Immortal Bella

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Forgiveness

The wedding had flowed into the reception party smoothly, thanks to Alice's amazing planning. The party was being held outside as well, because it was a warm clear night - which was somewhat rare for Forks. The scenery was perfectly beautiful, Alice had done an amazing job.

There was a dance-floor set up on the grass, hung above it were more twinkling lights that shined down delicately.

We were again greeted by friends and family, congratulating us once more on the wedding. First to claim us were the Denali's, and I smiled widely as I ran into their open arms.

"Isabella, you are stunning!" Carmen commented, and I smiled a "thank you".
"It's so nice to see you again, Bella. I'm so happy for you two." Kate said as I hugged her.

"Thank you so much for coming, it means a lot." I said after hugging them all, and my eyes noticed Irina wasn't here. As if they could read my minds, they mentioned her.

"Thank you for inviting us, it was a beautiful ceremony. We apologize for Irina's absence, she's currently nursing a broken heart due to her mate passing recently." Eleazar informed us, and my mouth opened in shock. Looking over to Edward, I noticed his look of confusion.

"Laurent?" He asked, and Eleazar nodded.
"What?" I gasped, my memory going back to the sick vampire that had started a fight, trying to take me away from my true home, ending up with the death of my mother.
"He passed a treaty line unfortunately, and some werewolves caught up to him."

My eyes met Seth's in the crowd, and I knew he could hear our conversation with the frown on his face.
"He told us he had unfinished business to attend to here in Forks, and that was the last we heard of him." Garrett said, standing with his arm around Kate's waist.

"He came for Bella." Edward growled, tightening his hold on my hip as if he were here. Kate nodded her head, signaling he was correct. Before the subject could go on any further, we realized a line beginning to form behind them to greet us.

"We'll discuss this more later, if you wish. We have plenty of time." Tanya smirked at the inside joke before grabbing Kate's hand and leading her family elsewhere. Beside me, Edward let out a long breath I didn't know he was holding in.

Next to greet us were Angela, Ben, Mike, and Jessica. They looked shocked to see me, knowing I had dropped out of school and disappeared after my mother's death. After congratulating us and giving us a small hug, they left, leaving Sue, Seth, and Billy to greet us.

"Congratulations, Bella." Billy said first, holding out his hand for me to shake.
"I'm happy for you." He announced, and I thanked him.
"Have you heard from him?" I asked, knowing the answer.
"I'm sure he wishes you the best." Billy nodded, and I nodded along, the lump in my throat forming. Just then, music began playing, giving Edward and I our cue for our first dance.

I went willingly, despite my hatred for dancing, and let Edward lead the way. I twirled effortlessly under the canopy of lights and the flashes of camera's.

The music changed, and Charlie stepped in for his turn. It wasn't as easy to dance with Charlie, knowing I had gotten all my un-coordination from him. We moved safely from side to side in a box formation while Esme and Edward danced all around us.

"I'm gonna miss you at home, Bella. I already miss you." Charlie choked out, and I rested my head on his chest. "I'm going to miss you too, dad, but it's not like this is the last night you see me." I answered, and he chuckled softly.
"It feels that way. I'm glad you have Edward, darling. He seems like a good man, so I'm happy to see you happy." He whispered, leaning down to leave a kiss on top of my head.

-

The party was still going on, everyone dancing to an upbeat song around Edward and I as we held each other, swaying slowly as if the song was another slow melody. My head rested on his chest and he rested his head on top of mine, humming softly in my ear. Suddenly, his head lifted up and looked into the dark forest, as if someone had called his name.

"Oh!" He breathed out, and I lifted my head to meet his eyes.
"What?" I asked, noticing he still looked into the woods.
"Another one of your wedding gifts just arrived." He smiled down at me as he grabbed my hand, leading me along a trail to the side of the house.

It was quiet and dark over here, and I was curious.
"What's a wedding present doing out here?" I asked out loud, and Edward smirked down at me.
"Just a little more.. Private." He answered before stopping both of us, looking into the dark again. My eyes didn't leave his face, so I didn't see him walking up.

"This is kind of you." Edward called out.
"Kind is my middle name." My eyes ripped from Edward's face and in the dark, I could see Jake standing there, grinning at me. He was wearing black jeans and a white button up shirt that was slightly wrinkled, and I felt like dry-sobbing.

"Jake?" I asked, as if he were a figment of my imagination.
"Hey, Bells." He greeted, and I let go of Edward's hand as I ran up to Jake and jumped into his waiting arms, hugging him tightly as he swung me around, placing me back on the ground.

I smiled up at him, in awe that he was actually standing in front of me, hugging me and not running away in anger.

"Rosalie will kill me if she doesn't get her official turn on the dance floor." Edward said out loud, leaving us alone.

"Dance with me?" Jacob asked as the soft melody in the distance turned to a softer tone. Grabbing my hand, he spun me around and brought me close to his body, making us laugh.

"So the best man didn't have time to get a tux." He sighed.
"It doesn't matter - you're here now. Everything is perfect, now everyone I love is here." I stopped and retraced my words, "Well, almost." I whispered, thinking of the deceased.

"I'm sorry." He sighed, and I looked up into his burning eyes.
"About running, ignoring you. That wasn't the right thing to do." He continued, and I nodded my head in understanding.

"I've been through that." I reminded him.
"Where have you been?" I asked.
"Up in Northern Canada, I think. This is the first time in a month that I've been on two legs, it feels sort of odd." He smiled down at me.

"I wished you could have stayed." I replied as we continued the slow dance even as the song changed.
"Do you forgive me?" I asked him, causing him to laugh softly.
"You didn't do anything. Do you forgive me?" He re-asked my question. Nodding my head, I couldn't help the dry sobs from escaping my lips. Leaning my forehead on his chest, I closed my eyes and inhaled his scent.

"I missed you." I cried, as Jake rubbed my back.
"I missed you too." He returned, swaying me back and forth. Lifting my head to look him in the eyes, I asked him a question I was scared to ask, afraid of the answer.

"Are you still going to be my friend?" I asked him, watching his facial expression turn soft.

"I told you before, and I'll tell you again. I'll always be your friend. No matter what you love." Smiling at the words he repeated, I leaned into him again.

"I love you, Jake." I said, knowing he knew I meant it in a way as if he were my brother, my best friend.

"I love you, Bells."

Next chapter will be the last of this book, but there's more Twilight fan-fictions to come, so fan me for updates! ♡
.xx