*Bella*
I dug around in the duffel bag that was five sizes bigger than I was, wondering what in the hell Rose was thinking when she packed this and where the hell she'd gotten half of the clothes I don't remember buying, in an attempt to find Edward's Christmas gift.
We'd come back from our walk to find everyone in the living room, huddled around the coffee table and playing a rousing game of Scrabble. Alice was apparently beating everyone, Emmett was getting pissed off, Esme had seemed to give up, Carlisle was hoarding his tiles in his lap and Jasper had spent a good twenty minutes trying to come up with some awesomely amazing word that no one else had ever heard of before.
Edward had been roped into it and I had used the excuse of having to call someone – anyone, really. I sucked at Scrabble – to tell them that I wouldn't be home again until the third.
And that was about the time Alice and Esme flew over to us and hugged me to within an inch of my life, jumping up and down. If this was how they acted when it was just something small like me going to his premiere, I almost didn't want to think about how they'd react when they found out that I was moving out to California to be with him permanently.
Edward had laughed at me, quickly sidestepping as Alice reached out for him and plopping down on the couch next to his father.
I'd glared at the back of his head and when I was finally allowed to move from the clutches of his female relatives, I was quick to walk over to him and fish his cell phone out of his pocket.
Emmett laughed loudly at that for reasons I didn't understand, covering his face with his hands and shaking his head. I'd merely narrowed my eyes in his direction, walked behind his chair and slapped the back of his head as hard as I possibly could before walking up the stairs and into Edward's bedroom for some peace and quiet.
I'd smiled satisfactorily to myself when I heard the rest of the room erupt into laughter and had then decided to go on a hunt for Edward's gift.
I needed to waste some major time somehow. I was not getting roped into a round of that horrid game that I never really got the hang of. It didn't matter how many times I played or how many times someone tried explaining everything to me; it never stuck and I always ended the game in frustration.
Finally locating the gold bag his present was in, I pulled it out triumphantly only to jump back when something else fell out with it and landed on my toes.
Sighing heavily, I flexed my toes, digging them into the golden carpet of his room before bending down and retrieving what looked to be a photo album. The cover was maroon and had intricate, swirl details embedded into it. It was definitely something that I'd never seen before.
Setting his gift on top of the bag, I plopped onto the bed and opened the cover, a smile immediately lifting the corners of my mouth as I saw Angela's personal pictures of our night out.
I flipped through all of them, my bottom lip in between my teeth to hide the massive grin as I remembered everything that had gone on that night. We were with friends and we were having a good time; it was the first time Edward and I had gone out in public without him wearing his hat; it was the first time we'd been together. It was the night of some of our firsts in this small album and I adored it.
Reaching the last picture, I snapped it closed and walked out of the room, standing at the top of the stairs and watching as Edward triumphantly held up his hands and pointed to the word he'd just made on the board. I leaned against the railing and smiled, leaning one elbow against it and resting my head in my hand as I watched him.
He was the man I had dreamed about. He was everything I could've asked for in someone to spend my life with and more. He wasn't perfect by any means, but he was pretty damn close to the kind of perfect I'd always wanted in my life.
He looked up after a few seconds of my staring and smiled crookedly at me, nodding to the game board in front of him.
I shook my head and held up the photo album, beckoning him up the stairs with it.
"I'll be back," he stated, quickly standing up and overstepping Emmett's legs before walking up the stairs to meet me.
"What's that?" he asked, reaching up and brushing hair from my forehead.
"A little gift from Angela."
"Oh?"
I nodded and handed it to him, leaning back against the railing and watching the smile that lit up his face as he opened the cover to see the first picture. He hooked an arm around my waist, pulling me against him before flipping to the next page. I rested my head on his chest and wrapped my arms around his waist, looking at the pictures again as he flipped through them.
"We kinda owe her, huh?" he asked once he closed the album.
I looked up at him and nodded. "Yeah, I think we kinda do."
He smiled and leaned down to kiss me softly.
"I've got something for you," I said softly as he pulled away from me.
"You didn't have to get me anything."
"It's your Christmas present."
"You didn't have to get me anything," he repeated, laughing.
"Edward! Come on! It's your turn!" Emmett yelled up the stairs.
"Alice, go for me!"
"That's not fair!" Carlisle yelled.
"Then I quit!"
"Yes! More letters!" Jasper exclaimed, pumping a fist into the air.
I laughed and buried my nose into his chest, shaking my head.
"You gave me a key to your house," I stated, "it's only right that I got you something."
"That wasn't a Christmas present, Bella. I just wanted you to have it."
"Yeah, well, I don't care." I grabbed his hand and backed away from him, leading him towards his bedroom. "I want you to have this."
He sighed dramatically, dragging his feet and letting me lead him back into his bedroom.
"Have you called anyone yet?" he laughed, letting me push him onto the edge of the bed and setting the photo album next to him.
"I got distracted." I picked up the gold bag and handed it to him, biting my bottom lip. "Here."
He grabbed my wrist and pulled me into his lap, letting me get comfortable before taking the bag from me and actually throwing the black tissue paper over his shoulder. I held my breath as he pulled out the black jewelry box, pressing my lips together tightly as he brushed the bag onto the ground and opened the top.
I'd seen the infinite love pendant in one of the display windows at Kay Jewelers while Rose, Angela and I had been walking by it and had immediately thought of him. It was the way I felt for him dangling from a black leather chain and while it had seemed like a good idea at the time, now I was just damn terrified that he wouldn't understand what it meant or hell, that he wouldn't even like it.
So I kept my eyes trained on the swinging pendant as he pulled it out of the box and held it up in front of us. He didn't say anything and I closed my eyes tightly, wondering how odd it would look if I snatched it from him and asked him to forget about all of this.
"I can take it back," I blurted instead, my eyes still closed. "If you don't like it, don't worry about it. I can take it back."
"Bella…"
"Really, Edward, it's not a big deal." I laughed nervously and linked my hands together. "It's okay if you don't like it."
"Bella…"
"Honestly! It won't hurt my feelings at all. Just let me put it away…"
I opened my eyes long enough to try taking it from him, jumping when he jerked the necklace out of my reach.
"Bella."
I finally looked over at him and swallowed hard, my bottom lip back in between my teeth as my eyes met his.
"I want it."
"It's okay if you don't," I said quickly.
"Bella," he laughed, both of his hands coming up to frame my face.
The pendant landed on my chest and I sucked in a deep breath.
"It's perfect."
"Really…"
"Bella!"
I jumped again and he laughed, his lips against mine and his hands threading through my hair.
"I love it," he breathed out, kissing me again, "and I love you. I was just processing."
"What's there to process?"
"That it's possible for you to feel about me the way I feel about you."
"You ass," I laughed, wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing him again. "I wouldn't be moving clear across the country if I didn't feel something for you."
"You're a hundred percent sure about that?" he asked, backing away from me. "I don't want you to feel like you have to. I can just as easily…"
"We've been over this and I'm not letting you quit acting. You need to be in California and I'm coming with you." I took a deep breath and reached up to place my hands on his chest. "I don't ever want to feel like I did last week, Edward and that means being wherever you are. I can open up another bookstore. You only have this chance once in a lifetime and I won't let you give that up."
His thumbs brushed along my jaw and he smiled softly, tilting his head at me.
"How'd I get so lucky?" he whispered.
"Just one of those things, I guess," I shrugged, grinning at him.
He laughed and kissed me again, pulling me with him as he lay back on the bed and moved his hands from my hair to wrap his arms around my waist. I straddled his lap, anchoring my hands on each side of his head as I slid my tongue into his mouth.
"Okay, now I understood you sucking each other's faces off last night but do you have to do it today, too?"
We both turned to see Emmett standing in the doorway of the bedroom, his arms crossed over his broad chest and one of his eyebrows raised in our direction.
"Emmett," Edward hissed.
"Hey! What's that?"
I laughed as he walked over to us and snatched the photo album from the bed, plopping down and lying next to us. Edward groaned and I giggled, shaking my head and burying my nose into his chest.
"I thought you were playing Scrabble?"
"Alice kicked my ass. Who's the blonde?"
I picked my head up and smirked down at Edward before sitting up and looking down at the album in Emmett's hands. It was the picture that Angela had taken of the three of us on the stairs at the Tavern, the one where Rosalie was flipping her off.
"That would be my best friend Rosalie."
Edward sat up as well, quickly fastening the rope around his neck before wrapping his arms around me again. I smiled and reached up to run my finger over the pendant, tapping my finger against his throat when I reached the bottom. He smiled at me and kissed me quickly.
Emmett nodded as he slowly sat up with us, pursing his lips as he casually flipped to the next picture. I grinned at Edward and leaned forward to rest my cheek on his chest, my hands gripping onto the edge of his t-shirt and tangling it in my fingers.
"Is she seeing anyone?"
"No one serious."
He nodded again, humming as he continued to flip through the pages.
"So, Emmett," I started, sitting up straight again and winking at Edward.
He rolled his eyes and laughed, squeezing my waist and leaning forward to bury his nose into my shoulder.
"Yeah?"
"I'm moving to California."
Emmett looked over at me quickly, both eyebrows up in the middle of his forehead in surprise and the photo album almost completely forgotten as his mouth dropped open a little.
"No shit?"
I nodded and Edward turned his head to look at his brother with a knowing smile on his face.
"And I'm gonna need some help moving all of my things and getting everything packed. Edward's, obviously, gonna be pretty busy when he gets back and won't be able to fly out with me. So I was wondering, if you're not working or too busy or anything, if you'd like to come help me?"
"Yeah, sure, that's cool."
I nodded again, listening as Edward snorted and kissed the bottom of my chin.
"Thanks."
"Not a problem. Just let me know what airport I need to be at and what time you'll be getting there so that we can, you know, coordinate shit." He shrugged one shoulder before going back to the photo album. "It'd be cool to get out of Washington for a while."
"Mhmm," Edward mumbled. "Hey, you need to call someone."
He looked up at me and I nodded, huffing slightly before climbing off his lap and grabbing his phone from where I'd left it on the night stand.
"I'm just gonna… go… show these to Alice," Emmett stated, taking off out of the room before either of us could say anything.
"Fuck," Edward mumbled, standing up and quickly pecking my cheek before running after him. "Emmett, Alice is downstairs!"
I laughed, shaking my head as I punched in Rosalie's house number and plopped back onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling as I listened to the line ring.
It was nice to see that Edward's family hadn't changed the way they acted around him. He was still their son and brother and it didn't make a difference to them that he was on every damn magazine cover known to man on a weekly basis.
And to be perfectly honest, I couldn't wait to be a part of their family.
~*~
"Oh my God!"
I lurched up off the mattress, blinking rapidly into the darkness of the room and looking up to find Alice standing at the foot of the bed with something in her hands, the light from the open doorway shining directly into my eyes.
"What is your problem, Alice?" Edward mumbled sleepily from beside me.
I looked over at him and furrowed my eyebrows, shaking my head and reaching up to rub my eyes.
Okay, obviously, I'd fallen asleep after I'd made all my phone calls this afternoon. I remember talking to Rose and asking her what I should do about the bookstore for the day. I remember her saying something about calling my father because he was apparently freaking out that I hadn't been answering the phone, completely avoiding giving me an answer to my bookstore question. I remember calling Angela to thank her for the album and promising her the lights she'd been wanting for her studio in the near future. I remember talking to my father, calming him down and then suddenly talking to Sue and accepting the offer she'd extended about opening the bookstore for me tomorrow.
I don't, however, remember falling asleep. Hell, I don't even remember hanging up the phone. I don't remember Edward crawling into the bed with me, which he'd very obviously done.
After everything was packed and I was out in California, I wasn't making any return trips to New York anytime soon if this is what the jetlag caused.
"My dress!" Alice squeaked, still staring down at her hands.
I groaned and flopped back onto the pillow behind me, turning on my side and burying my nose into Edward's side. He sighed and wrapped his arms around me, turning on his side as well and pulling me close to him.
"I'll pay for it," I grumbled, one of my hands fisting into his shirt.
"It's my fault," Edward mumbled, yawning. "I'll pay for it."
"Shut up." I pinched him and he growled, his fingers digging into my ribs. I tried rolling away from him and he held me tighter, his hands still on my sides. "I'll pay for it, Alice."
"You… you shredded it," she whined and I was sure I heard her stomp her heel into the carpet. "How did you get it…? Wait. I don't even want to know. Never-freaking-mind."
"Good choice, Alice," Edward mumbled and I could hear the smile in his voice.
I heard her sigh heavily and smiled, burying my nose into his chest again.
"Neither of you have to pay for it. It was the reaction we were all hoping for to begin with so…"
"You think about my sex life often?" Edward grumbled.
"Only when you're bitchy. Which you were. Moving on," she stated, apparently over the torn dress. "We're taking you two out to dinner before you leave tomorrow so get up and get ready."
"Where are we going?"
"La Bella Italia."
"When?"
"Dad made reservations for eight."
"What time is it now?"
"Six-thirty."
"Thanks for the head's up, Al," he grumbled.
"Hey, I could've woken you up at five of and told you to get ready." Then she grabbed my ankle and pulled. I shrieked, grabbing onto Edward as she managed to pull me halfway off the bed before letting go. "Do you have anything to wear to the premiere tomorrow?"
"Alice, leave her alone," Edward groaned.
"Yes, Alice, leave her alone," I begged, trying to claw my way back up the bed.
"Seriously, Bella," she sighed heavily, grabbing onto my ankle again to keep me in place.
For such a short, tiny little person, she sure had a lot of strength. I sighed heavily and turned on my back, opening my eyes again to look down at her.
"I honestly don't know all of what I have. Rose packed my bag and I haven't really had a chance to look at anything closely."
"You didn't have any nice dresses so I know for a fact that you don't have anything to wear."
I blinked at her.
"Then what in the hell did you ask me for?"
She shrugged innocently, finally letting go of my ankle to clap her hands excitedly.
"Shits and giggles."
I groaned and threw my head back onto the mattress.
"Alice, get to the point," Edward sighed. "If you want us to get up and get ready, then you really need to get on with it."
"Fine," she sighed heavily. "Party pooper."
"Mhmm, sure. Go on."
"I brought a few dresses over the other night that you could pick from if you'd like."
"Always prepared, aren't you?"
"Works out better that way," she said brightly. "So when we get back, I'll show them to you and you can choose one."
"Fine," I mumbled, waving her off and crossing my arm over my eyes.
"Great! Now get up."
With that, she walked out, slamming the door behind her. Groaning, I turned and crawled my way back up the bed, falling next to Edward and brushing the end of my nose against his. He smiled and slowly opened his eyes, one of his hands coming up to smooth down my hair.
"Hi," he whispered.
I smiled and rested one hand on his side, brushing my thumb over his stomach.
"Hi," I whispered back.
"Did you sleep well?"
"I was pretty content until your sister decided that we needed to be up and about."
"That's usually the way she is." He smiled softly and moved his hand from my hair to run his knuckles down my cheek. "Have I told you how happy I am that you're coming with me tomorrow?"
"No, but I can relate."
"I love you, Bella."
I grinned and curled my fingers in his shirt, pressing myself against him and brushing my lips against his.
"I love you too."
He leaned in, his lips soft on mine before he drew my top lip in between both of his. I sighed happily, shifting and throwing my leg over his hips. I smiled when I heard the low moan sound from the back of his throat and ran my tongue along his bottom lip.
"I think we're gonna be late," he whispered, kissing down to my neck.
I tipped my head back and reached up to tangle my fingers in his hair, nodding.
"Yeah, I think so, too."
"I was sent up here to – whoa!"
"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Edward groaned into my ear, pressing his forehead against my shoulder as I sighed heavily and looked over at Jasper standing in the doorway.
"I didn't… should've known, but didn't. Fucking hell. Alice!" he bellowed down the hallway, quickly stepping out of the room. "Sorry, guys. Mary Alice Whitlock!"
And with that, he slammed the door shut and we both listened to his retreating footsteps. He looked up at me and sighed heavily, shaking his head.
"Sorry."
"Don't be," I smiled, pushing my hand through his hair and kissing him once more before rolling onto my back.
He moaned unhappily, tightening his grip around my waist and pulling me back to him.
"Don't go yet."
"Someone else will undoubtedly be up here again soon, you know."
Just as I finished speaking, we heard another set of footsteps approaching the door and I sighed, crossing both of my arms over my eyes as I waited for the door to open again.
Edward groaned again and finally let up on his hold around my waist, turning slightly and burying his head into the pillow.
"This is fucking insane," he mumbled.
I laughed and nodded.
"I'm hungry! Get up!" Emmett yelled, the door swinging open once again.
"We're getting there."
"Not fast enough."
I screamed when I felt his arms underneath me, lifting me off the bed and quickly carrying me out of the room.
"Emmett!" I screamed, gripping his shoulders tightly as he laughed loudly and walked into the bathroom.
He set me down, grinned and then slipped out, slamming the door behind him. I closed my eyes and shook my head, reaching up to run my hands through my hair.
"Emmett! Was that really necessary?" I heard Edward's annoyed voice on the other side of the door and smirked.
"I'm fucking hungry so yes, yes it was."
"Bella, are you all right?"
"What? Do you think I'd actually hurt her somehow? Give me some credit, bro."
"You do realize that you're ten times bigger than she is, don't you?"
They were both quiet and I pressed my lips together to hold in my laughter, still shaking my head.
"Bella?" Emmett asked quietly. "You all right in there?"
"I'm fine," I snorted, running my hands down my face and sighing. "Now both of you go away. I'll be out in a few minutes."
"You bruised her and I'll kill you," I heard Edward say to him.
"Oh, I didn't bruise her you overprotective ass. She's perfectly fine; she said so herself."
"Probably because she's in shock at being manhandled by my brother."
"I didn't manhandle her!"
"I'm fine!" I yelled, laughing and pounding the heel of my hand on the door. "Seriously; go downstairs or something. I'll be there in a minute."
I heard their retreating footsteps and laughed again, shaking my head as I walked over to the sink and flipped the water on.
Well, if anything, my life would never be boring with his family around.
~*~
"Okay, okay, all right!"
We all looked up from laughing at one of Emmett's entertaining stories about some antics pulled on the football field to find that Esme was standing up with her water glass in her hand.
We'd gotten a private booth in the corner of the restaurant per Carlisle's request and obvious bribe to the hostess standing up front so that we wouldn't be bothered throughout dinner and all we'd done was make noise and disrupt everything anyway.
It was very hard to take all of the Cullen's out without making a big deal about it. Emmett alone was enough to make a scene, but when you add in Alice's excited high-pitched giggling, Edward's noticeable voice, Esme's scolding for all of us to keep our voices down and Carlisle's boisterous laugh, it was damn near impossible to be discreet.
But there hadn't been anyone to approach the table and we'd been able to eat and enjoy ourselves in relative peace. There were the looks from a few other patrons that had noticed Edward and maybe even recognized Emmett or Alice, but no one had come up to them.
Something that we were all very thankful for. It was Edward's last night in town and while no one had said anything about it, it was plainly obvious that his family wanted to spend as much time with him as possible before we left tomorrow morning.
"I want to make a toast," she said, smoothing her free hand down her shirt.
Everyone lifted his or her water glasses – because alcohol was clearly out of the question for the night – and I dropped my free hand on Edward's leg, smiling as he placed his hand on top of mine and twined our fingers together.
"To my beautiful children, who have all followed their dreams and become exactly what they wanted to be. Your father and I are so proud of all of you."
"Here, here," Emmett boomed, raising his glass up a little higher.
I looked over at him and rolled my eyes, folding my bottom lip into my mouth to hold back the laughter that wanted to come forth. He couldn't just enjoy a few nice words from his parents without having to add his two cents.
"And to Jasper and Bella," she continued.
My eyes widened and I started a little bit in my chair, biting down hard on my bottom lip when Edward squeezed my hand at the motion.
"Who have put up with my daughter and my son with perfect ease and have worked themselves into their busy lives with such grace that it has made us all question if the two of you are really human. Thank you."
I could feel my face heating up and I swallowed hard, nodding stiffly as my thanks and lowering the water glass to my lips as Esme sat back down. The roar around the table started up again as Emmett quickly picked up from where he'd left off in his story. Edward leaned over, his lips against my ear as he squeezed my hand again.
"Come outside with me?" he whispered.
I nodded and he quickly excused us, grabbed my coat from the back of my chair and helped me into it before he grabbed his own. He grabbed my hand again when we were both bundled up and we made our way through the mostly deserted restaurant. We made it outside and he dragged me around to the side, hidden by shadows just in case.
"Everything all right?" I asked softly, reaching up with one hand to brush my knuckles across his cheek.
"Are you sure this is what you want, Bella? You want to come live with me in California? Because you don't have to. I'm more than capable of giving it all up for you. I'll call Jeannie right now if you want me to."
I fought with the urge to sigh heavily and start banging my head back against the side of the restaurant.
"Do you want me there?"
"Of course I do!"
"Then stop questioning me," I whispered, wrapping my arms around his neck and pressing myself against him. "My home is with you and you need to be in California. So I do, too."
"We can make a different home in New York, Bella. We don't have to do it in California."
"Your job is there and it's a hell of a lot more important than mine. Yes," I said quickly when he opened his mouth, "I love the bookstore and it was one of my original reasons for not coming with you in the first place. But you know something?"
"I know a lot of things, Bella, but apparently I have no idea what you're ever thinking."
I grinned and twisted my fingers in his hair.
"I did a lot of talking with my friends and even my father while we were apart and they all told me one thing."
"What was that?" he asked, almost sounding exasperated when I paused and placed his hands on my waist.
"To follow my heart," I said softly, biting my bottom lip. "And my heart is yours so… I'm following you."
He blinked at me, his fingertips digging into my waist and his face expressionless. I bit my bottom lip, sucking in a deep breath as I stood my ground and waited for him to say something.
"Bella," he finally breathed before his lips were on mine and his arms wound tightly around my waist.
"So stop," I said as I pulled away, "doubting me. And let me be with you."
He brought his hands up, framing my face and brushing his thumbs over my cheeks as he smiled down at me.
"Okay," he whispered, leaning down and kissing me softly once more. "Okay."
"We should tell them; your family."
"We might not make it out of there alive. They'll either be really excited about it or we'll get the third degree and wish we were dead."
I smirked and stepped up to him, completely pressing myself against him once again and nudging the tip of his nose with mine.
"So you better damn well kiss me and mean it, Edward, because if I'm dying for you, I want it to be worth it."
He laughed and moved his hands from my face to grab me around the waist again, his lips forcefully against mine while I suddenly found my back pressed against the side of the building.
"How am I doing so far?" he breathed, backing away slightly before his lips were on mine again.
I hummed in response and tightened my hands in his hair, opening my mouth to his and tangling our tongues together.
We stood there for a while longer, kissing and laughing and just being alone with each other until I shivered from the cold and Edward immediately whisked me back into the restaurant. Everyone looked up as we walked in, their faces red from laughter.
"You two okay?" Carlisle asked, leaning back in his chair and raising an eyebrow at us.
"Just needed some air," Edward said, nodding as he helped me out of my coat.
"Is that what you're calling it now?" Jasper asked, grinning over at us as he twirled his fork around on his empty plate.
Alice smacked his chest with the back of her hand and he dropped the fork, a gust of air leaving his lungs as he coughed and reached for his water glass. I smiled and nodded my thanks at her before sitting down in the chair Edward pulled out for me. She winked at me and reached for her own glass, eyeing her husband as he continued to cough. Edward sat down again, looking sympathetically at Jasper and slowly shaking his head.
"I'm buying you a different ring," he wheezed, sipping off the water and scooting his chair closer to Esme's.
"Rather fond of this one."
"We know," Emmett and Edward muttered at the same time, both of them rubbing the center of their chests and staring down at the table like lost puppy dogs.
I laughed and placed my hand back on Edward's knee, slowly drawing patterns on it with my fingertip as he turned to me. He smirked at me and cleared his throat, his hand covering mine once again.
"So we have news," he started once everyone's attention was on us.
"You're pregnant!" Emmett blurted out, pointing at me.
"You're engaged!" Esme exclaimed, sitting up straight in her chair looking between the both of us excitedly.
"You're already married?" Jasper asked cautiously, leaning away from Alice as she raised an eyebrow at him.
"It's not… that big," Edward sighed, shaking his head and reaching up with his other hand to run it through his hair. "You guys can't just start with the small stuff, can you?"
"I'm moving to California," I said before anyone else could come up with anything more, highly amused at all of their guessing.
Emmett flopped back into his chair, clearly disappointed as he crossed his arms over his chest and pouted at me.
"Already knew that."
"Permanently?" Carlisle asked, reaching forward to grab his water glass.
I nodded, turning my hand over and linking my fingers with Edward's underneath the table.
"It's what makes the most sense."
"Then we're very happy for you," Esme smiled, the excitement not fading from her eyes as she reached over and grabbed onto Carlisle's arm. "As long as it's what you both want."
I smiled and looked over at Edward, squeezing his hand. He returned the gesture, nodding and leaning over to kiss me once.
"Yeah," he said softly. "It is."
I grinned and probably would've started bouncing in my seat at his final acceptance of all of this if it wasn't for Alice launching herself at me and hugging me tightly for the second time that day.
"Thank you," she whispered into my ear.
Keeping one hand in Edward's, I wrapped the other around her back and hugged her just as tightly.
"Thank you."
She leaned back to loudly kiss my cheek before she sat back down and once again lifted her water glass in a toast.
"To Edward and Bella."
And once everyone had tapped their glasses against everyone else's, conversation picked up, crazy stories were resumed and I looked over at Edward again. He was looking back at me and leaned over when I caught his eye, his lips against my ear as he whispered, "I love you." I closed my eyes, smiling like an ass and biting my bottom lip as I squeezed his hand again.
Here, in this moment, sitting with him and the family that had easily accepted me into their lives, I felt like I was finally able to start living again. After being in the dark for so long in a relationship that was more of a convenience than anything else, it was really nice to feel like I'd finally found a place where I belonged.
I belonged with Edward and that was never going to change.
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