620Sun shine steams into my skin on the sunniest day my skin has ever felt. Palm trees sway in the breeze, so tall they touch the clouds.
"Can you believe I get married tomorrow?" Alice asks, eating an apple from the cooler.
We're sitting on a towel in the sand. Her black hair sits in a bun at her nape, tendrils fall across her cheeks. Blue eyes, deeper than her brothers, glance back at me.
"Yeah, I can," I tell her honestly.
On her hand sits a thin, gold band with the letters J and A engraved inside. Alice sits and spins it around her small finger. She's been in San Francisco, California for a few years as she gets ready to finish up med school.
OB/GYN. I asked her why she wanted to look at vaginas all day. I'll never forget what she said.
"What else am I gonna do?"
Alice is a force to be reckoned with, and that's exactly why Jasper put a ring on it. The boys, dunking each other in the ocean on this beautiful, salty afternoon, have stuck together more now than ever. Jasper had one slip up that I don't even count. He let it slide that one time when he was feeling especially low, he tried getting ahold of a dealer in Montana. When Alice found out, she made him move to California with her.
"I'm sick of this, Jasper. You're depressed because you're alone. We're not fifteen anymore. Get your shit together. Go to NA meetings again. Find a fucking sponsor."
And that's exactly what he did. Less than four months later, Jasper said goodbye to his life in Montana, and hello to his life with Alice in California.
"It's not really all that bad," he tells me one night last year. "It's sunny, and warm, and the air smells like the ocean. Plus," he pauses, "Alice just said yes to being my wife."
He has never been so happy.
Edward and I moved in together, much to my dad's dismay, but everything worked out. We host Thanksgiving, and they do Christmas.
I graduated college one semester after Edward. He chose the lawyer route after an unfair law issue with a previous teammate, and I decided on psychology. Currently, I'm four semesters into my graduate program.
"Whiteclaw?" Al asks as if reading my mind.
"Nah," I tell her. "It'll give me a headache. Pass me a water though."
"School okay?" she asks, laying next to me.
"Yeah. I'm in the middle of finding a practicum placement. I have a few clinics I'm looking into in Seattle," I tell her, resting my head near hers.
"Can you believe I'm getting married tomorrow?" she asks again with a smile.
I turn my head to look at her, putting my hand over my eyes to shield the sun. It's been so many years in the making, so many tears, so many broken hearts, but we're here and happy and thriving.
"Yeah," I whisper-smile lighter than the touch of the boy who's running up from the ocean to kiss my shoulder. "Yeah, I can."
~!~
The next day, I complain.
"I feel so fat, Edward. Why do you insist on shoving my face with French fries and chocolate?"
He looks at me like I'm crazy. "Am I the one doing that?"
I catch his gaze in the mirror. Edward admires my body regardless. In college, everyone thought I'd gain the freshmen 15, but I actually lost 27 pounds. I had a hard time managing a full class load, a work study to help pay some of my tuition, and keeping up an apartment with Edward who quickly became the most popular person on campus.
He wanted to take me out, parade me around, fuck me in every spot he could find on campus which I loved, don't get me wrong, but the stress got to me and my outlet was poor self care. The end of sophomore year, Edward sat me down and told me he was quitting basketball if I didn't start putting me first.
"What?" I ask, confused.
"I love you, baby, you know that. I love your hips and your breasts and your eyes and your humor and this huge brain of yours. Start using it. I can take care of myself, Pretty, I promise."
At this point, he made dinner every single night. If he had an away game, he called in delivery for me from my favorite restaurant down the road. I made sure I put myself first at least one night a week. No studying. No work. No Edward.
I locked myself in the bathroom and read fiction books about nonsense, and took long baths in the jacuzzi tub, and enjoyed time for myself.
Shortly after, I gained all that weight back and then some.
Size ten, and he still can't keep his hands off of me.
Edward Cullen, soon to be lawyer, has only gotten more handsome if you can believe that. Tall, thick, broad, muscular. This mans fingers still make me tingle. His tongue on my neck sets me on fire. His chest on my back, pressing ever so softly against me, turns my brain to mush.
"Pretty," he whispers. "This fucking dress…"
I shrug him off with a soft giggle. This dress is something. Alice let me pick whatever I wanted to wear. She's been the best bride ever. Dusty lilac, satin, and fitted. My hourglass figure is killing it.
"We're going to be late if you start that," I tell him with a knowing smile.
He smirks and backs away, buttoning up his white dress shirt and tucking it into his pants. Edward's eyes sparkle with love and cherish and number 17 dirty secrets. He's still the same boy I fell in love with when I was thirteen.
~!~
When I knock on the door of the room in the library where she's getting ready, Alice answers with panic.
"What?" I ask.
"I left my ring in the hotel room!" she yells.
I do my maid of honor duties by calling Edward to retrieve it. When he shows up, he just walks in. My mom, Mrs. Cullen, and Rose are the only other people in the room. Mrs. Cullen answers the door after three gentle rasps.
"The ring bearer has arrived," Edward jokes, walking in. He hugs his mom, my mom, and Rose before stopping short as his eyes adjust to Alice, his baby sister, in a long cream colored sheath dress decorated with vintage lace. The front is low, the back is lower, and the train drags on the carpet as she walks towards her brother.
He picks her up, hugging her tightly. Blue-green eyes close, and his wet eyelashes rest on his cheek. What a powerful moment to be apart of. My heart swells and fills with more love than I've ever imagined. This is supposed to be Alice's happiest day of her life, but truly, it's mine too.
"Edward, my makeup," she jokes, sniffling.
"You're beautiful," he smiles, setting her down in bare feet. Alice blushes for one of the first times in her life. "Did dad see yet?"
"No," she answers quietly, tucking her toes into a pair of cream flats.
"He's going to be a mess."
Mrs. Cullen walks over and hugs her kids to her, pulling them in tightly. I step out of the way to let the photographer, who I just now notice, snap pictures of this moment.
Edward's right, Alice is a vision, a truly stunning bride. She glows.
After a few minutes, and everyone dries their tears, Edward whispers, "Jasper asked to see you."
I follow him out of the suite and down the hall to where Jasper and the boys are getting ready. Inside, I see Dr. Cullen putting on Jasper's cufflinks and my dad fixing his tie awkwardly.
"Bella," dad says, looking at me through the mirror. He eyes my dress and my hair and my simply elegant makeup. When his eyes tear, I smile back.
"Wait till you see Al," I tell him with a smile.
Dad has aged over the last few years. His salt and pepper hair suits him though. I see the wrinkles around his eyes and mouth and wish time would slow down if even just for a moment.
"How is she?" Jasper asks. I watch the way his fingers fidget with his tie, the cufflinks, his tight pants. Jasper is nervous-excited and his face is Christmas-morning impatient.
"She is perfect," I tell him honestly.
"No cold feet?"
I shake my head confidently. "Very much warm, Jas."
Jasper looks relieved and finally hugs me. It's long and warm and needy.
"You look beautiful, B," he whispers.
I let Jasper hold me for as long as he needs. His arms are heavy, but I lift him up.
"You don't look half bad either, Jas."
When he feels centered, Jasper releases me. Mr. Cullen and my dad busy themselves with something in the background as I take Jasper's hands in mine.
"I am so proud of you," I tell him. Emotion catches hold of my throat and I clear it away. "I'm so proud of this person you've always been, Jasper. I love you guys so much."
Jasper rests his chin atop my head and squeezes my arm.
"No one would be anything if it weren't for you, Bella."
~!~
The ceremony is more than beautiful.
They marry in an old library with tall ceilings and marble floors. It's small with less than 100 guests but so lovely. I cry the entire time.
The small, simple ceremony lasts 20 minutes, enough time for Edward and I and Rose and Em to walk down the aisle, handwritten vows, their first kiss.
It's simple, it's quiet, it's them.
The reception is not. The music is loud, the alcohol flows, and the laughs are plentiful. I have to pull Edward from the dance floor as we make our toasts. Mine is soft and delicate and loving. We reminisce on old times, good times, and I hand them an intricate glass filled with pebbled sand from our beech.
I hold Jas as he cries into my shoulder and thanks me for loving him when he sometimes made it impossible. I thank him for never giving up on himself.
By the end of the night, Alice and Jas dance their way out of the reception and into a car as they fly away to Thailand.
Back at the hotel, Edward slow dances with me as he peels my feet out of my shoes, and unzips my tight gown.
"You looked stunning tonight," he whispers in my ear, pulling me to the jacuzzi tub where he draws us a bath and when it's full, lowers us in.
He gathers my hair and ties it in a bun on my head as we lean back. Gentle fingers explore the skin on my arms that he's touched one trillion times before. His lips heat the skin of my neck as he tastes me.
"You're one to talk, Edward. Everyone was looking at you."
"No," he says adamantly. "They were looking at you. They only saw me as the boy with the beautiful girl."
I don't argue because it's pointless. He'll tell me I'm pretty and I'll tell him he's naughty. Instead, I soak in the warmth of love and bubbles, letting my boyfriend of many, many years press delicately against my neck, my belly, my nipples. As I scoot around, I can feel Edward's erection pressed against my bottom.
He leans forward and cups my entire center, pushing his fingers through my folds. The warm water burns in a very intimate way. I don't stop him as he massages my swollen clit slowly, whispering into my ear all the fun memories throughout the years.
"Remember I did this to you on the couch with Jasper sleeping just a few feet away?"
"Mhm," I manage.
"What about all the times at the beech?"
"Yes," I breathe softly.
"Tell me your favorite memory."
I think briefly. "I have so many," I tell him honestly. "When you bent me over the cubicle desk in the library and took me from behind."
"That's a good one."
His fingers speed up.
"When you lit candles in the arena and fucked me under the spotlight on the court."
His fingers circle harder.
Edward breathes huskily in my ear. "That's a very good one."
I mewl as I press my back against his chest firmer.
"When you lifted my dress on the fairy and—"
"Slid into your tight, wet pussy. I remember. How could I forget, baby? How many people do you think saw?" he asks, nipping at my neck, plucking at my nipple with his left hand, and bringing me closer with his right.
"At least the two."
When Edward fucked me on the ferry in Seattle, his arms around me like he was hugging me from behind as I looked out into the water, there was another couple who was on the bench next to us. Edward whispered in my ear about them watching intently as he stroked the inside of my pussy. I never came so fucking hard in my life.
"Did you love it?" he asks quietly. "Did you love knowing people were watching as I fucked you, making you quiver on my cock, making you come silently so no one would know?"
His words due me in. I grip onto the edges of the tub and let him push me over the edge. His lips find mine messily as I come against his fingers.
Edward has me up and out of the tub before I've even come back down. I'm wrapped in a towel and being ushered out onto the balcony that overlooks the pool. There's one man and a couple in the hot tub but no one else.
He unwraps the towel and tells me to hold on he runs his cock up and down my slick folds and presses into me. I still feel the stretch after all these years, and I hope it never goes away. Edward pulls me back by my wrists, his palm reaches around to cup my throat with just enough pressure, and I can feel my breasts bounce with each stroke he gives me.
"Edward," I gasp. "Edward," I plead.
"Already?" he teases, biting my shoulder.
"Shit," I grunt, holding onto his forearm, reaching back with my free hand to pull his hair.
"The guy," Edward says. "He's watching. His eyes are on your breasts, and he's imagining what it feels like to be me inside you."
I come down from my first orgasm slowly. As I open my eyes, I look down at the man in the hot tub. He's middle aged, and I can barely make him out since we're up so high. I know Edward can't know all of that, but his words are so delicious and I eat them up.
"Make me come again," I tell Edward.
This time he pushes me away and has me grab the balcony railing.
"I want to hear you this time," he commands.
Edward grabs my hips and gives me full, long, deep strokes. He pounds into me over and over and when I'm just at the peak, he wets his thumb and presses against my other hole until he fills me there, too.
I sit up and close my eyes. "Yes, yes, yes," I chant loudly, mewling for him to continue.
Edward slaps my ass and tells me, "come, Isabella."
I nearly fall over, but Edward wraps his arm around my torso to keep me up right. He pulls me over to the bed, pushes my knees to my shoulders, legs spread, and he fucks me hard.
"I love you," he whispers as he comes inside me.
~!~
Six weeks later, Alice and I facetime, catching up. She and Jas got back from Thailand a few weeks ago, and are settling into newlywed bliss just fine. She tells me how busy she is and how much they missed the states. I tell her we missed them indescribably, and then I hold up a stick with the word pregnant on it.
"Oh my fucking god," Alice screams. And when I say scream, I mean she screams.
I haven't heard or seen Alice cry a whole heck of a lot in the last few years, but this is definitely a time.
Elated, she says, "I'm going to be a fucking aunt!"
Edward, next to me, smiles deeply, happily, lovingly.
"First Rose, then you, now what?" she says.
"You," I tell her.
"Not uh, no way, ma'am. Wait, can I be your OB?"
"You want to, like, look at my vagina?" I ask her.
"Please, I've seen it all before," Alice jokes.
I laugh and nod and say whatever.
~!~
A week after that, Edward and I travel back to Forks for his dad's birthday. We throw him a big party and drink a lot of wine. Well, our parents do.
"Here, sweetie," Mrs. Cullen says, holding out a glass of red wine for me.
"No thanks," I tell her, uncapping my water.
She looks at me funny but brushes it off. After cake, which I eat three pieces because I'm obviously eating for two, duh, Mr. Cullen opens presents.
My parents get him new golf clubs, a hobby he's picked up when his kids left for college. Mrs. Cullen surprises him with a cruise vacation, and Edward and I get him a card that says "What do you get for the dad who has everything?"
Mr. Cullen laughs and nods. "I do. I'm lucky enough to have it all, kiddo. If there's money in here, I'm not taking it."
"Just open the damn card, dad," Edward says.
He does, and out falls three sonogram pictures.
Everyone's in shock, and Edward and I sit there stiffly with hopeful smiles.
"Is this—are you—Am I going to be a grandpa?" Mr. Cullen asks.
We both nod, and Mrs. Cullen screams like Alice did.
My mom cries so much she can barely breathe.
"Mom," I say, "it's okay. I'm okay. We're happy." I want to remind her we're not kids anymore. We're in our mid to late twenties. This was bound to happen.
"I know, I'm just so happy," she answers between sobs.
When I look at my dad, he's staring blankly at Edward. He's got no emotion on his face whatsoever.
Edward pulls out a card and hands it my dad, and I'm a little confused. My face says what the fuck? but Edward shakes it off.
Dad opens the card and it says: "To the worlds best grandpa" and inside is a sonogram picture, too. Dad looks at it, studying the image closely until he looks up at Edward and stands. Edward stands too. Dad has tears in his eyes and he nods. Instead of a handshake, dad pulls Edward in and hugs him.
"Congratulations, Son."
Now I'm crying as dad pulls me up and wraps me in his arms. "My little girl," he whispers.
~!~
Just before sunset, Edward and I take a walk as Mr. Cullen's work friends stop over. We walk to the backyard, where the overgrown trees eat the spot Edward and Jasper used to stand as they smoked their joints a million years ago. Through the woods we trudge until we land on the almost disintegrated log Edward first kissed me on.
"Remember this?" he asks, holding my hand.
I nod because of course.
We walk further into the woods until we get to the meadow. After all these years, beautiful wildflowers still flourish, and the trees have grown taller. Edward spreads a blanket out, and we sit together, our back against a tree at the edge of the meadow.
The sun sits low in the sky, just before sunset, and the sky lights up orange then fades to a beautiful pink-purple.
"This is my favorite color," I tell him, sitting back, content.
Edward turns and puts his hand on my belly with a smile.
"You're my favorite color," he says.
I roll my eyes. "Edward, I'm not a color," I tell him.
"Yeah you are. You're like a soft golden white when you're sleeping. You're pink-starburst-sweet when we're at the beach. You're cherry-limeaide-sticky when you're turned on. You're everything, Bella," Edward finishes, kissing my lips.
"You're so sweet it hurts sometimes," I answer honestly.
"Only for you."
"We should carve our names into this tree," I tell him, sitting up on my knees. "Give me your pocket knife."
Edward laughs and digs in his pocket for the knife. He gets behind me, watching over my shoulder as I carve E & B with a heart around into the soft bark. Right as I start the heart, the knife becomes dull.
"Hey, give me the knife on your keychain, maybe that's sharper," I ask, trying my best with my right hand to finish while extending my left hand behind me.
"Okay, try this," he says and puts it in my hand.
I don't think anything of it until I glance down to find a black, velvet box in the palm of my hand. It's open and the most beautiful, shiny, clear diamond ring, sitting simply in a white gold band, looks right at me.
I gasp so loud it hurts my throat. Turning around, I find Edward, my boyfriend of forever, father of our unborn child, kneeling on the ground. His eyes are so clear-blue and happy, rimmed with tears, emotion, years of love and light and soul fulfilling happiness.
"Bella," he starts, clearing his throat of raw emotion. "Bella, since the moment you knocked on my door when I was a thirteen year old bad ass to this moment in time right now, I have loved you unconditionally, honestly, wholeheartedly, and intensely. You fill me up and absorb everything I am and want to be. You give me life. From your hairy big toe to this scar on your knee, to the freckle under your breast, and the chip in your molar—I love every square inch of everything you are, have been, and will be." Edward breathe as I cry into the air of our beautiful meadow. He takes one more breath before asking, "Will you please finally fucking marry me?"
I fall to my knees and wrap myself around him.
"Yes!" I shout. "Yes I'll marry you, Edward!" I shout again.
Edward stands us and holds me to his chest. He spins me around and kisses my neck. He loves me the way Edward always has.
"Fuck, I love you Bella," he says into my neck.
I don't know if they're his tears or mine, but they're warm and welcomed. I've never been so happy.
"Here, look," he tells me, setting me down. Inside the ring box is, what he says, the most perfect diamond. "Like you," he whispers, "flawless."
Three and a half carats of brilliance. I wear it proudly.
"Did I do good, Pretty B?" he asks, nuzzling my ear.
I nod. "Did it cost seventeen grand?" I ask skeptically.
"Our jeweler gave me a very good deal."
I shake my head and let it go. His lips touch mine, and we fall to the blanket. Edward pulls my dress off and my undies down. Years ago, I started waxing, so I'm smooth everywhere almost always, and it's the best thing ever.
He glides his fingers up my legs to my center up to my belly, past my breasts, and around my throat. His fingers glide down my shoulder, my arm, rest in my palm as he lowers himself to taste me.
There, in the meadow, like we're teenagers again, Edward makes love to me on our blanket, with the ring around my finger, our baby in my belly, and his last name playing over and over again in my head.
Edward climbs on top and loves me tenderly. He thrusts slow and deep, watching my face, reading my cues. He pushes and pulls and presses in all the right spots. His gentleness is never shocking, but always welcome. "I love you," whispers like a playlist around us. We finish together, powerfully and loudly, and lay naked in the setting sun. It's twilight, and chirps of wildlife resonate around us.
He helps pull up my undies, kissing the delicate eyelet lace on my belly, and pulls my pretty blue dress back in place. We fold up the blanket, and head home.
"I just want you to know that I had planned this for months, Bella. I was always going to propose right here, in this meadow, when we came back to Forks. It just so happens that you're also pregnant. Please don't think I proposed because you're pregnant," Edward explains, holding my hand in the dark woods.
"So you don't want me to carry your bastard child?" I joke.
He laughs and shakes his head. "If it's a boy, what will we name it?"
"Hm," I think. "Hunter?"
"Ew," he says. "Edward Junior?"
I look at him like he's high. "We're not that pretentious. Quinn?"
He rolls his eyes. "Okay, never mind. What about a girl?"
"Ethel."
He stops and stairs. "Bella, are you serious?"
"Ethel is a very old-fashioned, timeless name," I explain seriously.
At his parents house, we drop the second bomb of the night. Mom cries and nods. Mr. and Mrs. Cullen hug me dearly, and dad sot of "hmphs".
"What?" I ask, confused.
"That's bigger than the one he originally showed me," dad says.
I look at Edward questioningly.
"Your dad helped pick it out," he tells me with a nod.
I smile so big and loud it hurts, and I'm crying again. Knowing my dad was a part of this, after everything, after where Edward and I started… it makes it real, it makes our entire relationship and the sacrifices we made as kids worth it.
"Do you know how much you're loved, Bella?" Edward asks, holding my knee. "Like, really, do you know how much I fucking love you?"
"Like sunsets in the meadow?" I ask.
"Like rain in the summer. Like snow on Christmas. Like a bad boy who fell in love with a very good girl," he tells me, grabbing my hand and kissing the back. His fingers play with the band of my ring, and his smile is like a million lifetimes of butterflies in my tummy.
"What did my dad say when you asked?"
Edward smirks. "He asked what took so long?"
I smile happily, contently, lovely.
At home, we wash up and climb into bed. Edward bends down to kiss my belly.
"Wait till you hear your mommy and daddy's love story," Edward whispers.
"Not till she's married," I joke.
"She?" he asks.
"I think it's a girl," I tell him honestly.
Edward nods. "A little princess."
We lay back in bed, cuddling, tangling our limbs, when Edward pulls me in and whispers all the things I love to hear.
"I love you like sprinkles on ice cream and scars on knees," he tells me.
"I love you like rainbows in the afternoon and ranch on French fries," I whisper back.
"I love you like blow pops, and truth or dare, and summertime basketball," he whispers into my hair.
I smile and nod. "Same."
And that's all SHE wrote 😉 there is potential for a second epi from HIS pov, but I'm letting that one come more naturally, when he's ready to spill it. I will say though that I've been working on a story for a few months that's shorter and much darker in content than this. I used it as my outlet when I had "writers block". If you're interested, let me know!