FYH Chapter 26

FYH Chapter 26

Another Day

EPOV:
We spent a total of a week and a half in Portugal before we moved onto Madrid, Spain. I really had not even seen that much of Europe on a whole, but what I had seen so far was beautiful and enchanting. I had to go out and buy a new memory card for my camera because we were taking so many pictures of ourselves everywhere. Mom was going to be thrilled with the amount of pictures that we were going to be sending back.
I had not participated in the last family therapy session because of the time difference. It had not been intentional. The session was scheduled at four Phoenix time; which was midnight here. Bella and I had crashed hard that night and never heard the phone ringing. They agreed that while Bella and I were in Europe the sessions needed to be in the morning their time so that we were not trying to stay up to catch the calls. Although, I was really thinking that there was not much to say that had not been said already. I had really forgiven my parents for all that they had done to me and I really just wanted to move on with my life.
I still had no intentions of ever living near my parents again. That seemed like a disaster waiting to happen. When, I mentioned that to Bella she just pursed her lips and sighed.
"Edward, if you are waiting for it to happen again then maybe you are not as over it and you think you are."
And that is all that she had to say to get me really thinking again. I kept going back and forth over whether I wanted to continue with the sessions. Every time that I asked Bella what I should do she would only tell me that it had to be my decision. That I should do what my heart told me to do. A lot of help that was. My heart was saying one thing and my head was saying another.
So I told Bella that I wanted to take a walk to clear my head for a bit. She was absolutely fine with that as she wanted to soak in a hot tub and relax with a book that she picked up. Do not get me wrong, I love my wife dearly but as we really had not had any time apart lately, I took it as a good time for some "me time".
Our first day in Spain however, we were too tired to do anything but sleep half the day away and then go for massages at the hotel's spa and then a quiet night of wondering around near the hotel and enjoying a quiet supper and retiring back to our room quite early for some much needed "alone time". Not that we had not had plenty of "alone time" in the last week and a half. But, hey, I am a nineteen year old man and, well, that should be self explanatory does not require further explanation.
The next day we started visiting everything that we put on our list of thing that we absolutely must see while in Spain. We also needed to shop for dress clothes to wear to the opera later this week. I had secured tickets for us to see Tosca and we wanted to use the opportunity to dress up a bit and have an elegant night. Truth be told, I was really just looking forward to seeing my wife in a sexy as hell evening gown and heels.
We were afforded the opportunity to sleep in as for today we were going to spend the morning at the Parque del Buen Retiro. We opted for a quiet brunch at the hotel before continuing on to our destination for the day. It was Madrid's largest park that was not open to the public until the late nineteenth century. Prior to that, the park had belonged to the Spanish Monarchy.
We spent the rest of the morning leisurely strolling through the gardens looking at all of the sculptures and monuments hand in hand. At one point, Bella pulled her hand from mine and wrapped her arm around mine and sighed. When we got to the part of the lake where you could rent rowboats in the summer, I regretted that we were visiting in the winter and vowed that one day she and I would return in the summer. I had suddenly had the vision of her and me in of those rowboats. It was like what you would see in one of those old movies where the guy is rowing and the girl is sitting sweetly in pretty dress and holding a parasol over her head. It was as if she could read my mind because she brought my out my internal musings with the comment, "I bet it is even more beautiful in the summer."
As we walked away from our little spot by the lake, I steered her toward the horse drawn carriages, intent on us taking a ride. I do not believe that the could be many more romantic moments than riding through a garden as amazing as this one in carriage, with a beautiful woman, cuddled under a blanket to keep warm.
After a lunch at one of terrace cafes, we made our way to the Basilica de San Francisco El Grande. On the outside it merely looked like just another cathedral. But once I stepped foot inside and took in the beauty and grandeur, I realized that there was something special about the place. I realized that Bella felt the same way when I heard her softly gasp beside me.
We spent the next hour wandering around the cathedral in complete awe. Just as we were preparing to leave the main cathedral to tour the museum, an idea hit me. I felt in my heart that I really needed to make it happen.
"Bella, I want to come back here and renew our vows on our anniversary. This time, I want my family present, to be a part of it."
BPOV:
Edward's request literally knocked the breath out of me. He not only wanted for us to renew our commitment to each other but he wanted to include his family in the occasion. It was truly mind blowing how far they had come in such a short time.
"I want that too." Was all that I had to say before he grabbed in a fierce hug and kissed the top of my head and thanking me repeatedly. I told him that there was nothing really to thank me for, but he just said that the was no way that he could ever say thank you enough for merely loving him like I do. I could say the same for him and the way that he loves me. There really was no more that we really needed to say to each other about it, so silently, hand-in-hand, we made our way to the basilica's museum. When I started planning this trip so long ago, right after I lost my parents. I never dreamed that it would be this amazing.
Later that afternoon, we made our way to some shops to get some fancy clothes to wear to the opera. I was really excited to see Tosca at the Teatro Real. It was a play about Napoleon's invasion of Rome in the 1800's.
But that night for supper we were going to a different kind of opera. There was a restaurant called El Café de la Opera where the waiters are required to be opera singers and they sing every night during the dinner service.
Edward was in a strange mood all night. It seemed like he had to be touching me in some way at all times. Whether it was merely holding my hand, his arm around my waist, or playing with my hair. I was happy he was in such a great mood because I knew that the next therapy session was coming in the next afternoon and he still had not told me if he was going to answer the call. I really hoped that he would. I really do not think he is as over it and he needed to be.
The next morning I woke up first. That happened pretty often as Edward was usually up late writing. I ordered some coffee and breakfast from room service and went a laid down of the couch in the living area, closed my eyes, and waited for the food. My back was hurting and I knew that it could mean one thing. And thank God for that because it meant that I was definitely not pregnant. Not that I really thought that I could be. I just missed one pill after all. Although, I think that Edward wanted a baby more than he was admitting.
I was not on the couch long before Edward woke up and joined me. And by that I mean that he crawled on top of me and kept kissing my neck in the spot that he knew was ticklish just to get me giggling. He says that my giggles are one of his favorite sounds in the world. He was just getting even friskier when the waiter knocked on the door with our food. He groaned and tried to hold me to him but I pushed him off of me so that he landed on the floor and went to answer the door. I was starving and the man was trying to come between me and my food.
We spent the remainder of the morning taking a leisurely stroll around some shops close by the hotel. We did not want to end up stuck out somewhere on a bus or anywhere in public really, when our family called.
It was really a more subdued call that when had been having lately. Alice was not saying much this time. She did mention that she had met with a realtor and put her home up for sale. Jasper was already in New York and she was eager to get there. Esme herself sounded a bit off, but I really could not blame her. Everyone was now leaving Phoenix and soon it would just be her and Carlisle left there. I could tell in every comment that she made that she was attempting to bite her tongue and not cry. There was something off and I just could not put my finger on what it was. But I think that Edward knew what it was. After the very strained call ended, Edward and I walked to a local café for a quick supper and then we went back to the hotel to relax and watch a movie. There had been something bothering my husband since that phone call that afternoon.
When we got back to the hotel however, my back was really killing me and all I wanted to do was soak in a hot tub of water alone. Yes, I was cranky too. Edward was such a saint that he just kissed me on the forehead and with a wink and smirk told me to get lost and let him have some alone time. I smack him upside the head and put on my best fake angry face, stuck my tongue out at him, and stalked to the bathroom. I could not help but laugh myself, when I heard Edward laughing from the living room.
I turned on my IPOD and sank into the hot water and waited for the pain to go away. After about forty-five minutes of lying there in the tub I am feeling a lot better and a bit hungry. So I decided that it was time to get out of the tub and explore the dessert options on the room service menu.
When I came out of the bathroom I could hear Edward talking to someone. I could only hear his voice so I knew that he had to be on the phone with some one. I heard him tell whoever it was that we loved them and ended his call. He obviously had not noticed me standing in the doorway because he jumped when he looked up and saw me standing there.
"I was just talking to my Mom." I figured it had to be someone in his family with the look on his face.
"Today is anniversary of that forest fire. She was struggling to let go already of us already and today was just a bad reminder to her. She knows that it will be hard for her when it actually happens and Emmett, Rose, and Alice are really gone. Right now, it is still just an abstract concept. But she said that she just keeps worrying about what ifs and she's trying to be supportive and be "good", as she put it, by not voicing her opinions and concerns. I told her that it is not going to help any of us heal completely if she is not completely honest with us."
"All mom's worry about their kids, Edward. I think it is in the official job description."
"That is what I told her. That we expected her to be upset and sad that we were leaving but we also needed to support our choices and let us spread our wings and fly."
"That's really poetic" I said with a giggle.
"That's what Mom said" and then he wrapped his arms around me, "are you feeling any better?"
"Yes. I want dessert though."
Edward got up and pulled the raspberry white chocolate cheesecake he had ordered for us out of our fridge and we laid ourselves out on the living room floor on a blanket and fed each other the cheesecake.
Before we knew it, it was our last night here in Spain. Tomorrow we would head back to the airport to move on to our next destination of Paris. But tonight we were headed for the opera. It was a magical evening and a magical evening. There was nothing sexier than seeing Edward in a tux and he said the same about me and the evening gown and heels that I picked out to wears. That is heels that he had insisted that I wear to bed. Yeah, we could just sleep on the plane.
A/N:
Sorry for the delay, but like I said in my notes for Living Life these chapters are requiring a lot more research and fact checking so they take longer to write. Below is my sources and just add anything wiki to the list. I went there a lot!
http:/www(.)lonelyplanet(.)com/spain/madrid/entertainment-nightlife/cafe/cafe-opera
http:/www(.)/index(.)cfm
http:/en(.)wikipedia(.)org/wiki/Buen_Retiro_Park