Forthright: The Wedding Vows

Wedding Vows from Forthright...

Carlisle stepped before us and greeted the guests.

"Our dear family and friends, we are gathered here today in the sight of God to witness the union of this man and this woman. Edward and Bella have searched their hearts and each has prepared something to say to one another."

He nodded to Edward, who pulled a folded piece of paper out of the inner pocket of his tux. He unfolded the paper, but before he could finish unfolding it, he refolded it and placed it back into the pocket.

"I don't need that," he smiled, "To remember all of the things that I want to tell you today. For you see, I have wanted to say these things to you since before I first met you, Bella. Ever since the earliest moments around you, I have always wanted this day. I have always wanted you. All of this began before we ever spoke to one another. It was at the very sight of you that my very soul revived and was brought back to life. Who you are… your soul, is with me, even now, and I am convinced that with or without our bodies, we can live on and be together forever. It all started with a hope… and as the hope was nurtured, it grew into a belief… and that belief has matured to a sweet knowledge. The knowledge of love that you have brought to me runs through me… it is my life force… and truly, you are my life now. Isabella Marie Swan, I promise to love you for a long as we both shall live. If one day we cease to live, as long as some particle of my soul shall but remain, it will only ever belong to you; for I am yours forever."

I felt the tears well up in my eyes and I sighed as I felt them begin to roll down my cheeks. I looked down for a moment and took that time to breathe. His words were so beautiful and touched my heart in such a way that the tears began to flow more openly now. I sniffed and giggled a little.

"Thank you, Edward," I whispered, "Your words are so beautiful."

He smiled at me as I felt everyone's eyes turn to me. I became slightly nervous as I realized that they were all waiting for me to speak. I stared into Edward's eyes, and what I had thought I planned to say just slipped away. My heart was filled to the brim with love for him and although my original words I had prepared were nothing but true, what came out in that moment felt even truer. The moment that I had rehearsed in my mind melted away and a new, more genuine, sincere and forthright moment took its place.

"I have been independent my entire life," I started, "Singular and alone in the world. I've never relied on others before, and I never dreamed that I would want to. But I do want to, now. I want to rely on you, Edward Cullen. I depend on you. I am not weakened when I admit that. In fact, realizing this and saying it actually has the reverse effect. It makes me feel quite strong. I have never felt so strong before, but that is because I've never been truly in love before. I love you, Edward. And I need you. And I want to be with you forever. I promise to be yours and only yours for as long as I exist."

"Isabella Marie Swan," Edward smiled, "I take you to be my lawfully wedded wife, my constant friend, my faithful partner and my love from this moment forward. In the presence of God and our guests, I offer you my solemn vow to be your faithful partner in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow. I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your dreams, to honor and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for all time."

"Edward Anthony Cullen," I said as he placed soft kisses on my wrists and palms, "I take you to be my friend, my lover, the father of our children and my husband. I vow that I will be yours in times of plenty and in times of want, in times of joy and in times of sorrow, in times of failure and in times of triumph. I promise to comfort and encourage you, to stay with you, and to grow with you throughout the seasons of each passing year for all time."

I slid a gold band onto the ring finger of his left hand, and he slid the ten carat diamond ring that had been a part of his family's history for three, now four, generations onto the ring finger of my left hand.

We then turned to Carlisle, who closed our ceremony by binding us together with the authority that he held to do so.

"Edward and Bella, I now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Edward Anthony Cullen. Mr. Cullen, you may now kiss your wife."

I watched as Edward lifted my veil and I closed my eyes as I felt a cool, gentle pressure against my lips.

**

So what's next? Well, I am torn between the honeymoon scene and skipping two months ahead to when the family and friends are enjoying one another's company on Thanksgiving Day, and Bella makes a special discovery! If you are reading this now, here is a little reward for you:

From the Author's Plot Notes, Forthright:

"Two months go by... we move from September to November and it is Thanksgiving Day at the Cullen's residence... Edward, Bella, the family and their friends are there; Charlie is there too. Everyone makes a toast to love and friendship and family. Seth has brought a date as well (he has imprinted on Kari Michelle, aka b4bystar). Because of the nature of her relationship with Seth, she has been allowed in on the secret. She is welcomed in with hugs and love from everyone. Charlie does NOT know anything yet...

"Bella is stressed out because she has missed her period the last two months. Alice asks if Bella wants to know why... Alice has seen a blond baby and a brunette baby, and she teases Bella saying that the future isn't fixed, so maybe Fate hasn't made up its mind about what Bella's baby is going to look like... Bella freaks out when she hears that she is pregnant... She insists on taking a pregnancy test, even though Alice laughs and tells her that will be completely unnecessary... Bella asks Alice if her visions have ever been inaccurate before, and Alice says that they often change depending on whether someone changes their mind... but she also teases Bella saying, "It looks like your uterus's mind has already been made up."

"Bella wonders at how this could have happened, being that she has been on the pill all this time... Rose snickers and says that since Edward isn't human and neither is she, technically, how can she count on the pill?"

Well, I hope this tiny teaser gives you a little taste of what's to come. It is true that I do have a pretty solid outline for this story, in that it is more specific than any other outline I've ever made. However, I already have made alterations in the first dozen chapters, so just know that everything is always subject to change until it is officially posted on fanfic.net.

Thanks for reading!

Until next time,

Steph