Chapter Thirty-Three

~Saved The Best For Last~

EPOV

It's been three months since Bella and I left Royce's hospital room. He died a few days later and, as planned, his lawyers contacted Bella almost immediately. Some random firm that Bella's aunt hired had been in charge of the Swans' estate years ago as well as the Harrington estate after Didyme died. Even though Bella had held onto their business card, she asked my parents to handle the legalities of the Kings' estate instead. They were more than happy to step in and it made us all feel much better that someone who loved Bella was truly looking out for her best interest and, more importantly, her safety, even more so once we became aware of the twisty workings of the King family's patriarch.

Let me tell you, I come from money. My parents have always worked very hard; James and I never wanted for anything growing up. They made sure we knew the way to handle money responsibly, as well as always instilling in us a strong work ethic, rather than training us to sit around and be lazy, spoiled asses. Bottom line, we've always had a nicely padded bank account. My girlfriend, however? She has money coming out of her ears. I mean, I never imagined she was sitting on that much loot. My parents put her in touch with my dad's cousin Riley, a financial advisor on Wall Street who is taking very good care of her and putting her money safely away so that she will never, ever need to be concerned about where her next meal is coming from. Or her children's. Or her grandchildren's. Or their grandchildren's. And that's after having donated over forty million dollars to the charities from the auction!

I mean it's that much money.

She's been thinking about donating a large amount of King's money to the hospital where Jasper works, Cooper Trauma Center, as well as the rehab center where Emmett and Rosalie work, Cooper River Rehab Associates. She's always believed Emmett was her hero, bringing her back to a functioning and active life worth living. Bella looked to me to get a feel of my opinion on her possible sizable donation. My response has always been for her to think about it, and then go with her gut. I'd support her in whatever she chose. Needless to say, I'm fairly certain that Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie, and the colleagues and patients they work with, are going to have some shiny new toys to play with very soon.

When all is said and done though, I'm certain Bella would return every penny if she could have her dad back. Going through the remainder of the boxes in the basement was cathartic for her. Pictures of her and her dad from years ago kept turning up, causing her to smile…and to cry. She was even able to relay some stories to me about where they were, or what was going on when a certain picture was taken.

The brain injury she suffered still baffles me from time to time. How can she remember times from when she was twelve, nine…even five years old, and yet not remember our first first kiss? Or even our last? She came across a picture where she looked miserable, lined up with all of her new classmates on her first day of kindergarten. She actually remembered being sad and not wanting to smile for the camera.

She also has a clear recollection of winning first prize, a McDonald's gift certificate, in a Halloween drawing contest for her local library. A picture her dad took shows her standing next to her scarecrow picture, all proud of herself. Little freckles across her nose and cheeks. Her long brown hair pulled away from her face. She was too cute. She remembered that she needed to stand on a chair in order to pose next to her drawing which was hanging high up on the library wall. I mean, she keenly remembered grabbing the chair from a small table and standing on it! She was six years old when that happened!

Crazy.

Business at Last Call slowed significantly after Labor Day weekend. I said goodbye to the ten employees hired as summer staff with the promise that the job they vacated would be waiting for them if they returned to LBI next summer.

On September 13, we celebrated Bella's birthday at the bar. Patrons wore party hats, we served chocolate-covered strawberries and ice cream cake, her favorites. I gave Bella a bracelet, which Rose helped me pick out before she left. Rose called it a "hugs and kisses" bracelet, I just liked the idea behind it. It had diamonds and sapphires, her birthstone (thank you Rose for that little bit of knowledge). Plus there were all the "X's" and "O's", hence the name. Bella flipped when she opened it and basically hasn't taken it off since. Then, as an even bigger surprise for her, we celebrated the following weekend in style by heading into Philadelphia for a two-night getaway with our friends who couldn't make it down to the shore on a Tuesday night for Bella's actual birthday.

Because I'm such a guy, I rented not just a limo, but a stretch Hummer to bring us into the city that Friday afternoon. It was so damn cool; I think my dick was hard for most of the trip, but maybe that was because Bella's hand was inconspicuously rubbing my inner thigh for over an hour. I swear, if James and Charlotte hadn't been in the limo with us the first half of the trip, Bella and I would have christened the hell out of that ride. We picked up Emmett & Rosalie at the rehab center in Camden after work and then grabbed Alice and Jazz from their home in Manayunk before finally heading to Center City.

For dinner that night, I made reservations at Fogo de Chao. It was freaking phenomenal. Since we're a bunch of carnivores, I'm pretty sure they lost money on the flat fee we paid. I'm not even sure Emmett's card had a red side. Every time I looked up, Emmett was flashing the green circle and waiters were rushing over to give him a new cut of meat. Poor Rosalie could barely even acknowledge her husband, because her nausea was still an issue and his plate was overflowing for the entire meal. After we rolled ourselves out their doors, Jasper and I agreed we had to take everyone out to Ortlieb's. As far as I'm concerned, it's the best jazz bar in the entire city. We hung out there for two sets. I even got to shake hands with Kevin Eubanks, who used to play guitar for Jay Leno on The Tonight Show. He was there in the audience watching his brother, an accomplished trombonist in his own right.

We all stayed at the Ritz-Carlton for the weekend. We were treated like royalty and had a spectacular time. I made sure our suite was decked out with multiple vases of pink roses for Bella, complete with petals sprinkled on the bed. Jasper finagled his connections with medical colleagues and managed to get us all tickets to the Phillies game for Saturday. Luck was definitely on our side as we watched them smack the hell out of the Cardinals and clinch the National League East title. It was an awesome night to be at the ballpark. Energy levels were through the roof!

Even though it was close to midnight when the game was over, we were so pumped that we had the nerve to go back to the hotel, change clothes and go dancing down on Delaware Avenue. We ended up at The Roxxy and joined the other gyrating and writhing sardines on the dance floor, their nightly mating dances in full effect. I didn't care about them at all, though. I had the love of my life hanging off my arm all night long. It only took about an hour of sexy dry humping to music and working up a serious sweat for us to be all ready to go back to the hotel to satisfy our urges.

Sunday we all slept in, had a leisurely lunch down near Penn's Landing and just relaxed, enjoying each other's company. The limo picked us up at five in front of the Ritz and we were back on Long Beach Island by eight that night. My sole mission for Bella's birthday this year was to stamp out the lingering ghost of her eighteenth birthday. I feel like the weekend accomplished that goal. She was beaming from ear to ear the entire time.

Making our own new and happier memories was our goal every day when we woke up.

After Royce's death, we spent the next couple of weeks working through her entire basement, holding on to keepsakes she truly cherished and getting rid of boxes that didn't mean a thing to her anymore. Suffice it to say, it was mostly possessions or memories having to do with her mom that ended up getting pitched. I wasn't going to argue with her. That visit with Royce pretty much sealed the deal on proving that Renee Swan was a heinous mother and a selfish bitch altogether.

One afternoon while we were hauling boxes to Good Will, Bella told me that she wanted to fund the remainder of the cost to get the bed and breakfast ready for business. I turned her down immediately. We politely argued about it, until I got frustrated and told her to drop the subject. James and I had a very profitable summer at Last Call and Four Seas Catering, earning well beyond what was needed to cover the cost of supplies for the B&B. The construction at the hotel was already under way and would be completed by mid-November. There was NO way we needed my girlfriend's money.

End of story…or so I thought.

The B&B remodeling kicked into high gear after our getaway to Philadelphia. I'm not sure I can pinpoint the exact moment she convinced me to use "a pittance" of her money, her words not mine, but if I were a betting guy, I'd say it was while I was coming like a fucking freight train on Saturday night of her birthday weekend. She busted out a Jedi mind-trick and used black lacy lingerie to persuade me. I have no goddamn willpower; let's just leave it at that.

A few days later, when she reminded me of our agreement, I told her it was cruel to hold me to a promise I made while I was at my most vulnerable. Seriously, how's a guy supposed to think rationally with his girl's pouty lips and hot mouth swallowing his dick? AND DON'T FORGET SHE WAS WEARING THE DAMN LINGERIE! She had no mercy though, just smiled and winked one of her sexy baby browns at me and that was that.

Her contribution is paying Dave's salary. He's taken over the shifts I'd normally work, freeing me up to focus all of my efforts on the remodeling, so we can be ready to open our doors by Valentine's Day next year. Even though it's a Jersey Shore town, people are always looking to get away for a romantic night. Plus, Presidents' weekend will follow right after that, and booking long weekends is always a money maker, even in the off-season.

In all of this construction work, the bonus is that Bella has become insatiable. My darling girl seems to have a thing for me wearing only jeans and my tool belt. She also loves me barefoot, but that particular sexcapade ended abruptly and tragically when I stepped on a nail and wound up in the convenient care clinic bleeding and in need of a tetanus booster shot. Not cool at all.

Anyway, I do whatever I can to make sure she always sees me dressed in my construction uniform. She uses lingerie? Well, I'm packing Levi's and a Dewalt, baby.

Game on, sister!

Thankfully, all the kitchen construction was done when we first bought the house. Four Seas Catering has been booked solid every weekend from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Though James and I share the cooking, I've been the one working most of the parties, leaving him to run the bar. He's pretty much been the go-to guy over there while I'm busy with the B&B construction, so it made sense for him to stay with the bar's day-to-day operations as I ran the catering events. Bella has been able to work almost all the parties with me, so even when I'm dog-tired and don't think I have the energy to carve another slice of prime rib, my girl walks by and pinches my ass or gives me a quick kiss and I'm re-energized to make it through another holiday party.

Our first Christmas together was quiet but perfect. I did the best I could to make the day as happy as possible for what had become a somber occasion for Bella in past years. We woke up Christmas morning and I prepared us zeppole and mugs of hot chocolate with whipped cream. Still in our pajamas, we opened stocking stuffers and gifts and relaxed by the fireplace until my parents arrived mid-afternoon. James and Charlotte showed up just as we were sitting down to antipasti and then stayed through the main course of lasagna, followed by struffoli and homemade Christmas cookies for dessert. Bella couldn't believe the amount of food we served just for the six of us. We just laughed and told her she'd get used to it. Being raised by two Italian grandmothers, my mom's traditional Christmas menu was epic. And now that James and I have made cooking our careers, she happily allows us to take over the duties on Christmas Day.

We weren't able to see any of our friends on the twenty-fifth, but they're all heading down to us this evening and we'll be together for the New Year's Eve bash at Last Call tomorrow night. Jasper took the family down to Texas for several days over Christmas to spend time with his parents and younger brother. Rose and Emmett were up in Rochester with her family. We're looking forward to all being together again this weekend. Bella is especially thrilled that we'll have OUR first official house guests.

It's been surprisingly busy this week at the bar. I've started working some normal shifts again since the remodeling is all but finished at the B&B. The only thing left to do is pick out the colors for the bedroom walls and the bedding and decor to match. Alice lives for this part. She's been salivating while watching it all come together...waiting on the sidelines with a "Put me in, Coach" mentality. Over a year ago, I'd promised her that she would get to do the honors when the time came to decorate each bedroom. She said she'd have all her samples and decor magazines with her when they get down to Loveladies later this evening.

~~~~~L~A~S~T~C~A~L~L~~~~~

BPOV

"Babe!"

"Yeah?"

Last Call Girl Tshirt; ordered in burgundy & black

"We've got a party of girls up here asking for Last Call t-shirts!" I'm calling down the stairs into the wine cellar.

"Okay, I'll grab a bunch...I'm on my way up now anyway!" His voice is muffled coming from inside the cellar, but I hear the door slam shut behind him and see him trudging up the steps.

"Hey." He gives me a peck when he reaches the third step, bringing us face-to-face.

"Hi! These girls are a riot. I recognize a few of them from the summer, actually. When they heard there was gonna be a New Year's party, they said they all made plans to come down! They're the ones who booked up all twelve rooms in your hotel!"

"No shit? That's awesome. I'll go over and say hi."

"They've dubbed themselves the Last Call Girls because they love the bar so much," I giggle at the hilarious play on words.

Edward puts the crate of wine down at my feet, a pile of t-shirts thrown on top.

Back of LCGirl Tshirt

"Call girls, huh? Does that make me and J their pimps?" He leans down and starts kissing under my ear, his fingers hooked in the belt loops of my mini-skirt, pulling me closer.

I laugh at his comment. "I guess it does." Unngh, sucking...biting...legs turning to jelly... "So, what would that make me? As the girlfriend of their pimp?" I whimper as his hot breath radiates over my neck and shoulder.

He stops sucking on my neck and looks at me, eyebrows scrunched, pondering for a second. "Uhh, their Madame?"

"HA!" I guffaw at the premise and kiss him softly on the lips but pull away before he starts revving me up. He whines at the loss of my mouth. "We've got quite the crowd forming out there. We don't have time, hun. Can I give you a rain check for later tonight? Let's saaay, midnight?" I sweet talk him, batting my eyelashes and squeezing his luscious ass through his faded jeans.

"Oh, you better believe we're kissing at midnight! And doing a helluva lot more than that when we get home!"

I giggle at his demands. "Sounds good to me. After all, who am I to argue with my pimp?"

He smacks my tush in response and grabs the crate before we turn the corner back onto the busy floor of the bar.

~~~~~L~A~S~T~C~A~L~L~~~~~

"I can't believe you're all getting tipsy without me, I should never have agreed to work tonight!" I bellyache as I'm clearing the empties from my friends' table and replacing them with refreshed drinks.

"Aww, no worries Bells. We're not leaving for another two days and you have both of them off, right? I promise to get you drunk tomorrow night...seeing as how I can't do that with my wifey anymore!" Emmett teases Rosalie, who's glowing in her fifth month of pregnancy.

I give a sympathetic pout to Rose who just rolls her eyes at her silly husband's antics.

"Speaking of which, can I get you something besides water?" I question Rosalie, who's playing with her straw.

She thinks about it for a second and says, "Yeah, actually! Can I have a 'Bella Special'?"

I laugh and ask, "You mean a Shirley Temple with three extra cherries?"

Rose nods, smiling, "Yes, please!"

"You got it. Be right back."

Holy moly. It's like standing room only tonight! I never thought we'd have such a huge crowd for this New Year's party. I mean, I'm thankful for it. They keep us employed, but for a shore town in the dead of winter, snow on the ground, cold air blowing off the ocean on top of frigid December temperatures...these people are crazy!

I laugh to myself, approaching Edward who's joking with a customer while he refills his beer mug.

"There's my girl now!" He croons and I smile at the customer who acknowledges me with a raise of his glass. "What can I get for you, sexy?" Ooooh, that smirk. Panty meltdown, check!

"Rosalie is finally upgrading from water and asked for a 'Bella Special'...isn't that cute?"

He smiles with a happy huff. "Not as cute as you...but yes. I think I'm gonna put it on the menu for next summer. Whadda you say?"

I feel a blush come across my face as my grin widens. "You sure you want to share that with the world? I thought you made that drink only for me? Well me, and our very pregnant friends." I giggle.

He chuckles and leans over to kiss me, placing the glass on my tray. "If you don't want me to share it, I won't. It's your call, baby. Just know that I love you so much, I'm willing to spread the joy wherever possible."

"Well, how can I argue with that?" I say, bending in to reciprocate the peck when I notice the time on his Citizen wristwatch. "Oooh! Ten minutes till midnight! I'm gonna check in with my tables to make sure they're all set and then I'm coming back here for that kiss I promised you!"

He winks and nods, turning back to a few customers waving twenties in his direction.

I swing by the six tables I'm responsible for and end with my friends. "You guys all good here? Just a few minutes till twelve!" I smile, looking around.

"Yeah, we're good, Bells!" Alice smiles and turns to whisper in Jasper's ear.

"I'm registering a complaint," I hear Rose say. "I got jipped a cherry! I only have two in my glass!" Rosalie holds up her highball to show me the evidence.

I put my hand over my heart, feigning shock. "Well, that'll never do! Gimme that thing!"

I laugh, grab her glass and walk back over to the bar to give my boyfriend an earful.

"Hey, bartender!" I shout playfully at Edward, who looks in my direction with his eyebrows raised in question.

"What's up?"

"You only gave Rosalie two cherries in her 'Bella Special', man! You're slacking!" I joke while he bends down to change the tap on one of the kegs.

"Can you get it, babe? My hands are kinda full here," he asks, looking back over his shoulder at me, making sure I heard him over the crowd.

"Sure, no problem." I walk around the bar with a smile on my face and head to the garnish station. Flipping up the lid on the cherry compartment, all motion ceases and my breathing stops suddenly when I look inside.

EPOV

This is it. She's frozen, head tipped down, staring into the cherry container.

l look over at James who has a huge grin on his face, giving me a subtle nod 'cause he can see her reaction perfectly from the front. His camera is pointed in our direction, he's filming the whole thing so I can watch it later.

Right now, all I can see is the back of her...

…because I'm behind her on the floor, down on my right knee.

I see her raise her hand to her face as she reaches in and pulls out the black velvet box and then turns around.

Her eyes are searching wildly during her slow motion turn, and then she finds me at her feet. Her neck and chest are flushed and her eyes have turned glassy just as I hear James yell to the crowd, "ONE MINUTE TILL MIDNIGHT!"

She looks down at me; gravity pulling a single tear down each cheek.

I smile brightly, knowing this will be one of the best moments of my life. My hope was to take her completely by surprise, considering the word "marriage" has never entered our vocabulary once, even though we've been together for almost six months.

Somehow people have caught on to what's happening around them and much of the crowd surrounding the bar has grown silent, eager to watch and hear this scene play out.

"Bella?" I grin through her name.

She nods, holding the ring box out in front of her, showing me as if to say, "Look what I just found!"

I take it from her hand, and grasp her left hand in mine.

"A little over seven months ago, on Memorial Day Weekend, you walked through those doors right over there," I motion with my head, "and turned my world upside down for the second time in my life. It seems you and I have a track record for finding each other on that specific weekend."

She continues to nod, her bottom lip quivering, tears silently streaming down her lovely face.

"Well, with that being said, I was sorta hoping that for Memorial Day Weekend of next year, I might find you walking toward me, wearing a white dress...ready to turn my world upside down for a third and final time."

Her silence ends with a happy burst of laughter and smiles.

Bella's engagement ring (and future wedding band)

"So my question is; will you start out 2012 as my fiancée? I want to be your husband more than anything in this world, Bella. Whaddya say, pretty girl…will you marry me?"

I swallow hard, a smile still playing on my lips, thankful that I got to the end of my speech without breaking down and crying like a baby.

The crowd surrounding us is silent, with a few "awwws" peppered in from the female voices.

My eyes are trained on Bella, even though I can see James has let our friends behind the bar so they can see it all without the crowd blocking their view.

Unexpectedly, Bella drops to her knees right in front of me. Her chest rising and falling with each shuddery breath she takes. Her tears have stopped falling, but the stains are visible and still look moist.

She has a smile and laugh on her lips that makes me want to kiss the hell out of her, but I won't do it. Not until I hear the words.

"TEN-NINE-EIGHT..." the crowd starts chanting in the background.

"Yes," she squeaks. "Oh my God, I'm so in love with you, Edward. Yes! Yes! I want to be married to you!" She laughs and cries, tears flowing steadily again.

"FOUR-THREE-TWO-ONE...HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

Relief washes over me knowing she's agreed to be mine forever. I slip the diamond ring on her delicate finger and bring it up to my lips, kissing it tenderly.

"I love you, Bella." My hands frame her face as my thumbs brush away the tear streaks. I capture her lips with mine. No need to go crazy with a raunchy public display of affection. We can take care of all that when we get home later.

We pull back to look at each other, smiling, laughing, stupid in love. Our foreheads are resting against each other as we catch our breath. I bring her left hand up to my chest and place it over my racing heart.

"It's yours, Bella. It always has been, whether I knew it or not. My heart is yours."

She smiles and leans into my chest as I wrap her in a tight hug. The sensation of her hot breath through my t-shirt sends chills all over my body.

"I love you," she murmurs, the vibrations of her words more evident than the actual sound considering the bar patrons have been whooping and hollering ever since the stroke of midnight and Bella's "yes" to my proposal…choruses of "Auld Lang Syne" being sung off key.

After a minute or so of a warm embrace, I hear Rosalie, Alice, Charlotte and Kate squealing and clapping in the background. I look over to see the proud smiles of James and my best friend, Jasper. Emmett's grin is beaming like the proud "big brother" he truly is to Bella.

Happy New Year! Happy Engagement!

I stand up and pull Bella with me, kissing her gently once more. "Come on, pretty girl, your fan club awaits."

She smiles, turning in my arms, and we both walk toward the sea of friends and family who surrounded us for every moment that's counted.

Years ago, standing heartbroken in front of the LOVE fountain, who knew that last call I made would be the best call I ever made? After all, it ultimately led me back to Bella.

It led us back into each other's arms...where fate knew we always belonged.

~~~~~T~H~E~E~N~D~~~~~