1. PREPARATIONS
‘LET’S GO, JUST MORE TEN, BELLA, AND THEN I CAN BE NICE AND LET YOU REST’, said Alice, my future sister and my current master of slaves.

I sighed, sensing my hand pulsating in pain. I had spent the entire afternoon signing thanks cards for the wedding gifts that don't stop to arrive since the ceremony invites were sent for practically everybody in city and where else Alice had achieved to send them via mail.

Nothing else was being talked about in the old and cloudy Forks. Very soon the youngest son of Cullens would be the first one to be "get trapped", and with no one less than Chief Swan’s daughter - that had not arrived neither two years there and managed to catch the most handsome, rich single guy that this rainy town had ever seen. The good people of Forks, of course, didn’t know that Rosalie and Emmett had been married a good pair of times in recent decades. Even Alice and Jasper were married, but only once. So, technically, Edward would be the last of the siblings to “hitch the not” - as Emmet liked to say.

The part where Edward was extraordinary rich still bothered me a little - although I was almost able to naturally accept the fact that we would have a full orchestra playing my bridal march - but the supernatural beauty of his face carved in marble and his glorious Greek god body, that were all as attractive as in the first time I saw him in Forks High School boring cafeteria, made me sighed dreamily every time I closed my eyes and convinced me all that soon would be mine. That Edward soon would be mine - forever and ever.

That situation seemed even more surreal every morning when I woke up with him involving me in his arms and smiling that lighted angel smile of him, a perfect prelude of what our future life together would be, and we crossed another day in the calendar which he had placed on my desk. August 13th was coming quickly, marking step in our direction, and I was under the impression that, for more that preparations were going to wind in stern and the house of Cullen had turned a real military headquarters of the bridal magazines, clothes, strings, flowers arrangements, dresses and tailcoats - all headed by Alice - there were too many things to be done in such a short time. We were lucky that none of Cullen needed to sleep, otherwise I wouldn’t know if we would have time to prepare all the ceremony and celebration until the “big day”.

I must confess that, when I decided on the day, I had no idea of any practical aspects and how weddings took time to be organized, including the legal process involved. The only thing I had in my mind was that I would not be two years older than Edward. Any way, Alice was running against the clock, being so phenomenal in organizing all the stuff - even if sometimes she could also be a little scaring. Edward told me, with a laugh, that Alice had made Rosalie give her all of Rose’s twenty-six wedding photo albums in order to examine all of them. Alice wanted to ensure that nothing would be repeat in mine - even a small tiny detail of what had already been used in Cullen family’s previous ceremonies.

‘It’s obvious we can not repeat!’, she insisted in some particular afternoon when I asked her why it was so disastrous using lilies only because Rosalie had already used that flower in her eighth wedding. I enjoyed lilies. ‘The Denali will come to your wedding, Bella, and Tanya, Kate and Irina were in all Rosalie and Emmett’s weddings. Trust me, they will remember the lilies!’

I gave up arguing after that. I already couldn’t understand the logic behind Alice’s “not repeat clothes” habit, then I'd certainly fail to understand her obsession in not repeat decorations.

I dropped the fountain pen that Alice had given me to sign cards on the Cullen’s room table, and then I inflected my fingers trying to re-circulate blood. The discomfort I was feeling was only compared to the one I always felt after Mr Mason’s extensive English tests. I looked with dislike to my horrible and clumsy signature of "Bella Swan" next to Edward’s perfect letter, and I felt even more miserable. His perfect Victorian calligraphy combined with the ivory-colored fine and expensive paper, with a formal “thank you” letters printed in gold and full of exquisite details. Despite the simplicity of the message, everything in that card inspired nobility, refinement and almost divine perfection, and there I was, ruining everything with my ugly human calligraphy.

I asked myself if that was the perfect example of what our wedding ceremony would be like. Edward would be standing at the altar, more wonderful than usual and taking some breathes away in his tails, the object of greed of absolutely all women in place, even the married ones - I was sure - and myself, all clumsy in my beautiful XX century first decade dress, stumbling, falling in my face in the middle of the corridor and, of course, ripping Alice and Perrine Bruyere’s masterpiece.

I prayed that my new sister would still be looking forward to take me into the family after I ruined the fairy tale's wedding that she had prepared with so much care with my natural talent to be a mobile radar for disaster. But judging the way that Alice was absolutely radiant, I hoped that nothing would go wrong in the D Day: after all, she certainly would have predicted if I could ruin anything. Indeed Alice was taking extra precautions against accidents, the proof was that I would be walking down the aisle with satin shoes without heels and full of embroidery. She warned me that I was expressly forbidden to get close to a high-heeled shoes on the day of my marriage - God bless her for that.

“Have you ended your last ten cards, Bella?”, I heard Alice’s soprano voice suddenly asking me after she hung up the phone. She should have been engaged until now in a long discussion about the event lighting, which was all that she seemed thinking since yesterday, and I hadn't even noticed.
I tried to be discreet while looking at dozens of cards on table and wonder if it was too clear that I hadn’t added any more to the signed pile since she picked up the phone.

“Ten... Sure, I’ve already finished them a long time ago”, Alice would forgive me, but if I didn’t stop now I was under the risk of returning home today with just one hand.

She looked at me with suspicion and her golden eyes followed the same line of my vision. I gave up at that moment. Clearly, small and perceptive Alice would knew I was lying, my complete and total inability in that department had not changed in any way - and also it didn't help that she could hear my heart speeding up and smell the cold sweat accumulating on the palms of my hands. But to my surprise, Alice decided to pretend that she had notice nothing and gave me her bright and happy childish smile. I think she felt pity on me enough to agree with my lie.

“Very well, Bella. Since you helped me so much today, I’ll ask Jazz to take you back to Charlie”, as soon as she ended to speak, she was already making a graceful movement to go fetch Jasper.

“Wait, Alice”, I called her just in time to stop her dance outside the chamber. “Can’t Edward take me back?”

“Edward is busy, Bella”, she repeated her mantra for every time I asked her about Edward lately. “He invented that he would compose your bridal march and take care of the wedding's soundtrack and now he must be capable to due with it all. If I have to concern about this as well, then our guests probably won’t have anything to eat!” She said that like she wasn’t in heaven for having so many things to organize.

“Your guests don’t need to eat, Alice. Unless you intend to hunt bears for them. I think Emmett would be more than happy to help you with that, if it were the case”, I really wanted to remember her of such detail. Of course I loved Alice, but it was against my nature not feeling some sort of antagonism for anything that kept me away from Edward.

“I was speaking of your guests, Bella dear.”

I sighed. Of course, my guests, those who needed some fifty varieties of dessert. I was thankful that Alice couldn't guess what I was thinking at that moment, she certainly would be shocked to know that, as far as I was concerned, everyone would have only a wedding cake and colored gelatin.

But to my luck, I had a trump card against my pixie-sister.

“Alice, I'll let you have your ice sculptures if you let me see Edward.”

I knew that I had win when her golden eyes shone of pure delight. Right, as if the little trickster wasn’t anticipated it long before.

“Ah, Bella!”, she jumped on my neck, squeezing me between her cold and overwhelming arms. “You won’t be regret, I’m sure! It will be marvelous!”

I trembled inside. I was already regretting. Among all of Alice’s nonsense ideas for the ceremony, having real sized ice statues of me and Edward had exceeded the level of exaggeration that I was willing to tolerate - and the fact I was being colluding with that now confirmed just how much desperate I was to be with Edward.

“Walk away, go see your fiancé, I have to run to get someone who will came here take measures to you both tomorrow!”, she said, now seeming eager to push me away with enough strength to make me fly out of there.

"My fiancé" - the title was still a sort of alien concept within my mind. It seemed a kind of inconceivable dream add the words "Edward", "fiancé and "my" in the same sentence. It seemed to me as it was against natural laws of the universe that a person like me who never did anything extraordinary in life, besides almost being killed by some bloodthirsty vampires, could have so much luck. But at that time, I had already gave up to understand what I had that made Edward felt so much need to have me in his life as much as I felt to have him in mine. I would never had doubts about my luck, I would just accept it happily and opened my arms to receive this great gift that fate has given me when I decided I move to Forks.

The chords of music that Edward was touching reached my ears when I came near Carlisle‘s office - the fabulous tail piano that I had seen in the visit room at the first time that I came to Cullens’ house was moved from that place to one which Edward could compose with more tranquility. I had to stop for a few moments to remind me of how I can control the erratic beats of my heart and put my hand over my mouth to contain an involuntary sob - the music was so absurdly divine that I felt an uncontrollable desire to cry.

No, divine wasn’t good enough to describe it. Not even an angel could write something as beautiful, so sublime and full of feelings. How Edward could not believe he had a soul when he was able to compose a beautiful and touching song that obviously came right from his heart? I could feel his soul in every note that escaped the piano, and it was as beautiful as anything that concerned to him.

But, to my disappointment, the music stopped immediately before the moment when Edward’s marble face appeared at the office's door, carved in an expression of genuine concern. I was among his arms before I could see him moving and, happily, I let him held me against his hard and cold chest that I loved so much. I breathed in his scent - I had missed it so much that it would be some kind of crime kept me away from my particular angel for more than five minutes.

Edward’s gifted hands crossed throughout the line of my column over the linen blouse that I was wearing, spreading a shiver of delight through my body, before he remove my hair and put his perfectly designed lips in my ear.

“Bella, love, what happened?” To hear Edward’s voice, the most beautiful and harmonious sound in whole world, so close and so full of love for me, was more than I could handle. I grabbed his shirt with both my hands and let some tears escaped.

“The music, Edward”. I whispered, with my face buried in his defined chest.

“What is the matter? Didn't you like it?”

At that moment, I felt a desire to drop myself through a window - a high one, of preference. I was a complete idiot - Edward could not read my mind and I knew how much that tortured him; so I should not have that kind of emotional explosion so suddenly, or his infinite paranoia that he was a monster ready to cause me pain would make Edward go direct to the worst conclusions and thought that I was hurt, sad or suffering for something. And the worst: that it was his fault.

But it was never his fault. He didn’t have any guilt if I was a stupid human who was making mistakes after mistakes.

“No, no”. I was emphatic in deny Edward’s suspicions while I was doing effort to separate me to the comfort of his chest. I needed to see him in eyes, for he could knew I wasn’t lying.

The insecurity impressed in Edward’s golden eyes made my heart forget to beat by one second. I really hated me for doing something like that with him. I extended my clumsy fingers to touch his Greek god face and I saw his expression unwind in front of my gesture.

“It is the most beautiful music I've ever heard in my whole life. I couldn’t have loved more than I loved it now”.

Edward’s smile made my legs turning in jelly. It was a good thing he was hugging me so tight at the time, otherwise I would have fallen directly to the floor - and the last thing I needed was some broken bone or find some bruising with the wedding so close.

He brought his angelic face next to my normal and without grace face and I freezed of anticipation while I waited for his cold lips. His fresh breathe fulfill me completely and I forgot even my name when he put his nose over mine and whispered two words against my lips:

“Silly Bella”

I hadn’t any chance to respond him before he join his soft mouth with mine - not that I was able to make any kind of coherent thought at this moment or even control my vocal cords.

Edward’s velvet lips - in contrast to the rest of his body hard as marble - were something that always made me particularly amazed. It was as there were no limits to his perfection.

As always happened when I was close to Edward - especially when I had his sculptural body close to mine - I became a little more excited than I should and held my arms tightly around his neck. I couldn’t have strength enough to pull Edward closer to me, but at least I could put myself closer to him.

But he was prone to cut my pleasure and always end up with my fun as soon as I was able to make some progress. I sighed in an audible tone when he separated from me, making Edward give a presumptuous smile.

“Bella, behave yourself, yes?” And then he kissed the top of my head, as if I were a small child easy to please.

Well, actually I really was. I would do anything he asked me as long as I could earn what I wanted from him in return. Yes, I was very selfish in everything that concerned Edward, I couldn’t avoid it and had already abandoned the fight against it - it was stronger than me.

“Have you ever heard that nice girls go to heaven, but only the bad girls have fun?” I asked, rising on the edge of feet to touch softly his chin with my lips. I think all the agony of having a full day far from him had given me a strange dose of courage.

Edward held me by the waist and let his head fell back, laughing as if he had never heard something so funny before, and although it wasn’t the first time I heard he laughing, that sound enchanted me completely. I could spend eternity only listening his laugh and be happy more than any human being - or vampire - had been.

“It's official. You have spending much time with Alice.” He said, touching tenderly my hair and placing a swab behind my ear. “I'll have to provide some form of slice you two, otherwise, my sister would have done brainwash in you until wedding day”.

I rolled my eyes in answer to his sarcastic smile.

“Edward, don’t be absurd”. And I felt a particular satisfaction in using the favorite phrase of Edward against himself. “I don’t need Alice to teach me that kind of stuff. For that, there is Jessica Stanley”.

He raised the eyebrow, logging on my game and brought me a little closer to him before lower his face on the nude curve of my neck. I trembled visibly when Edward kissed my carotid and he laughed when he felt my pulse speeding up against his lips.

“Do I need to take care of Jessica too?” He asked me, his tempting mouth still moving against my neck and leaving a trail of fire through the path they passed. I sighed, feeling softened and dizzy, but so happy and satisfied that it was as I was taking an overdose of my favorite drug.

Edward seemed to realize that I was no more interested in conversation when two minutes passed and I hadn’t worried in opine on Jess’ fate. He laughed his low and presumptuousness laugh - Edward knew very well the effect it had on me - and decided that he also wasn’t much more interested in talking.

For me it was more than fine, because after having spent a full day at Alice’s orders and away from him, the last thing I wanted at that moment was talking. At least Edward was smart enough to not have to read my mind to understand that.

He spent his time to distribute a portion of long kisses throughout the line of my throat, and each contact of his cold and velvet lips against my skin did a new wave of butterflies start a party inside of my stomach, and sighs escaping from my mouth with an absurdly frequency that could embarrassed me. How Edward could have the arrogance to request me to behave when he acted like that? It wasn’t fair - but obviously I wouldn’t complain.

But Edward seemed to have a gift to stop just when we were close enough to advance into an unknown territory. It was deeply irritating the way how he was fully aware of where was the final edge, which it, once crossed, there would be no more return.

I was no more contrary to the idea of waiting to make love with him until our first night married. Actually, it was me who had expressly asked for that when Edward has finally decided to give me what I wanted, but that didn’t mean that the temptation was not madly difficult to resist. Thinking from this perspective, I could barely wait for the August 13th came at a time.

“I think it’s better you go home. Charlie won’t be very happy if you arrive late” He said with a half smile, while passed his icy thumbs over my cheeks. Edward enjoyed immensely my human body reactions, what it was almost sadistic from him.

I sighed. Of course, Charlie. How could I forget him? Well, it wasn’t as if I really had any chance with Edward being so absurdly irresistible.

“Will you drive me there?” I was visibly anxious to extend my time with him.

He denied, with a shadow of a smile.

“I don’t think I can pass through Alice, not until she heard our bridal march.”

I sighed again, trying to seem the most miserable as possible.

“Come on, Edward. Alice is just a tiny girl, you can win it if you want”.

It was a really good way for me to come with the right foot in the family Cullen: planning my future sister’s death.

Edward laughed in that way that always take my breath and kissed my lips with an adoration that left me dizzy.

“I can’t, Esme shall put me on ground if I hurt Alice. Moreover, you are forgetting Jasper. What would you do when the wedding day come and your groom were all deformed?”

“Well, maybe then I could finally match me with you. If they really did a phenomenal work in me.”

He rolled his golden eyes to me, whispering to himself something that seemed much with "Absurd Bella" So it was my turn to laugh and climb the tips of my feet to give him one more kiss.

“Promise that you will escape from Alice and go see me?” I asked, knowing very well that I wasn’t playing fair, but I didn’t care about it.

Edward sighed, defeated, and I smiled.

“You are impossible, Bella.”

I didn’t even pretend that I was feeling remorse for handling him that way.

“I know”.

And then he gave me the most beautiful crooked smile, the one I loved the most, and got closed to me once more, touching his cold velvet lips in my neck...

When I walked out the front door of Cullen’s home, Jasper was already waiting for me next to a car that I didn’t know until that moment- a Corvette with a shiny lead-painted color. I asked if the Cullen’s luxury cars parade would stop someday and if I also would have a new model imported directly from Europe waiting to replace my old Chevy as soon as the pastor said "you may kiss the bride". Knowing Edward, his passion for cars and extravagance with his gifts, it was very possible. Indeed it was something almost written in stone.

I slipped in a clumsy way to the leather seat of the car. The Corvette engine snored with elegance when started to work and the CD player automatically turned on, playing a pop music. I contracted my forehead at the same time as Jasper sighed in a resigned way.

“Alice messed up with my car again.”, He said, but didn’t make any mention of changing the CD while conducting the conversion to leave the garden and pick up the private road from the house to the highway.

The trip took a little more time than it normally did if was Edward or Alice at the wheel. Jasper seemed to be a more cautious driver - or less super confident - than the other vampires that I had already known. Anyway, he still made the trip to Charlie's house at about half the time than I would with my monster truck.

I was trying to speak about the house of Cullen as "home" and my current home as "Charlie's house" to see if I would be very difficult to imagine living in that mansion so refined and impeccable, inhabited by creatures so extraordinary. Until now I was having trouble seeing me as more than an ugly and undesirable little spot that would ruin the perfect portrait of a perfect family. If I had a lot of luck maybe I look a little more with them after I was turned into a vampire. That or the transformation would increase all my human imperfections, and I would become a grotesque supernatural monster. I just hoped that Edward still loved me after that.

“Thanks for the ride, Jasper.”, I said, reaching the car door handle. “You can say to Alice that the star of the show is sound and saved.”

He laughed very quietly, knowing, as well as I did, that it would be useless deliver that type of message for Alice - she knew if there was an accident before we ever get in the car.

I heard the rumble of the Jasper’s smooth Corvette engine following the street when I came home and locked the front door. Almost at the same time, Charlie appeared in front of me.

"Bella", he began with his bad mood of lately, "you’re late".

I sigh and get down untying my shoes.

"Sorry, but Alice kept me busy until now.", At least that was partially true "She decided to have ice statues in the wedding.", I added, trying to sound more plausible.

"Hmm.", the noise seemed that Charlie did a nice sort of agreement. I could see that he felt sorry for me for the circus that Alice was arming, but his irreducible decision of a silence protest against my wedding stopped him to show me that perfectly.

"Did you find the dinner?", I asked, straightening me up and holding the pair of shoes in one hand. This time, I did start a small smile in Charlie’s face.

"I found it, Bells. Thank you."

I smiled back - at least it was not a completely lost cause. I decided not pushing more of my luck and gave a “good night” to Charlie.

I could hear the television turned on in a football game when I pass through the room, while me strongly concentrating on keeping my eye just in stair that was my target. I didn’t want to have to look at this room, especially not with the noise of play and empty couch that used to be filled by Billy Black in the championship nights like that. Remember Billy remind me of Jacob and I was desperately trying to not think about him.


I hadn’t seen, heard or talked to Jake after our farewell - and neither had he tried to establish contact. He would be aware of the wedding at that time. I asked if he had been hurt even more or if I have hurt so much that it was impossible he felt more pain than I already inflicted him. But I couldn’t begin to think that now or couldn’t stop crying so early – and I had promised to myself wouldn’t cry more for Jacob. That was not fair to Edward, was not fair to me and, above all, it was not fair to Jake.

I didn’t mind to turn on the light when I came to my bedroom. Instead I just dropped myself right into bed, with clothes and everything. I buried my face in my pillow that had Edward’s perfume and sighed. I hadn’t realized how much I was tired until I lied down and felt in sleep.

At some point in the night I felt cold and Edward’s scent was much stronger than before. The combination of these two things sent a warning signal to my brain that in turn gave another warning to my nervous system and my eyes were opened. My eyelids were heavy and my vision all blurry, yet I could distinguish clearly that angelic face near me.


He smiled his perfect smile and kissed my sleepy eyelids while I yawned.

"What time is it?", I asked with a slow sleep voice.

"Nearly one a.m. Go back to sleep", he said.

Right, like I was able to make my brain bored itself enough to pick up on sleep when he was around.

"How long are you here?", I asked, ignoring his earlier request.

Edward rolled his eyes, but not discussed. He knew it wouldn’t word.

"For exactly forty-two minutes."

I gave him a frowning look. He was there for almost an hour and I was losing all this time with something stupid like sleeping? I hated my human needs sometimes. Well, I wouldn’t lose more time arguing that he should had wake me up, there was something much more important thing to do.

While lying between Edward’s perfectly defined arms I stretch my neck until I could reach his lips. Edward smiled against my lips, probably thinking that I was a human very predictable, but I didn’t care - because it was true - as long as he continued holding me in his steel arms like he was doing at that moment.

He only separated from me when he realized I need some air, so I nestled in his hard chest, feeling happy and complete.

We spent a few glorious minutes in silence, with Edward‘s long and elegant fingers playing with my embarrassed hair until I heard his irresistible voice.

"How is Charlie?", He asked me with his lips closer to my temple.

I sighed.

"Same as always, you know. He is still resisting."

Edward laughed a little.

"He is tough. Looks like you.", He said in a sweet tone.

I sighed. Again. Yeah, I already knew that.

Charlie didn’t accept very well the whole history of my wedding at age of eighteen. In spite of what he said before about he would like if I told him when I decided making a big step – like running away with Edward or something like that – I think he never thought that such big step would come so soon. At least, not at next day of our conversation.

Edward decided that he wanted to do the whole thing in a quite formal way, of course, like moral and education demanded. The only problem is that his standards of morality and education dated from the First World War time. But I took consolation from the fact that it could be worse - at least he didn’t resolve adopting the label of time when Carlisle was still human. But, he really wanted the presence of Carlisle and Esme when we spoke with Charlie about his intentions with me. If I already felt strange and unlikely see Edward, in all his magnificent perfection in my mundane living room, nothing could have prepared me for the vision of him and his parents there.

It was natural to see Esme and Carlisle at Cullen’s house of Cullen - and him in the hospital - it was as if that places were their natural habitat or something like that. I always felt like if I had entered into some sort of alternate reality when I spent my time at Cullen’s refuge, as if I were somebody different there – Edward’s Bella, a step closer to be blessed with an eternity next to the most beautiful being that already have ever existed in whole world - now, out here, I was just Bella Swan, Charlie’s daughter, who would married with a rich and handsome boy and would going to Dartmouth next semester. In spite of this situation still appeared promising, I couldn’t see it as something very insignificant when compared to the prospect of a "happily ever after" with Edward

Speaking of Dartmouth, poor Charlie had been really proud of all that history, more than I actually was. I knew where my indication came and knew also that it had much more relation with Cullen’s fortune and Carlisle's contacts than with my own academic merits. But Charlie was happy - and Renee also had been happy when she received the news by phone - they had a smart daughter after all. I must confess that I wasn’t so anxious to end my parent’s golden dream. I think the perspective that I was going to a prestigious university and have a bright academic future ahead of me was the only thing that was making them tolerating the whole history of my wedding.

I thought that Charlie would passed out right there, on the floor of our room, so white that he was when he came home in a beautiful evening, after having patrolled the entire city and ensured that Forks would have a safe night, no fights or murder - as if that would ever happen someday - and found his daughter sitting on the couch, holding hands with her boyfriend, and flanked by boyfriend’s father and mother in question. I didn’t know if he had noticed the engagement ring on my finger at once. I thought he didn’t.

And suddenly I was reliving the details of when we told our plans to Charlie...

"Dad", I decided to start with dad, because it seemed more tender than call him by name and I needed to be in his good grace "We have good news."

"Great news.", Edward interrupted me at that moment, with his golden eyes shinning in a feverish and disconcerting joy. He seemed to have witnessed a divine apparition or anything like that and I wondered if I looked remotely like that every time I saw Edward.

I had the impression that I always acted worse.

"Kids, why don’t you let Charlie sit down first?", Carlisle said.

Probably his medical instincts have warned him that my father could have a stroke in five minutes if we didn’t give him time to breathe.

"Do you want to drink something, Charlie? Some water, or juice?", Esme was already working her maternal charm in Chief Swan, drawing from his hands, his uniform jacket and, to my visible relief, the holster with a gun.

Edward gave me a presumptuous smile when he saw my relief to see Charlie without his gun. Well, he had reason to be calm, actually had a crystal-proof bullets-skin. I, however, was still human and it would be really wonderful if I died victim of Charlie's bad shots when not even a horde of newborns vampires had managed to kill me.

"No, thanks.", Charlie refused Esme’s kindness, seeming to remember that it was his home and he could take a water or juice any time he wanted. He kept looking at me and Edward, his eyes going from my sweaty and terrified face to the expression of happiness of the glorious angel beside me and to our hands firmly intertwined. I could almost see the gears working furiously inside Charlie’s mind, as if every conclusion that he thought made him feel most devastated.

Esme had an apologetical smile when she returned to us, after had hung the coat and holster in the rack, and sat at Carlisle’s side. She had trying.

"Charlie", Carlisle called, which forced Charlie stopping stare me and Edward for a moment. I released the breath I was holding and Edward muttered a "relax" to me.

"You were one of the first persons I met when I moved to Forks with my family. From the beginning, you treated us with hospitality and friendship.", Carlisle continued, seeming the incarnation of everything that was friendly and courteous. "I always had much appreciation for your kindness, Charlie, so, when Bella came to Forks and Edward felt in love with you daughter, I received her with open arms into my family as the same way that I knew you would receive Edward into yours."

Wow. I felt my jaw dropped at that time. After that it became easier to understand why Edward insisted Carlisle bring along him.

Charlie was visibly disarmed - quite literally. He looked once more to me and Edward and then he hem.

"Yes, Carlisle, I really appreciate your friendship. And Edward is a good kid... In spite of everything.", He purposely avoided looking at my face when he said that last part, he knew what he would find if he has stared me.

Edward held my hand with tightly, to prevent I stand up in his defense. Obviously he wasn’t hurt with what Charlie said. And given credit to Charlie, he really was trying to be more friendly and tolerable with Edward lately, I just didn’t know if he could continue with it after today's news.

Carlisle gave Charlie his family doctor’s trusted smile.

"I thank you so much, Charlie. So now, perhaps, we should let Bella and Edward tell us the news?", He suggested putting the spotlight straight up over me and my future husband.

I wanted to sink myself on the sofa in that time. Where was I with my mind? I couldn’t do that. I positively couldn’t tell Charlie. That was a stupid idea, I should invent an excuse and runaway out there with Edward and his parents. But then Edward opened his perfect mouth and it was already too late.

"I asked Bella to marry me, Charlie.", As if to prove his point, he raised my left hand to leave my ring visible to everyone in the room, and the jewelry appeared shine as a sign of neon, "and she gave me the great honor and infinite happiness accepting to be my wife. Now, all that remains to make my joy complete is that you give us your blessing.", He sounded so calm, so confident, that for a second I thought there would be all right.

But then I made the mistake of looking at Charlie. From white as the chalk his face had passed to red, red to purple, from purple to almost blue. And then he exploded.

"You're pregnant!", I thought his cry could be heard up to the end of the street. Our neighbors certainly would have much to gossip in the next few days.

I closed my eyes and grunt. That was precisely the reason why I had resisted so brave to this idea of wedding when Edward proposed it for the first time. It was so obvious that people wouldn’t think of anything else, I mean, after all, who in good conscience marry freely at age of eighteen nowadays? It was the most plausible explanation of all - Bella Swan was applying the coup of the trunk. Poor Edward and his good family, lost in the hands of little use.

"I-am-not-pregnant!", I scolded, with tight teeth. I must have seemed truly possessed of hatred at that moment, because the skin color of Charlie returned to its usual tone and he wilt a little in your seat.

"Oh, okay. Sorry, Bells."

I sighed and let my back dropped against the couch backrest. I was feeling so exhausted that seemed I had ran a full marathon. I felt Edward’s icy lips depositing an affectionate kiss on the back of my hand and I smile slightly at him. Always my particular guardian angel. Edward corresponded with one of his smiles and then turned again to my father - who seemed much more relaxed after the story of my no-pregnancy had been clarified.

"Charlie, I love Bella more than anything in the world, more than my own existence. I never loved somebody so much and I am sure that I will never love anybody or anything in that way, and, for a miracle and a blessing, she feels for me the same that I feel for her. She is my soul mate and now that I found her I couldn’t continue my journey without her. Believe me, I tried, and suffered as a miserable every minute away from her. I give you my word that I will love her, honor her, protect her and make the impossible in order to make her happy at my side for every day until the end of our lives. So Charlie, I ask you: please, will you give us your blessing?"

It took an almost superhuman effort to control myself and not collapse in tears right there. If I was already in that state when Edward was asking permission to Charlie, then I wouldn’t dare imagine how I would acting when he tell our vows at the altar.

I looked up at Charlie, begging with my wet eyes that he agreed. As soon as he said yes at once and I could throw myself in the arms of my Edward.

"Edward, I understand you like Bella a lot and she also likes you.", Okay, I love Charlie, but I felt an immeasurable revolt against him in that moment. He was almost being offensive, just like would never be able to describe the deep devotion I have for Edward.

I like my gray sweatshirt, I like french fries, I like the CDs that Phil send me as gifts. But Edward... Well, Edward was on a plane completely separate and superior. But I think that Charlie was okay with not know about these things, otherwise he might have tried to put me in a psychiatric hospital because my obsession with Edward probably would not seem very healthy for those who were outside.

"But you are very young and everything seems more... Intense at that stage of life.", Charlie continued, "Are you sure that it isn’t better waiting a bit?"

I sighed. I could understand my father’s point of view, he was being logical and rational - as opposed to me. But how could I explain to him that waiting was completely out of the question? I wouldn’t be two years older than Edward. I had other disadvantages without having to worry about wrinkles as well, thanks very much. Fortunately I didn’t have to think about how to argue with my father when Esme came to our rescue.

"Charlie, Carlisle and I were very young when we married.", She said, with his sweet voice as the sound of a flute. She was clearly taking advantage of the fact that all his family was forever frozen at the house of twenty years, or seventeen, in the case of Edward. "And shortly after that we saw ourselves with five wonderful children to raise.", At this point Esme launched a smile full of love at me and Edward. I felt really touched. "I will not lie to you, Charlie, it was difficult times. But our ties resisted, and our family grew strong and united. So with all due respect I might have to your opinion, I don’t believe that age is an obstacle to Edward and Bella. We have to admit that they are more mature than most young people of today, they have full knowledge of the commitment they are taking and are willing to honor him. And, in any case, they'll be going to Dartmouth together in the fall. Wouldn’t you prefer they do it in a proper way?"

I could jump the couch and hug Esme at that moment. I knew she had won Charlie with that speech - nothing could frighten a parent more than the idea of his daughter living with her boyfriend, away from any adults’ supervision. After that Charlie had no other alternative than swallow the engagement...

The case of Renee was a little different but no less complex. For the beginning, I wasn’t very fan of the idea of giving the news to my mother by phone or e-mail, though the prospect of facing her was as frightening as facing Charlie - except, perhaps, by the possible shooting in my father’s case. But I knew very well Renee’s rules about marriages before thirties - and that was enough to intimidate me.

So I was very pale, cold sweat and with nauseas when I took the plane with Edward and Alice to Jacksonville in Florida. Charlie expressed clearly that he didn’t wanted me to travel alone with Edward, even if it was to Renee's house - he had acquired a renewed sense of paternal paranoia now that Edward and I were engaged. To our luck, Charlie trust Alice and Alice never miss a chance to go shopping in Miami, even though it had to sacrifice part of her "Wedding Agenda".

In the end, Alice proved to be a very useful addition when she helped us track weather channel searching for a perfect rainy day in Florida to schedule our flight. We couldn’t risk a trip to a tropical paradise in the summer without some cloud cover - we didn’t want have to deal with two vampires glowing in the middle of the airport.

Renee didn’t have any idea of why we decided to cross the country so suddenly to see her, yet she received us with so enthusiasm that seemed she had been waiting for that trip for months. She hugged me with her usual loving way and she wasn’t less warm with Edward and Alice. I could see that my mother liked Edward. It made me calm a little.

After what happened with Charlie, I already knew more or less what to expect from Renee, so her reaction when I told her that Edward had asked me to marry and I agreed not even surprised me.

"Are you sure, Bella?" She asked me, with her childish open eyes.

I took a deep breath in that moment. It seemed to be the “one million dollars question” of the month.

"I do, mom. Really. I’m 100% sure that I love Edward."

She made a slight grimace in front of my passionate answer.

"I'm not questioning your love for him, Bella. To be honest, the first time I saw you two together, I noticed that your relationship with this kid was something serious and I confess that I already expect that you should appear here to give me that kind of news one day ... But not now, not when you are still so young. For God’s sake, Bella, you are going to college! Have you stopped to think about it?"

"Mom, the college won’t make any difference, nothing will change my opinion.", I tried to be as polite as possible to cut her arguments. "It should be ten or a hundred years, I will still want Edward.", And I was being quite literal in the “hundred years” thing, although there wasn’t how she knows about it.

At that point Renee had insured my hands between hers, as she used to do when I was a kid and she had something important to say.

"Bella, if this is the case, so why not to wait? Why such a hurry? Actually is there something you aren’t telling me?", She added, with an air of mistrust that matched more with Charlie.

I feel a desire to take my hair off. It was incredible my parents’ gift that ask me only what I couldn’t answer.

"Mom, and why not now? If I love Edward enough to last forever and he loves me the same way, then why waste time? Why wait?"

Renee sighed. She reminded me of myself with that desolate gesture.

"Bella, look, I know that my work as your mother is encourage all your dreams, but you have to know something about the real world.", She said, in an ominous tone means that made me felt a little frightened - Sometimes only love isn’t enough.

I swallowed dry. I knew it was about her and Charlie - marriage was what had ruined everything between them. It was precisely that sort of example of unsuccessful union that made me resist accepting Edward’s request before.

But I wasn’t my mother and Edward, of course, wasn’t my father. Renee hadn’t been willing to live in Forks for Charlie - I was prepared to change into a different specie for Edward. It will be alright with us.

"Mom," I started, surprising myself with how firm my voice was, "iit won’t be like that between me and with Edward. We’ll be happy. – forever", I completed mentally.

Renee smiled at me. It wasn’t a very happy smile - was more a smile of someone who recognizes the strength of her opponent and give up the figth. I could see she was still concerned, anxious and not very happy to see me marrying practically in the same age when she had fled to Las Vegas with Charlie, but I also knew that she respect my decision to get married with Edward – as she had respected my choice to move to Forks before.

"Well, then I can only crossed my fingers, hoping that you’ll be right, my Isabella.", And she opened her arms to me, ready to receive me with all her mother’s love...


Edward called me back to reality when he put a soft kissed on my lips.

"What are you thinking?", He whispered in his angelic voice.

I smiled and put my fragile human arms around him, rolling in my tiny bed and then bringing him with me. Edward didn’t resist, but he supported his arms, one on each side of my torso to avoid smashing me with his body of marble. What a pity.

"I was just reminding me that I am one day closer to becoming the next Mrs. Cullen.

The smile he gave me couldn’t be described as anything other than breathtaking. I was absolutely sure that I would have been dizzy at that moment if I wasn’t already lying down.

But I positively said goodbye to any sense of reality when Edward kissed me again.