317Final chapter of this story, but as I said, I'm already halfway through a sequel, so don't panic. I just felt that this story reached a natural conclusion, so I ended it here and started the sequel which is called P.S I'll Love You Forever (continuing the To All The Boys I've Loved Before theme I started with this story). The first chapter of it will be posted next Wednesday and continue to be posted once a week until I have finished writing the story, then I'll try to post a little more often. Anyway, I'll let you get on with it. Enjoy!
I spent the next few days being fussed over by everyone, but particularly by Esme. She cooked increasingly complicated foods for every meal, though at least it wasn't just for me as Leah had decided to stay for a few days. I was surprised at how well she was getting on with the vampires that should have been her mortal enemies. Despite her complaints about the smell, she seemed to fit in well.
Esme loved having someone else to mother. Rose enjoyed her sarcastic, witty humour. Alice enjoyed having someone who actually appreciated her fashion advice.
Surprisingly, she also seemed to get on particularly well with Emmett, playing games on the Playstation with him, and because of her wolfy abilities, she was actually able to give him a run for his money, which was more than I could do with my human reaction times. They also had a very similar sense of humour, so they were often heard laughing at the most immature things, but it made my heart soar that my best friend was so comfortable with my new family.
I knew when I made the decision to become a vampire, that I would have to leave my parents, and I had mainly come to terms with that, though I knew it wasn't going to be easy, I also thought that I might end up losing Leah too. Vampires and werewolves were mortal enemies and I was pretty much banned from Forks once I had been changed, so I thought I wouldn't really get to see Leah either. Now, however, seeing her getting along so well with my family, I knew that didn't have to happen.
When the time came to say goodbye, while I was still sad to see her go, it didn't feel as final as my visits with my parents. I knew that our friendship would still live on past my transformation into a vampire.
I walked back into the house after saying goodbye to Leah. Alice and Jasper had volunteered to take her to the airport, and she had insisted that I stay at home and rest since I was still getting over my ordeal. Despite being back in Edward's arms, where I usually slept well, nightmares were plaguing me, and I wasn't getting a lot of sleep.
"Are you tired?" Edward asked, pulling me into a hug.
"A little," I admitted, "But I don't want to sleep right now. Will you play for me?"
When we had returned from Chicago, Edward had admitted to me that he hadn't played the piano since leaving me and I had insisted on hearing him. Since then, I asked him to play for me often. I had really missed hearing him play and though I had been listening to his recordings since finding them under my floorboards, it wasn't the same as hearing him play live.
"Anything for you, my dear," he responded, leading me to the grand piano, "Any requests?"
"I don't care," I sighed, sitting beside him on the stool and laying my head lightly on his shoulder.
He began with my lullaby, as he often did, and I closed my eyes, letting myself float away on the magnificent music his talented fingers produced. My lullaby transitioned into Esme's song and then into some of his other compositions. As I listened, I realised we had the house to ourselves. Carlisle was at work, Esme was out running some errands, and Emmett and Rosalie had disappeared early this morning.
I allowed my good hand to rest on his thigh, just above his knee, gently tracing nondescript shapes with my fingers. I heard his breath hitch, but he continued playing, never missing a note. Slowly, I let my hand wander higher up his leg and I glanced up at him to see him looking down at me.
"Bella, you're still recovering," he whispered, though I could tell by his darkening eyes that he was struggling to control the lust. My fingers reached the top of his thigh, and I could feel him straining against the material of his trousers.
"I'm fine," I assured him, "And it's not every day we get the house to ourselves." He stopped playing as I moved myself onto his lap, my thighs straddling either side of his. My bulky cast was getting in the way of being as seductive as I would have liked, but I used my other arm to pull him to me, kissing him deeply.
He returned the kiss, though I could tell he was still trying to hold back. I ground my centre onto his hardness beneath me and I could tell the exact moment his control snapped. His hands slid into my hair, pulling me closer to him and his tongue slipped along my bottom lip, demanding entrance which I gladly granted. After a few minutes, he removed his hands from my hair, trailing them down my back to cup my bottom. He stood, carrying me with him, my legs wrapped around his waist, and carried me up the stairs, laying me down in the middle of the bed.
"Are you sure?" he whispered, coming to lie carefully over me.
"Yes," I assured him, as I began clumsily unbuttoning his shirt, "It's been entirely too long."
I reached the last button, bringing my good hand up and tried to push his shirt off his shoulders, though it was difficult with only one hand. He knelt up, taking his shirt the rest of the way off, exposing his amazing chest. It didn't matter how many times I saw him without a shirt on, he still took my breath away.
He leaned over, unbuttoning my shirt and removing it, careful not to jostle my arm. With my shirt gone, he worked on my jeans, sliding them down my legs and leaving me in my lacy black underwear. I saw sadness flash in his eyes as he looked down at the bruises that still covered my arms and legs.
"Don't," I said, knowing where his brain was going, "None of this was your fault." I knelt up, looking deep into his eyes, willing him to believe me.
"But, if it wasn't for me..." he began, his finger lightly tracing the purple bruises at the top of my right arm.
I stopped him, pressing my finger to his lips, "Then I would be dead. You saved me. The blame lies solely with Victoria." He closed his eyes for a few moments, took a deep breath, and when he opened them, the guilt that had filled them just seconds ago had faded, to be replaced with desire as he looked down at my lace-clad body.
I wrapped my arm around his neck and pulled him towards me, pressing my lips to his, as his hands trailed along my back. He swiftly unhooked my bra, carefully removing it before lavishing all of his attention on my breasts. His hands cupped them, while his thumb rolled gently across my already puckered nipples. I gasped, my back arching, as the movement sent jolts straight to my core, soaking my underwear.
My knees felt like they were going to give way beneath me, so I lay down on my back, pulling Edward with me. He then sucked one of my nipples into his mouth, his hands travelling down my stomach, soon reaching the lace still covering my sex. When his fingers reached my apex and he felt how wet I was through the material, he groaned, the vibrations going straight through my nipple. Gently moving the material to one side, his fingers slipped into my wetness, quickly finding my clit. The sensations of his fingers circling my swollen nub and his tongue circling my sensitive nipple caused me to moan as I writhed beneath him. When his fingers entered me, his thumb taking their place on my clit, the coil in my stomach tightened further, and soon I was screaming his name as my muscles clenched around him.
As I came down from my high, he stood up and removed his trousers and underwear, before crawling back up the bed towards me. He hooked his finger into my underwear and slowly slid them down my legs. He hovered over me, taking over all of my senses, and I hitched my legs up around his hips. He lined himself up with my entrance and, giving me one last look to ensure I was ready, he thrust deep inside me in one swift movement. The moment he filled me, I felt complete again, like I hadn't felt since I had been taken from him. He hissed at the feeling of being surrounded by my warm, wet heat and was still for a few moments, until I could take it no longer and began to rock my hips. He opened his eyes, looking deep into mine, our connection felt like it was being healed. He pulled almost all the way out, before pushing back in again, his pubic bone hitting my clit every time he did so. I moaned and groaned until we were both panting heavily. With one final thrust, his hips stilled as he emptied into me just as I fell over the edge.
It took a few moments until we were both breathing normally again and then Edward rolled onto his side, taking me with him. He was still staring into my eyes, a small smile gracing his face.
"I didn't realise just how much we needed that," he said, "I've been fighting the urge because you were recovering, but I can see it was needed after being away from each other."
"I felt it too," I told him, "Like something was being healed."
"Yes," he agreed, "I imagine that was the same thing that happened when you found me in Chicago, the reason I could no longer control myself. Our mating connection needed to heal after being separated, especially for so long."
"I have a lot to thank our mating connection for then," I smirked up at him.
"Me too, love, me too," he said, pulling me in to snuggle into his chest, "Without that loss of control, I'm not sure I would have been able to do it. I would have overthought it and talked myself out of it in fear of hurting you." I attempted to stifle the yawn that came then, but of course he noticed.
"Sleep, my love," he whispered and began humming my lullaby. I quickly drifted off into a long, nightmare-free sleep.
~~~P. ~~~
I awoke the next morning feeling well rested, my peaceful night having done a lot for my tiredness from the last few days. I rolled over in the bed, looking up into Edward's beautiful amber eyes.
"Morning," he smiled, "Sleep well?"
"Very," I replied, smiling back at him.
"Esme has breakfast ready for you," he said, "Then I was thinking maybe we could get out of the house for a while, if you're feeling up to it?"
"Sounds good," I replied, thinking that getting out of the house sounded amazing since I hadn't left since I'd been rescued, I didn't even really care where we went or who went with us, just getting out into the fresh air would be wonderful.
"What did you have in mind?" I asked as I got out of bed, heading for the shower. When he didn't answer I turned to look at him, finding him staring at my naked form as I crossed the room. I chuckled to myself, still incredulous that he looked at plain old me in that way. "Edward?" I smirked.
"Oh, umm... sorry," he stuttered, looking like he'd be blushing if he could, "Alice said there was a fair in town and Emmett is desperate to go. What do you think?"
"I think that sounds great," I said, "Though I might not be able to do much with this." I held up my cast.
"We'll find something you can go on with me, baby sis!" Emmett boomed from downstairs. I chuckled at his enthusiasm.
Thankfully, Edward left me to get showered and dressed, otherwise with the way he was looking at me earlier, we wouldn't have gotten anywhere quickly.
I walked down the stairs to the kitchen, finding everyone ready and waiting for me. Alice was bouncing up and down in her seat, excitable as always, and Emmett could hardly contain his grin. Jasper and Rosalie were just watching their mates with indulgent smiles on their faces. Edward ushered me to a seat at the counter and brought over a plate of bacon and eggs that Esme had made for me.
"Thanks, Esme," I said, breathing in the delicious smell and quickly tucking in. I could never understand how a vampire, who can't taste the food, could make such delicious meals. I had tried many times to tell Esme that I could cook for myself, but she always just told me that she enjoyed it, making her feel like more of a mother to be cooking for someone.
As soon as I was finished eating, I was ushered out of the house and into Edward's car. Alice and Jasper joined us with Rose and Emmett following behind in his jeep.
We walked through the throngs of people as I stared at the tents, stalls, and rides of the fair, looming high above me. The air was filled with the smell of popcorn, cotton candy, and hot dogs and I could hear the booming music, exhilarated screams, and cheerful shouts of fairgoers. I looked up at Edward, wondering how he was coping with all of those sounds and smells, amplified by his vampire senses, as well as the thoughts of the hundreds of people surrounding us.
"I'm fine," he answered my unasked question, "It just takes a few minutes to adjust to, then I can tune most of it out."
"I didn't even ask," I chuckled, "Sometimes, I wonder if you just say you can't hear my mind."
"I really can't," he replied, putting his arm around my shoulders, "I've just had to work hard at reading your face and your eyes, so now I can usually work out what you're thinking. Though you constantly surprise me, so maybe I'm not as good at it as I would like to think."
At that point, Emmett who had disappeared for a few minutes came bounding over to us, his grin even wider than before.
"Come on, Bella," he said, "I've found some rides for us to go on."
I looked up at Edward, who smiled, kissing me on the forehead before releasing me. He glared at Emmett for a few seconds.
"Don't worry, baby," I said, stretching up on my tiptoes to kiss him, "Emmett will look after me." He looked at me in confusion, before smiling. "I can read your face and eyes too, you know. And even if I couldn't, I know you constantly worry about my safety." I stuck my tongue out at him as I skipped over to Emmett, who was laughing hard at the look on Edward's face.
Emmett took me on some of the gentler rides; a carousel, the swing boat, and the swing chair ride. I would have loved to go on some of the more exhilarating rides, like the roller coaster or waltzer but knew that it was a bad idea with my broken arm. Despite the tame rides, we had a great time, laughing non-stop the entire time.
We soon found the others, Edward pulling me tightly into a hug as soon as I was close enough.
"Let's take a walk around," he said, pulling me away from the others who were protesting, "Can't I have a little bit of time alone with my fiancée?" Alice and Emmett huffed, but they all nodded, and we agreed to meet them in an hour.
We walked hand in hand through the fair, just watching everything going on around us. Edward bought me a large, pink, fluffy stick of cotton candy and I ate it as we walked around. It was deliciously sugary, the perfect treat for a fairground, but Edward was looking at me like I had two heads.
"It's like you're eating fluff," he said, "I don't understand how it can taste good."
"It tastes amazing," I said, popping another chunk in my mouth, "It's sugary and sweet and it just melts on your tongue."
He leaned down, capturing my lips with his and his tongue deftly traced across my lips that were sticky with the cotton candy. I melted into the kiss, forgetting that we were surrounded by people, but Edward pulled back after only a few moments.
"Hmmm," he whispered, "I can see what you mean, though perhaps it's just the taste of you that I like." I closed my eyes, a shiver of arousal spreading through me at his words. I took a deep breath, centring myself, before we continued walking.
Edward insisted on winning me a prize from a stall where he had to knock down tin cans. I smiled as he deftly knocked all six cans off the shelf with one ball, much to the irritation of the stall owner. I chose a large stuffed lion, which made Edward chuckle.
"I'm not sure that was entirely fair," I said, glancing up at a sheepish-looking Edward, "But I do love my prize. Thank you."
"You're welcome, my love," he replied, placing a light kiss on the top of my head, "And I can't help it if I am good at the game." I rolled my eyes at the smirk on his face, but I couldn't help but smile at his happiness.
We walked back to meet the others, who all seemed happy to have us back. Alice linked arms with me, leading us all towards the ferris wheel, that stood towering above everything else in the fair. We waited in the queue, laughing and joking and just generally having a good time, like the teenagers we all were. When we reached the front of the queue, we all got on the Ferris wheel in couples, and I cuddled into Edward as we rose high above the city.
The view was amazing from up here and I could see far and wide as the city sprawled out around us. I tore my eyes away from the view to look into Edward's eyes. I could see the depth of the love he had for me and my love for him grew even more in that moment.
I thought back to my life just over a year ago. I had practically nothing to live for. Sure, I had my parents and Leah, who are amazing, don't get me wrong. But my heart was broken beyond repair and I thought my one chance at happiness had gone.
Now, not only did I have Edward, but I also had his family. Extra parental figures in Carlisle and Esme, and though they would never take the place of my real parents, I cherished them immensely. I had his siblings, who were just as much my brothers and sisters as his, all of whom I loved dearly in their own ways. I loved Alice's excitement and exuberance, even when she was pestering me to be her Bella Barbie. I loved Jasper's calm demeanour, the yin to Alice's yang. I loved Emmett's easy-going outlook on life and the way he always made me laugh. I loved Rosalie's loyalty to her family, despite how she might sometimes come across, she loved all of her family dearly. Without her, I never would have received the letters that changed my life, and I would still be out there living my half-life. I had so much to thank her for.
Because of her, I had Edward back and we were even better than before. He was more open with me, no longer making decisions on my behalf without talking to me. He had let his guard down, let go of his self-control, allowing us to be together completely. He had agreed to let me make my own decision on my immortality, allowing us to be together forever. And last, but not least, he had asked me to be his wife and I couldn't wait to marry him.
It's always a little sad to click complete on a story, but since I'm continuing with these two in the sequel, it's not really goodbye.
I would like to once again thank Drotuno for the inspiration for this story. If you haven't already read her Angel series, then what are you doing here reading my frankly inferior story?! lol. They are all amazing and it was from an outtake from these stories that I got the idea for this story and the letters Edward wrote.
I should also probably thank my husband for indulging me through my bouts of writers block, even though every suggestion he gave me involved Edward and Bella going to a "cute little BB" regardless of what else was going on in the story. Silly man, but he's my silly man lol
Last, but certainly by no means least, many, many thanks to my fab beta, CoppertopJ and to everyone who has read, reviewed, favourited or followed. I know it's not always easy to read a WIP and have to wait for the weekly updates, so thank you to each and every one of you that have stuck with me. At this point, this story has over 250 followers and almost 300 reviews and that just blows me away. I am by no means a real writer and until about 10 months ago, I hadn't written anything since school and even then I never wrote for pleasure, so it just amazes me that anyone actually wants to read what I have written and comes back every week to get the next instalment. Thank you all so much.
Janelle x