This time, the color scheme was black, lemon green and tangerine orange. The three-tiered wedding cake was topped with ribbons and roses. A half dozen square side cakes were wrapped with coordinating ribbons.
Alice was truly an expert at putting together weddings—and this one was put together in four days.
Washington had a minimum waiting period of three. We could’ve eloped to Vegas instead, but Alice wouldn’t hear of it. Besides, she already had all the clothes picked out and packed away in white clothing bags. Since she’d already sized everyone for Sue’s wedding, it wasn’t too hard to get everyone dressed. It was like we were all life-sized barbies. She was enjoying every minute.
Billy was the officiator, naturally. He’d taken to his new job with good humor. I wondered if he was going to be the officiator at Quil’s wedding.
I wasn’t sure if he’d live that long. He had several years to go before Quil’s imprinted mate would be anywhere near old enough. She was almost four.
Since Jacob was destined to be the next Quileute chief, I wondered briefly if he would ever be citing marriage vows. I shuddered at the thought. It was impossible to think of any of us as having that kind of authority. It seemed like such an ancient rite… Don’t you have to be old to do that kind of thing? Will any of us ever age again?
I had no desire to phase back into my wolf form. I didn’t want the rest of the pack feeling the waves of desire that overpowered me when Nahuel was near. I had never enjoyed sharing my male pack mate’s desires. It felt wrong, and I was sure—absolutely positive—they didn’t want to share my very feminine thoughts just then. I didn’t think I’d ever want to phase again. Thinking about it made me shudder in embarrassment.
Really, there wasn’t a current threat. Surely Alice would see any plans Aro made. He’d been strangely silent. We were all hoping he’d gotten over his desire to have Alice and Edward as part of his entourage.
We had almost the same group for my wedding that we’d had for my mom’s. Edward, Bella, Jacob, and Nessie were flying out on Sunday.
We planned the wedding for Saturday. I invited Sam and Emily. I just wanted them to know I’d moved on. I thought that was the least I could do for them. I was sure it was a relief not worrying about me anymore. I’d been a thorn in their side for far too long. I also invited all the shape shifters from Sam’s pack. They’d been part of my pack before I’d joined Jacob’s, and it seemed like a fitting farewell to them. I knew I wouldn’t be in La Push for much longer. Nahuel didn’t belong there.
Since Alice was in charge of both weddings, she made sure the refreshments and decorations were distinctly different. It was only thanks to her superhuman vampire abilities that she threw it all together in four days. I hadn’t anticipated such a lovely wedding. I’d always thought I’d do things simply if I ever married at all, but it was nice to wear a designer gown and to have Alice work on making me beautiful for the wedding.
Jasper and Alice’s wedding gift for us had been wardrobes for both of us. I had to smile. I was certainly in need of a wardrobe change. My refusal to accept clothing in the past hadn’t been because I didn’t need them. It had been bitter stubbornness on my part. That time, I was grateful for the gift. I had more clothes than any one sane person would need in a lifetime. Alice’s choices were more feminine than I was accustomed to, but I discovered that I actually liked dressing up for Nahuel. Pleasing him was my number one priority. That was certainly alien to me. I decided that it was appropriate to be Leah Cullen and not Leah Clearwater. I wasn’t exactly who I’d been.
Esme and Carlisle’s gift to us was a note waiving the debt Nahuel owed on his schooling. Such generosity astounded me.
Rosalie and Emmett gave us a blank check on car repairs. I hadn’t realized that Rosalie was a mechanic. If Jacob wasn’t planning to live in New Hampshire, I would’ve been happier using him. I sighed. The Cullens wouldn’t let me not fit in.
Edward and Bella gave us his Volvo. I was touched. Even if they had a ton of cars, this one must have particular sentimental value for them.
After the wedding, Nahuel and I headed south in the Volvo. Huilen drove the Tacoma home.
We were planning a short honeymoon trip driving down the coast to northern California. I hadn’t ever seen the redwoods, and the drive down the coast would be a first for me.
We would be returning by Tuesday night so Nahuel could be back in Seattle in time for the new semester at the University. I was going to look for some kind of job so I could attend in the summer. I might as well work on an education. I had all the time in the world, but why waste it? Besides, attending classes with Nahuel would be an adventure. And he wanted me there. Maybe it was the imprinting thing. I’d never tried to please anyone the way I wanted to please him. The sparkle in his eye when I made him happy was everything to me.
We were planning on living in the same apartment Nahuel and Huilen were sharing. Huilen worked nights, anyway, so we’d have all the privacy we wanted. It didn’t make sense to move when they were comfortable there.
The next three years were happy for us. I’d never imagined my life could be so content. I didn’t even consider phasing. My human life was too wonderful. Nahuel and I both graduated in history in June. We had already been admitted into law school. We were looking forward to our next adventure.