( outfit in
previous chapter )
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chapter seven
gesture.
Christina jokingly took away Charlie's glass of champagne, which he immediately took out of her hands, making her laugh in response. "Come on."
"Get your own," he grumbled, downing the rest of the drink as Bella and Edward walked closer to their table.
Edward shook Billy's hand. The old man already on edge with Christina so close by and still being a newborn— but she was in control. She had left the party before the newly weds showed up to drink a bag of blood upstairs in Carlisle's office— not that he needed to know that.
"Nice to see you," Edward said, a grateful smile resting on his face.
"I'm happy for you," Billy grumbled back, and surprisingly, it didn't sound like he was lying.
Carlisle wrapped his arm around Christina as he finished his conversation with Renee and Phil. She smiled as his lips found the side of her head.
"I hope you'll be happy, Bella," Billy stated before turning his eyes to the young mother. "You too, Christina."
"Thank you," they answered at the same time.
"Have you heard from him?" Bella questioned, nerves building up in her stomach waiting for the answer.
"I'm sure Jacob wishes you the best," Billy answered instead, making her sigh.
"Well, I plan on getting drunk. They're serving up some pretty fancy champagne," Charlie grumbled before turning back towards the bar. Billy right on his heels, both men meeting up with Sue and Harry Clearwater.
Christina tugged on Carlisle's hands with a sly grin. "Come dance with me."
The father chuckled as he turned to Edward and Bella. "Enjoy yourselves tonight."
Bella laughed as Christina managed to drag Carlisle into the middle of the dance floor as an upbeat pop song started playing. The young mother threw her hands up into the air as she twirled around the blond.
"Come." Edward tugged with a smile. "Let's go greet the rest of our guests."
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Emmett cleared his throat as his finger hit the mic twice, making the speakers ring loudly. Everyone cringed away from the sound before they turned their attention to the stage, making Emmett smile.
"Uh, I'd like to propose a toast," he started, holding his champagne glass in the air. "To my new sister. Bella, I hope you've gotten enough sleep these past eighteen years. 'Cause you won't be getting anymore for a while."
Christina groaned into her hand at Emmett's speech, while Carlisle shook his head. Bella and Edward awkwardly cringed at his words as Charlie downed the rest of his champagne, staring off into the distance with a straight expression.
"Well, Bella was just like everybody else, totally mesmerized by Edward. Or The Hair, as I call him," Jessica laughed awkwardly.
Christina hid her laugh in Carlisle's shoulder as she continued.
"And then suddenly, Edward is all about Bella. Even though she's not the captain of the volleyball team," she laughs again. "I'm just kidding, I'm just kidding... or the president of the student council."
Alice shooed the brunette away from the mic before she could continue to make a fool of herself. Christina didn't try to hid her laughter anymore as Bella joined in with her.
"Edward will be a good husband," Charlie started. "I know this because... I'm a cop—"
"Oh, god," Christina whispered to the table. "I'm so glad we didn't allow anyone to give a speech." Carlisle patted her thigh as he chuckled at her words, but silently he was also glad.
"I know things," Charlie continued. "Like how to hunt somebody to the ends of the earth." He paused as everyone laughed around him. "And how to hold a gun."
"Now that you're my sister..." Alice grinned with a glint in her eyes. "You'll have to get over your aversion to fashion. Skirts, heels, handbags!"
"Go to sleep, my love," Renee sang the same lullaby she used to sing to both girls to get them to go to bed. Christina snorted into Carlisle's shoulder, matching Bella and Edward's short laugh. "Go to sleep. When you wake you'll see me."
"I'd like to make a toast to my baby sister." Christina held up her full champagne glass. "Bella, I'm so proud of the woman that you've become. I never had any doubts that you wouldn't turn out to be so smart, and so beautiful. Edward, you better take care of her... because I'm a cop's daughter, and I know things."
Both Bella and Edward laughed as Charlie grumbled into his fourth champagne glass.
"It's an extraordinary thing to meet someone who you can bare your soul to. And who will accept you for who you are," Edward toasted.
Christina cuddled into Carlisle's arm as he squeezed her thigh.
"I've been waiting, what seems like a very long time, to get beyond what I am. And with Bella, I can finally begin. So I'd like to propose a toast to my beautiful bride. No measure of time with you will be long enough. But let's start with forever."
Everyone clinked their champagne glasses together before taking a sip at the end of Edward's speech. Christina could feel that her contacts were starting to wear thin, making her sigh and get up from her seat. Carlisle looked up and meet her eyes briefly because he understood where she was going.
She walked upstairs into the bathroom, pulling the contacts as she went. It was even more irritating if she let them fully dissolve in her eyes from the venom. It was like she could still feel them lingering, even though there was nothing there. She much rather pull them out and throw them away.
It took her two seconds to change her contacts, but she stayed in the bathroom for another minute or so, to keep up with the pretense that she was using the bathroom.
She fixed her bun at the back of her head as she walked down the stairs and back out into the cool air. All the smells hit her at once as she walked towards the dance floor again, smiling towards Carlisle before she was pulled onto the dance floor from the opposite direction.
"Hey, Momma Nina," Emmett greeted as he spun her around.
She gripped onto his arms as they danced around to the beat. "Where's Rosalie?" she asked, turning her head to look for the blonde.
"Dancing with Edward," he answered, dipping her low to the ground. She tilted her head in question as she got put back on two feet. "Bella's wedding gift arrived. She's dancing with Jacob on the sidelines."
Christina nodded her head in understand before turning the tables and spun Emmett around. The burly vampire laughed loudly as Christina tried reaching over his head to finish the spin. He humored her and bent down lower to the ground.
Christina got passed from Emmett to Jasper before she heard arguing in the distance. She looked around, but didn't see anyone fighting— they were all drunk and happily dancing to the pop songs.
"Excuse me," she muttered, pulling out of Jasper's hold, not giving him the chance to ask any questions. She disappeared out of anyone's sight as she followed the shouts.
"Jake, let go of me!"
"Jacob, calm down, alright?" Edward warned, as he stood in front of Bella.
Christina appeared in the blink of an eye as she pulled her sister in her side, letting her cry into her shoulder. Her eyes narrowed in on Jacob's shaking form.
"Are you out of your mind? Huh?" Jacob shouted. "You'll kill her!"
Sam appeared out of the woods, along with Embry and Paul for back up. Seth ran up behind Christina, staying near the mother's side as she soothed her sister.
"Enough, Jacob. Walk away," Sam ordered.
"Stay out of this, Sam," Jacob snapped, a growl lingering in his throat as he didn't look away from Edward.
"You're not going to start something that we'll have to finish," Sam warned.
"She'll die—"
"She's not our concern anymore. Let's go," Sam ordered, but Jacob wasn't listening.
The young wolf lunged towards Edward, pushing him back as anger flowed through his veins. Bella gasped as Edward landed on his feet behind her and Christina. The mind reader crouched down and hissed as Jacob stepped forward.
The growls and hisses stopped suddenly, the whole group going quiet. Christina shook out her hand as she stood over Jacob's body. Blood seeped out of his nose from the impact of her hit. He snarled loudly as he covered his nose.
"I've been waiting to do that," Christina commented, not bothered in the slightest as Jacob stood up and into her face. His whole body shook so much that Christina could almost feel the vibration between their close bodies. "I believe your alpha told you to walk away."
"Mind yourself leech—"
"Sam."
Christina didn't turn around at Carlisle's voice. She continued to glare into Jacob's heated stare, not backing down from the promise of a fight.
"Carlisle," Sam greeted back. The alpha was already on edge, waiting for a fight to break out between the two groups.
"I believe you're on our territory," Carlisle pointed out, keeping his golden hues on Jacob's threatening stance over his wife. Even though he towered over her by a foot, she met his glare head on.
Sam understood Carlisle's hint as he forcefully grabbed onto Jacob's shoulder and pushed him into the trees; snarls could be heard as both Embry and Paul grabbed onto him and pulled him towards the reservation.
"Seth, let's go," Sam ordered, making the pup whine. He ducked his head, not wanting to leave his imprint behind, but he couldn't fight the alpha's order that was set.
After all the wolves disappeared into the trees, Christina spit out the venom that was pooling in her mouth. The contacts that she had just applied were long gone, showing her cooper eye color.
"I'm really, really, really stupid," Bella cried, gaining Christina's attention away from the trees. She was on edge waiting for the wolves to return and fight.
"No, you're not," Christina disagreed. "It's none of Jacob's business how you two handle your relationship." She snarled again turning to the trees.
Carlisle settled his hands on her upper arms, keeping her in place. "Feel better?" he joked, knowing she's been waiting to punch Jacob since he forcefully kissed Bella.
She growled lowly. "No one touches my family and gets away with it."
"Come on," Edward mumbled, feeling touched at Christina's motives at trying to protect both him and Bella. Her mothering instincts took over her body, she didn't even realize that there was fresh spilled blood on the ground. "People are probably missing us. Let's go back."
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"Have a safe trip," Christina sighed as she hugged her sister. "Use protection."
"Christina!" Bella complained, her cheeks turning red as she pulled away from the hug.
"What? I meant from the sun." The young mother winked, enjoying the sight of the blush lingering on Bella's cheeks. She knew that once they returned from their honeymoon, the blush would be gone— and so would her humanity.
"Have a good time," Christina whispered. She pushed Bella's hair behind her ear. "I love you."
"I love you, too."
Christina stood next to Carlisle, who was holding a sleeping Annie in his arms. They both waved to Edward and Bella's car as they drove down the driveway. Christina couldn't help but feel like this was just the start of something big.
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I just had to add the punch from Christina in there. Jacob deserves it for one— and it's been a long time coming. He pushed Christina's buttons way too much times.