eyes, because she scrambles to explain.
“I’m not laughing at you! I’m laughing because I said the same thing to your sister at lunch today. You don’t think it’s too early for us to be talking about marriage, though?”
I wipe the tears that escaped. “It may be early, but has that stopped us from anything yet? I mean we’ve already moved in together and we have a kitten.” Now we both laugh. “Who cares what anyone else thinks. This is our life. If we both feel good about it, shouldn’t we let ourselves be happy?”
“Of course we should. Edward, are you asking me to marry you?” She is smiling at me and looking up at me from beneath his lashes.
“If I was asking would you be saying yes?”
“I might, but you’re not getting off that easy. Propose to me properly and we’ll see what happens... but first I want to meet your parents. I don’t want you to introduce me to them for the first time as your fiancee. Deal?”
“Deal.”
I know this is all happening so fast,
but let’s leave heartaches and bad
memories in the past.
‘Cause what’s the point if you never
risk it, take the path of least resistance.
Tell your heart it shouldn’t be afraid
‘Cause I’m so in love with you,
I should be ashamed.
I knew from the first time that I met you
you were the one for me, it was obvious.
I could tell you felt the same way, too.
Tell Your Heart ~ Schuyler Fisk
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