"Don't fall. Don't fall. Don't fall."
A curse slipped past Bella's lips as she stumbled in the white heels. Alice immediately reached out and steadied her while the human narrowed her eyes at Valeria.
"Saying 'don't fall' over and over doesn't help me to not actually fall," Bella said, sighing frustratedly.
Valeria smiled innocently and leaned against the house — though a second later, she stood straight because Esme yelled at her for getting streaks on the window. "Glare at Alice. I'm the one that fought for you to wear flats."
And so Bella did shift her glare to Alice, who smiled unapologetically. "You just have to break them in."
"I've been breaking them in. For three days," Bella deadpanned. Valeria snickered, glad that the annoyance had been redirected away from her. "Can I just go barefoot?"
Alice, of course, was horrified by the idea. "No, absolutely not," she said as if it was her wedding and she was the one going without shoes.
"Just thinking it's a little much, you know?" she mumbled, looking around the yard. "The dress and the shoes, and all of this."
Valeria couldn't help but agree as she glanced at Jasper and Emmett, who walked by with huge tree trunks thrown over their shoulders. There were countless flowers that Esme was carefully and individually placing anywhere they could fit.
"No, it's exactly enough," Alice insisted. "Tomorrow will be perfect."
"Where do you want em, boss?" Emmett asked, standing and looking around. The tree wasn't heavy, but it still wasn't easy to transport without potentially knocking something else over.
"On either side of the aisle," Alice instructed.
"What aisle?" Rosalie asked, holding a wide tree stump covered in moss and flowers.
Alice scoffed before walking over to them. "Does no one have vision?"
"Quick, take them off while she's distracted," Valeria whispered.
Bella hastily kicked the torturous heels off and pulled her converse back on, smiling sheepishly at Valeria as she did so. The bride-to-be surveyed the setup once more before her eyes sought out Edward. He was in the house and watching as his family put the finishing touches on everything.
It wasn't long before Alice was making her way back into Bella's line of vision, clear instructions on the tip of her tongue. "You, go home with Val and get lots of beauty sleep. That's an order."
"Okay," Bella said, hugging Alice tightly.
Then Alice turned to Valeria, pointing her finger at her sternly. "Make sure she rests. And no letting Edward sneak into her room in the middle of the night. No seeing the bride before the wedding."
"Yes ma'am," Valeria said, saluting Alice like a general.
While Edward technically had until midnight to see Bella, Valeria was meant to guard her during the night considering Edward's past of watching her in her sleep. Bella also liked the idea of a quiet night in with her best friend as opposed to a bachelorette party.
"Let's go, Bella Bear," Valeria said, leading Bella to the red truck.
"Bella Bear?" she asked, raising an eyebrow and smirking.
Valeria simply shrugged. "I'm trying out nicknames. All siblings need nicknames."
"What are the others? I know you call Edward by Eddie and Edweirdo," Bella recalled, grinning.
"Alice is Short Stack—"
"You're only like two inches taller than her," she pointed out.
"Ah, but still taller," Valeria said, climbing into the passenger seat. "Rosalie is Goldilocks — Emmett is Polarbear. Not quite that same species of bear from the story, but close enough. And Jasper is Jazz Hands."
"Is two bear names too many?"
"I mean, once you are turned, the humans in the next town will probably assume you and Emmett are twins, so I think it's fine," Valeria informed her, shrugging.
"I guess the family story will change a little," she mused.
"It'll for the most part stay the same for the others — that they were taken in super young. And given that you'll look the most like Emmett, you'll be grouped in with him. I'll probably stick with the same 'they've only had me for a year or two' story," she explained.
"How's Sam gonna fit in?" Bella asked after a second. "Emmett barely passes as a teenager as is, but Sam definitely doesn't with those werewolf genes."
"I don't actually know," Valeria said, frowning. "We haven't talked too much about it, especially because the pack is here — you know how hard it is to think about leaving this place. But he'll keep himself busy wherever we go."
"He can run errands all day with Esme," she said, chuckling. It was funny to picture Sam towering over Esme as they went grocery shopping. "He could start building furniture or renovating houses."
"I like that idea mainly because I'm just picturing him sweaty and with a tool belt hanging low on his jeans," Valeria admitted, grinning. "And then I bring him out a glass of lemonade to cool him down from the summer heat."
Bella laughed loudly at the ridiculous and cliche fantasy. "Sounds like a solid plan — and also that you've been reading too many cheesy romance books."
"Emmett and I started a book club where we make fun of books we see middle-aged lonely moms read. It's a fun time. You should join."
☽︎
Despite Valeria's instructions to keep Edward away, the brooding vampire was up in Bella's bedroom anyway. It was still a few hours until midnight, so technically it was allowed.
While he was talking to Bella — Valeria was pretty sure he was trying yet again to convince Bella to remain human — Valeria sat on the kitchen counter, swinging her legs back and forth as she talked with Jessica on the phone. The human girl wanted to run her outfit for the wedding by her to make sure it sounded cute. Then once they stopped talking about clothes, they moved on to the topic of boys.
"I mean, technically Mike and I are going together, but I just hope it's not weird. We decided last week to just be friends," Jessica said. Valeria could hear her frowning over the line. "And, like, yeah it was mutual, but I still just don't know if it was the right call. Was it a bad idea?
"Jess, you're leaving for a college that's hours away in a week and a half. And Mike is staying here and learning how to take over his family's store. He's gonna be so busy, especially with the new branch they're planning to open in Port Angeles," Valeria reminded her.
"Exactly. So trying long-distance is just crazy, right?" she asked, really just needing someone to assure her they made the right choice. "And honestly, I know it sounds horrible, but I just feel like neither of us was trying anymore, you know?"
"It doesn't sound horrible," Valeria told her. "It's not a bad thing to have a mutual breakup with your high school boyfriend. No one's feelings were hurt, and you're free to talk to guys at school without feeling guilty. Seriously, do you know how many hot Olympic athletes go to Stanford?"
That was enough to get a giggle out of Jessica, brightening her mood just as Valeria intended. "Right! I'm aiming for a swimmer, but I'll settle for maybe rugby or track."
"What about tennis?"
"Too pretentious."
"Oh, of course," Valeria hummed, grinning to herself. As if half the population of Stanford — or any Ivy League school — wasn't pretentious.
"Seriously though, you think Mike will be okay? Eric, Tyler, Ang, and I are all going away for college. Edward and Bella are getting hitched and then going to Alaska to have their secret baby—"
"She's not having a secret baby," Valeria interrupted, giggling. It was the very assumption Bella feared about getting married so young. "And excuse you, but Mike has me still, and I'm all anyone needs."
"It really is totally not fair that he gets to see you whenever he wants"
"I know. I'm amazing at everything," Valeria said, flipping her hair over her shoulder even though no one could see. "Well, everything except keeping grooms away from their brides."
Jessica scoffed. "He's still in her room?"
"Yup."
"Well then go drag him out by his ear. They can stay apart for just a few hours," she stated.
"Sounds like a solid plan, plus maybe it'll embarrass him in front of Bella," Valeria said, jumping off the counter. "I'll see you tomorrow, Jess."
Once she hung up, Valeria sped to Bella's bedroom. There was lots of childish complaining from Edward as she grabbed him by the ear and led him to the window to take as an exit.
"Out," Valeria ordered, pointing her finger. "I know Jasper and Emmett want to get a head start on hunting, and you're delaying them."
"I'll meet you at the altar," Edward said to Bella, smiling lovingly at her.
"I'll be the one in white," Bella joked, making Valeria snort.
Once Edward jumped out the window, Valeria took a seat on Bella's bed. "I did in fact make sure Jessica isn't wearing a white dress. It feels like something she'd do."
"Oh, Alice would definitely rip her head off if she did," Bella said, chuckling. "So, what are you gonna do while I'm sleeping?"
"Creepily stare at you like Edward does," she replied automatically. Bella rolled her eyes, and Valeria grinned. "I'll probably pack the rest of your things because someone is a procrastinator."
Valeria looked accusingly at the half-packed boxes littering the room.
"You say that like you also don't wait until the very last second to do things," Bella shot back. "Ninety percent of all your assignments were done in the school parking lot the day they were due."
"Uh, packing to move in after you get married is more important than a worksheet on how the branches of government work."
"Only marginally," Bella muttered under her breath — Valeria of course caught it.
"Feeling nervous?" Valeria asked, tilting her head.
"Terrified," she admitted, letting out a deep sigh. "I may not be sure about all this wedding stuff, but at least I'm sure about Edward."
"How romantic," Valeria cooed teasingly, making Bella scoff. "And hey, even if you aren't excited about the ceremony, you can at least be excited about what comes after."
It took Bella a moment, but then Valeria started wiggling her eyebrows like a cartoon character, and she knew just what she meant. Her cheeks immediately heated up and she grabbed a pillow, smashing it into Valeria's face.
"Stop," Bella said as Valeria laughed. "It's not funny. I'm pretty much terrified about that too."
Once Valeria controlled her giggles, she gently held Bella's hand and remained serious. "It's alright to be scared. But it's with Edward, who loves you more than anything. Also, I can't tell you where he's taking you on the honeymoon, but I can guarantee that it's more romantic than losing it in the parking lot of a Wendy's on a Tuesday at three in the morning."
Bella laughed so hard she snorted as Valeria finished. "You did not lose it in a Wendy's parking lot."
"I did," she said, nodding with a faux shameful look on her face. "It was my first boyfriend, it was in the back of a Honda CRV, and he was the only one to get off. A tragedy."
"How have none of us heard this story?" Bella asked, grinning. "God, Mike and Eric would have a field day with that."
"Precisely why we're not gonna tell them," Valeria said, tugging on a strand of Bella's hair as the human laughed again. "I've since had more... attentive partners."
Bella eyed Valeria with a sly smirk for a moment. "What about Sam? Is he attentive?"
Valeria would've blushed if she could, and Bella could tell as she bit her lip and avoided eye contact.
"I would not know," she replied after a second. Then her bashful look turned to one of annoyance. "God knows it's not for lack of trying. There's just either always someone at my house or someone at his house — all with supernatural hearing."
"Sounds rough," she said, giggling at Valeria's reaction.
"Although," Valeria said, leaning forward and grinning mischievously, "Leah did tell me what it was like with him."
Bella's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Why would his ex-girlfriend even bring that up?"
"Because I asked," she said, shrugging. "I mean, she kept it pretty vague for the most part, but Sam would still lose his mind if he found out we talked about it."
For just a moment, Bella channeled her inner Jessica Stanley and asked for more. "So, is it something to look forward to?"
"Oh, absolutely," she said, smirking. "Very attentive. Very thorough. And evidently, he was impressive then and that was before the werewolf growth spurt."
Bella may not have wanted a bachelorette party, but the night spent in her room was filled with as much giggling and gossip as one would've had. And hearing Valeria talk about Wendy's parking lots and close attempts with Sam that were always interrupted certainly eased Bella's nerves about the post-wedding rituals.
☽︎
"What did I say about beauty sleep?" Alice asked sharply. "Val, did you keep her up all night talking?"
"She was in bed by eleven!" Valeria defended.
The wedding day had arrived, and Alice was currently working on Bella's makeup — specifically the concealer under her tired eyes.
"Sorry, bad dream. It was wedding jitters," Bella told them. Valeria knew the girl well enough to know it was a lie, that something more than the wedding had spooked her in her dreams, but she knew not to question it.
A moment later, Rosalie came in. Her hair and makeup were finished, all that was left to do was put on her dress. "Do you need some help? I could do her hair."
"Really?" Bella asked, raising an eyebrow, completely shocked by the offer.
"God knows I don't know how to properly do your hair," Valeria muttered.
"Please," Rosalie said, rolling her eyes with an easy smile on her lips. She moved behind Bella and started combing her hair. "I'm not offended by your choice of groom."
"Just my blatant lack of respect for mortality," Bella said flatly.
Rosalie did her best to hide her smirk. "Essentially."
"Weddings," Alice said, grinning brightly. "They bring everyone together."
Then, as Rosalie fixed Bella's hair, Alice set her eyes on Valeria. In a flash, the small vampire had a pair of black gloves on her fingers to keep from making contact with Valeria.
"It's makeup time, Valeria Alvarez," Alice told her in a stern tone.
Valeria whined childishly but did settle into a chair. If any human walked in and saw Alice using her super-speed to apply eyeshadow and blush and lipstick to Valeria's face, they'd think they were going crazy.
"That only took a minute," Alice said, putting away a tube of mascara. "There was no reason for the tantrum you threw this morning when you arrived. And you look nice."
Valeria grumbled to herself, though couldn't help but agree as she studied her face in the mirror. Alice kept the makeup light — really the color on her face just helped her look a little more human and alive. Everything was in a natural shade as opposed to that bright red lipstick that had been put on her for Prom.
"If I have to wear it, so do you," Bella mumbled with a smile on her face.
"Bella? Alice?" They heard Bella's mother, Renée, calling.
"ln here, Mom," Bella replied just as Rosalie finished her hair.
Renée came around the corner and she gasped when she saw her daughter all made up. "Oh, my gosh! You're so beautiful. Oh, honey." Then the mother of the bride began to cry. "Crap, my mascara!"
Alice had a handkerchief at the ready, which Renée quickly made use of.
"Charlie, get in here," Renée ordered.
Charlie had been hovering around the corner, not knowing if he was welcome in the dressing room "You sure? I don't wanna..." He awkwardly trailed off as he walked over to them.
"Damn, Chief Swan," Valeria said, seeing him in a crisp, black tuxedo. "You pulled out all the stops."
Bella rolled her eyes at her friend's comment, but even she was shocked to see him clean up so well.
"I know. I look hot," Charlie said, causing everyone to laugh. Then he handed a small gift box to Bella. Inside was a beautiful hair comb with blue gems. "We thought you needed something blue. And something old. Besides your mother."
"Nice," Renée muttered sarcastically.
"It was Grandma Swan's," Charlie explained as Bella carefully picked up the comb.
"But we added the sapphires," Renée added.
"It's beautiful, you guys. Wow. Thank you so much." Bella handed the comb to Alice, who gently put it in her hair, careful not to mess up Rosalie's work.
"It's your first family heirloom. Pass it on to your daughter, and her daughter," Renée said, beginning to cry once more.
The silence was deafening to those that knew there would be no daughter or granddaughter.
"Mom, I love it," Bella said, overcome with emotion.
She moved to hug both her parents, but Alice intercepted her, keeping her back. "Nope. No smudging my masterpiece."
"She's right," Renée agreed, wiping under her eyes.
"Okay. Time for the dress!" Alice said excitedly. She moved over to the rack holding the bridesmaids' dresses and the wedding dress. "Do you wanna see it?"
"I want to see it!" Renée told her enthusiastically.
While they helped Bella, Rosalie shoved the garment bag with Valeria's dress into her arms.
"Put it on with minimal complaining," she instructed, a small smile on her face. "You look beautiful in it, and I know your dog boy will love it."
"He might also love it if you stopped calling him dog boy," Valeria said, chuckling.
Rosalie pretended to think for a minute. "No, I'm good."
"Not surprised."
"Once you have it on, I'll fix your hair, and you'll be free to wander until the ceremony," she told her. "Sam and that youngest wolf boy got here a few minutes ago — I can smell them. I'm sure you want to greet them before they find their seats."
"Why Rose, that almost sounded considerate."