Disclaimer: I own nothing. Everything belongs to Stephanie Meyer. This story was inspired by both The Virgin's proposal and the Marine and Me but I am putting my own twist on it. I hope you enjoy it.

AN: I want to dedicate this chapter to SavageWoman for giving me the push to actually write this story and share it with you. Thanks girlie! She is also my unofficial official beta. By the way, if you are in need of another awesome story read check out her story, Sleeping with a Monster. It's a masterpiece!

So buckle up! It's my first fic so it just might be a bumpy ride.

Bella POV

Three long hours. That is how long I had been sitting here in this small cramped room in the chapel waiting for Mike to show up. Anger and embarrassment coursed through my veins. The nerve of him to leave me here to face 200 people and tell them there would be no wedding. How could I have been so stupid? I knew he had issues with fidelity and commitment and yet I naively believed I could change him; that he loved me enough to change. Guess that shows me.

"I'm going to hunt him down and kill him. Just wait 'til I get my hands on him, he's gonna wish he was never born. I'll show him what happens when a guy messes with my little sister," Edward barged into my refuge in a rage-filled haze. His untidy bronze hair was all over the place, probably from him running his hand through it to calm himself. His green eyes burned with fury. He was standing stock straight; his six-foot frame radiated anger, as if he could kill a man with just one look. He was completely livid at Mike, he never liked him, always thought I could do better but I guess he was wrong, because apparently not even he wanted me. I finally stood up and placed my hands on Edward's shoulders to calm him down. Rose would not be happy if he did something stupid, and Rose was not someone to mess with.

"Edward, calm down. I'm okay, really. I should have known it would happen. Just like I knew he was cheating on me with the cheerleaders in high school. Now, come on, take me home so you can get back to your wife." My words sounded weak, even to myself. I managed to say it with a straight face though. I did not once cry. That would have pushed my brother over the edge. He never could handle seeing me in tears. I tried to place a smile on my face but my facial muscles refused to budge, so much for presenting a strong façade. Edward saw right through me.

"It's ok you know, Bells. You don't have to act strong, it's ok to let it out, it's ok to cry, hell it's even ok to punch something. Just don't close yourself out. Everything will work out for the better." He gave me that reassuring crooked smile of his. The one that made all my problems go away when I was a kid. He ran his fingers through his already messy hair and wrapped his arms around me; reassuring me, I was not alone. I pulled away from him and looked into his green eyes. Those expressive green eyes that were currently reflecting my own pain and anguish along with his own reassuring twinkle.

"I'm fine Edward I just need time alone. I'll be fine, I can handle this," he gave me that look – that look that seems to penetrate and search my mind for any trace of deception. That look that always made me feel like he was trying to read my mind. I stared straight into his green eyes and said, "Really, Edward I'm fine, just take me home now. I can't stand to be here any longer. I need to be at home and work this out in my head ok." I flashed him the cheeriest smile I could muster and hoped he would let it drop and just take me home so I could wallow and drown my sorrows in some Ben and Jerry's. He eyed at me with a skeptical look but then nodded his head just slightly. I had won.

He finally relented and took me home. I walked in, locked the door, curled up into a ball, and sobbed. I cried like I had never cried before. My body shook with sobs and my world felt like it was crumbling around me. I let it all out, I cried, I vented, I tried to wrap my head around it but it just did not make sense. So, I cried some more until darkness overtook me and I fell asleep.

I awoke to the sound of a doorbell ringing. My neck was sore from the awkward position I had fallen asleep in and my entire body ached. It had been a restless night. I pulled myself up off the couch and turned towards the door. I raised my hands over my head in a feeble attempt to stretch and rid my body of the kinks it had acquired in the last twelve hours and opened the door. The sight of a UPS lady standing in my doorway threw me off. I couldn't for the life of me remember ordering anything and my father had stopped receiving mail here for three years now.

"I have a package for a Miss Isabella Swan," the petite, tan woman stated. She was maybe five feet four, give or take an inch. She had warm honey colored hair and hazel eyes. She seemed happy and put together in her brown regulation UPS uniform. I, on the other hand, looked a mess. My dark brown hair was all over the place, my brown eyes were bloodshot from all the crying I had been doing, and I'm sure my face was streaked from water-proof makeup that wasn't really water-proof. My baggy sweats and shirt hung off my body, drowning me. My appearance had definitely taken a dive.

"I am Isabella," I said as she handed me the brown pad to sign. She handed me a thin envelope with the UPS logo on the front. I wondered what it was.

"Have a nice day ma'am," she said as she walked away and I shut my door again, effectively shutting out the world around me. I tore open the envelope and I found a letter addressed to me in Mike's untidy scrawl. I thought it a miracle I could even read his handwriting. I was torn between reading it and just burning it. I was not sure I wanted to read what he had written. Why should I give him that courtesy when he had left me stranded at the altar to face all those people alone? If it hadn't been for Rose and Alice holding my hands while simultaneously restraining my peeved brother I don't think I could have gone out there and told them that Mike had left me without so much as a thought. I unfolded the paper and began to read, completely unprepared for the contents.

Dear Bella,

I'm sorry I could not make it to our wedding. But, I have to be honest with you. I really did mean to settle down with you, you are good for me. You kept me grounded. And while you are the perfect woman to take home to mom and marry, I just can't bring myself to do it. I don't love you Isabella and I am not sure I ever did. You were good for me, you kept me out of trouble, you helped me get through school, but you were never my type of girl. You are conventional, predictable, and frigid. Making me wait for that long was just cruel. A man has needs and you couldn't fulfill a single one so I'm sorry but I can't tie myself to that for the rest of my life.

Jessica and I have decided to go to Aruba together. She is more my type of girl. She is neither predictable nor prudish. She makes me happy in ways you never could. We'll both be better off this way. I love Jessica, I always have. She is the perfect woman with the right attitude towards me and my needs. I want you to understand why I had to do what I did. I need you to understand that she was the better choice. I hope that one day you will be able to forgive me.

Mike

So that was it. He ended our six-year relationship by running off with my bridesmaid and leaving me with a stupid letter proclaiming my flaws. The bastard! He was probably in Aruba with her right now. How could I have been so naïve? It should have struck me as odd that Jessica had called me the morning of the wedding proclaiming to be so sick she could not get up when she was completely fine the night before. Food poisoning, yeah right. Jessica was probably sitting on some lounger chair in Aruba on my honeymoon, in my honeymoon clothes, toasting to a future on my dime. Damn, I cursed the day I met Jessica Stanley in Junior Government. Who knew a study group would lead to this? I had befriended Jessica, I had consoled her when she moved back to town and had no one. When Tyler had dumped her, I had invited her along with Mike and me so that she would not be alone. Little did I know that I was the third wheel, not her. Pure hatred surged within me and I felt an increasingly potent desire to throttle both of them with my bare hands. The nerve! I'll show them.

One Year Later

I was standing in the middle of the one and only grocery store in Forks, Washington. It was times like these that I hated small town life. When a girl was craving Sarah Lee goodness in the middle of the week the shelves were very scarcely stocked. It looked like I would need to find another way to cure my need for something sweet. Just as I was about to reach for the popcorn I heard an eerily familiar voice. I could have sworn I had heard it before but I just could not put my finger on it. As I placed the box of Orville's in my basket, it hit me like a ton of bricks. It was Jessica. What to do? What to do? Panic. Oh God, oh God what was I gonna do. I wanted to run, scream, and hide, anything but run into them. I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole. So much for my recent motto; Carpe Diem – my butt. I was still predictable, frigid Bella. No matter how much I told myself that I was going to take a walk on the wild side, I just had not had the chance to do it. I couldn't look at their faces; I knew what I would see. Pity would be displayed clear as day in their eyes.

Then, as if the gods were sending me a message, he stepped into my aisle, four precious aisles away from Jessica and Mike. He was certainly eye candy. In front of me stood the finest example of a male specimen I had ever seen. He was the most gorgeous man alive, I was sure of it. He was six foot five; at least, broad shoulders, and muscles galore! His bulging biceps were threatening to rip out of his shirt and what a shirt that was. It was snug but not too tight, enough to let me know that this man was definitely not afraid of a workout and definitely took care of his body. His short brown hair screamed military, as did his entire presence. He stood with an air of confidence I had never seen a man other than my dad and Edward wear. This man was definitely my chance. I felt drawn to him for some reason and I just had to meet him. I stalked over until I was right in front of where he had bent to examine a box of popcorn. I noticed his basket was full of all the heart attack inducing typical bachelor foods. I braced myself and tapped his shoulder. He straightened out and when he looked at me, his intensely bright blue eyes caught me by surprise. In the background, I heard Mike and Jessica coming closer. So, I took an even bigger chance. I released my basket and let it fall; I leaned up on my tiptoes and whispered to him.

"Kiss Me."

There it is, my first chapter. I hope you enjoyed it enough to review. Until next time.

Lorena