"I brought you some cake," Edward said and handed me a plate.

"Thwanksh," I said between mouthfuls of delicious cake. I had been too nervous to eat breakfast before the service, so my stomach had growled furiously for some time.

"How is the ankle?"

"Severely injured," I said as gravely as I could. "I think I need more cake to take care of the pain!" I gave him my best impression of a puppy dog, and he was immediately on his feet with a concerned look in his topaz eyes.

"Oh, Bella!"

"Would you relax, I'm kidding! It's only sprained, it just hurts when I put pressure on it," I said and flexed my foot a bit to show that it was still mobile. "But I wouldn't mind the cake," I said with a grin.

"Don't try to go anywhere while I'm gone, or Lord knows what you may do to yourself."

Edward brushed a lock of my hair – which had fallen from the intricate arrangement of beads and twists – behind my ear, and cupped my chin. "I don't know what I would do without you," he sighed, and looked deep into my eyes, kneeling down in front of me.

"I know. I'm not going anywhere. 'Till death do us part, and all that. . ."

"Who knows how long that will take, though," he said in a low whisper, and there was a sudden trace of sadness in his butterscotch eyes.

"Edward, listen to me. I'm not going anywhere, ever. Always and forever aren't long enough to describe the timeframe." I moved my hand to pull his face to me, and noticed the sparkling ring on my finger. For the first time I understood the full extent of what it meant, and why Edward cherished marriage so much. It wasn't a question of tradition, or his values – it was simply a way for him to finally prove to himself that he was, beyond a doubt, capable of being loved.

"Oh, Edward," I said tenderly and finished my motion of pulling our faces together, meeting his lips in a kiss. I wrapped my fingers around his copper locks, messing up the carefully style which Alice undoubtedly had monitored. He did not seem to mind. I could get used to an eternity of this.

"Right, cake," he mumbled, and untangled himself suddenly. My lips were throbbing slightly, numb with longing, as I watched him leave. A few moments later I realized why, when Renée came up to me with a slightly flushed face. Straight from the dance floor, I guessed.

"Bells, darling, I heard you managed to injure yourself once again. How are you feeling?" She automatically put her palm to my forehead, as to check if I had a fever.

"Fantastic," I said, with a dreamy sigh. And that was the truth.

"My baby's all grown up," she said and looked at me with a proud smile.

"Mom, please, no waterworks."

"Too late!" She pulled me into a tight hug and sobbed happily. "The reception was so beautiful, Bells, and you looked like a million dollars," she mumbled into my hair.

"It was all Alice's doing, I really didn't have much to do with it," I protested.

"I know that, silly, but this is your big day, darling. You're allowed to shine as much as you want to."

"I will, mom."

I noticed Charlie and Phil standing on the outskirts of the dance floor, looking rather uncomfortable together. I loved both of them for being there just for me, and I knew that whatever would happen to me, there would always be this one, perfect moment for all of us to treasure together.

"Oh, look what you've gone and made me do," I said and wiped a tear away from my cheek. My mother's face was completely stained wet, but she looked happy, too. I hugged her again, tightly, overcome with so much love.

Edward had returned, and patiently waited for the mother-daughter moment to pass before interrupting.

"I think you better come with me to throw the bouquet as soon as possible, before Alice beheads the two of us. Can you walk?"

"I think I'll be fine, just help me up."

He did so, and I was glad to find that I was able to stand and walk without too much trouble. Edward still insisted on supporting most of my weight as we walked, and would undoubtedly have carried me around all day if I hadn't stopped him.

The attention of every quest was once again aimed at me, where I stood in front of a large crowd of females, with the flowers ready. They had began to wither slightly, fresh as they were, and I had crumpled up the stems where I'd held onto them tightly, but I was sure nobody would care about that.

"Are you ready?" I said to the crowd, and was met by a roaring collective agreement. "Okay, here we go!" I turned my back to them, and tossed the flowers over my shoulder, hoping they would make it far enough to not crash down right behind my heels.

A loud squee came from behind me, and I turned to see Alice jumping up and down, bouquet in hand. She looked at Jasper with glittering eyes, and I noticed how his returned smile was ever so slightly forced. Emmet gave the two of them a look and burst into his roaring laughter. I even caught Carlisle giving Esme an amused smile at the sight of his daughter.

The sun was setting, painting the sky in a wide spectrum of pinks and purples. The sounds of the festivities were growing fainter, and people were beginning to leave. I was held tightly in Edward's arms, and I never wanted it to end.

He still hadn't told me where we were going for our honeymoon, saying it was his surprise and gift to me. I knew that as long as I was with him, I would go anywhere in the world, and be absolutely happy. We had each other, and that was all I needed.