𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭 | carlisle cullen (2)

(𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐞) wedding preparation

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BELLA AND EDWARD WERE GETTING MARRIED. Este supposed she should've seen that coming. Bella was desperate that Edward should be the one to change her and his terms were simple. He wanted their union, their connection. He wanted it to be official. Edward was very old fashioned but Este supposed that this made sense considering that he'd been alive back at the beginning of the 20th century.

It was similar to how planning Bella's eighteenth  had gone. Bella had asked for a small ceremony with minimal invites and Alice had twisted it and turned it into the wedding of the century. Este supposed that Bella had probably see that coming. Any celebration within the Cullen's house had to be large and impressive. It was simply the way that they worked. Or more accurately, the way that Alice worked.

There was a lot to be done before the date, more than Este realised. She hadn't had a lot of input in her own wedding and with her celebration it hadn't been overstated. Alice had listened to Este's wish but as well as that there hadn't been many people to invite. Este didn't have any friends or family outside of the Cullens, not anymore.

She helped as much as she could, hiding her silent thoughts about the whole thing inside her head. Realistically, Este didn't like the idea of them getting married so young. She supposed Edward and Bella would always be young no matter what they did. Edward was ageless and soon Bella would be the same.

Yet she wondered whether this was really what Bella wanted. When she saw the girl walking around the Cullen house, her eyes seemed almost lost as though filled with clouded nightmares. She did not ask Bella about it nor did she speak to Edward although she supposed her son had already seen some of the thoughts swirling inside her mind.

The relationship between Este and Edward wasn't exactly at breaking point again although Este didn't feel much like talking to him. There was this idea that he was constantly in her mind even when he wasn't. Este could feel a certain pressure somewhere embedded in her brain but she knew that was the ongoing anxiety that had plagued her. Since their argument, Edward had been leaving her thoughts alone or at least trying his best.

They'd talked as they always did. Este was civil and she didn't want to be childish and immature anymore. She supposed their problems were coming to an end now. Soon Bella would become one of them and the Volturi would be off their backs again. Este guessed there wasn't any need for panic and she had hoped that after Victoria was dealt with she could go back to that feeling of calm. But Este couldn't remember peace and she was unsure whether she ever would. For now her mind was lost in a continuing wander of darkness. She didn't know what to do about that.

However she did enjoy the distraction of the wedding to keep her mind at bay. Alice had everyone doing something. Este's main job had centred around the honeymoon. It had been Alice's idea to send Edward and Bella to her island and at first she'd been rather dubious about this.

The main reason for her aversion wasn't that she didn't mind people staying there or appreciating the beauty of the island but it had become a place of sanctuary for her. Este also liked to imagine that the island was her and Carlisle's place. It was rather selfish, the idea that the island was hers and hers only. This was technically true, it was under her name, it belonged to her. But Este supposed that it was fair to let the beauty of the island touch the eyes of others.

She'd sorted out the planes as she always did. Este was organised ahead of time. She knew plane timetables well. She sat in Carlisle's study behind his computer, clicking through websites easily and writing times and details down on a notepad beside her. She hired a boat for the two of them and set them up for two weeks. If they wanted longer then she could sort that out when they got there.