CH14: THE TRIP

Bella’s POV
We were driving off to the airport. Jacob offered to take us. I knew he was having trouble with the thought of Renesmee being so far away from him for a week. He and Nessie spent every waking moment together since I found out about the trip. I was surprised so see Edward so at peace with them together. He used to lock his jaws every time Jacob even whispered in her ear. He must’ve been as excited for another honeymoon as much as I was.
The few human memories that I had now were mostly from Isle Esme. As time flew by, these little bits and pieces disintegrated. The only thing that didn’t evaporate from my mind were the feelings I had that first night, when we were finally one, white on white, waist-deep in the calm water.
Renesmee and Jacob hugged for nearly 10 minutes. They were practically stitched together. I reminded her that we only had about an hour to get through the checkpoints and that was all it took. I didn’t want to have to physically pry them apart. He didn’t allow me to leave without saying goodbye to him either.
“Jake,” I said as he squeezed me tight. “You act as if we’re never coming back.”
“Just let me say goodbye to my best friend, okay?”
I laughed. “You’re going to help with the moving and building, right?” I asked. With the twins living with us now, there was simply not enough room for Cullen standards. Of course, Alice knew that this was coming. It was perfect timing, too, because sooner or later we were going to find another home anyways. Carlisle decided to switch hospitals as well. There was a good piece of land a little ways off from La Push, that way Nessie can still go to FJH and still be with Mia. While we’d be gone, Emmett and Jasper would team up with Esme and Alice to build and design a whole new Cullen mansion. Edward and I still preferred our quaint and perfect cottage so from time to time we could still access whenever we wanted.
“Yes, Bells, I’ll help out.” He said matter-of-factly. And then he whispered, “I’m working on that mission you sent out for me to do. Nessie’s gonna love it.” he said it low enough that Renesmee didn’t quite catch it.
I nodded and thanked him with another hug. Edward and Jacob said their farewells to each other, too.
“Have fun guys, but not too much fun. You know what happened when you guys came back from that little island of yours,” Jacob said as he was returning to the car. We all shook our head in amusement. He was always such a kidder. We all knew that it was impossible for me to get pregnant again. As much as I secretly wanted to have my little Edward, I knew that my body was completely frozen. I was thankful for Leila wanting to leave her children behind for Rosalie and Emmett. At least this way, Renesmee could somewhat have siblings, even if they’re not related to us at all.
The flight didn’t take as long as we expected. I had Edward to keep me occupied. As for our daughter, she slept quite soundly. I snuck a peek at her dreams and no doubt, it was mainly about Jacob. Apparently she was replaying her first kiss. This took me aback. I didn’t realize that they were this close. I stared at her; her face was so peaceful. I sighed and let go, giving her privacy in her dreamland. I didn’t like the fact that she was growing up so fast. It seemed like it was just yesterday when she first laughed. Now that day, I would never forget. It was hilarious seeing Emmett angry at my defeating him in an arm-wrestling match. But that was also the day when my sweet Renesmee Carlie giggled, marking that bell-like jingle into my mind. I knew that deep in my heart, having Jacob by her side made her happier than anyone else on this world, including me being with Edward. He was her will to live and I wouldn’t want it any other way. The only thing I worried about was the fact that along with their romance, we would have to tell her of my and Jake’s past.
Just then the pilot came through the PA system, announcing our arrival. At that same time, Renesmee stirred and her milk chocolate eyes looked up at me.
“Did you have a nice sleep, sweetheart?” Edward asked, weaving his fingers through her long locks.
“Mmhmm,” she hummed back. “Did I hear it right? Are we really here?”
I smiled at her excitement. She was really looking forward to the ocean. She was always coped up in Forks, never really feeling the heat of the sun.
“Yes, hon, we’re here. But we’re going to have to get there by boat first,” I answered.
“Come on, let’s get our luggage. Ness, did you really have to pack so much?” Edward remarked buoyantly.
“You know how Aunt Alice gets,” she replied equally elated.
We reached the island about an hour and half from landing. Just like the first time, Edward carried me towards the house. He was nothing if not thorough. Renesmee, on the other hand, dove right into the ocean when we were about a mile away from the shore; she had her swimsuit under her clothes before we left Forks. Once we set foot into the familiar living room, he left to retrieve our bags. I went through all the rooms trying to remember the last time I was here. The only thing that came to mind was Edward and I making love in the blue room and the room with the net canopy.
I heard him come in and I dashed to his side, needing his lips on mine. He dropped the bags and they made an audible thud. Being here a second time fueled my desire for him even more. He kissed me back with the same force as my fingers threaded through his hair. I didn’t know which room we were in and I didn’t care. I wanted him right here and right now.
We were going at it for about an hour when he suddenly stopped. I pouted and he just chuckled. And right on cue, I heard the front door open and close.
“If you guys are doing the nasty, can you stop for a bit so I can eat? I’m starving!” Renesmee said. Judging from the dripping I heard from her swimsuit, she had fun in the water. Edward has already managed to get dressed while I was still naked under the covers. This week was going to be an interesting one.
It was our second to last day on Isle Esme. Edward received a call from Carlisle the other day when we were watching a movie in the living room with Nessie. Her head was resting on my lap and I stroked her hair. He just wanted to tell us that the new house was complete and ready for us when we got back. This trip was indeed very fun and all but the three of us couldn’t deny that we missed Forks dearly. Everyone that we loved was there.
Renesmee became more and more restless as the days neared our depature. We all enjoyed going on an adventure on the island. I didn’t realize that there was a whole lot more to it. No doubt Emmett and Jasper would love the game here. Edward managed to catch a jaguar. Renesmee and I were completely content with the wild boar we found. She wasn’t used to these animals so most of the time we cooked for her.
Now we were in bed, with my head resting on his marble chest. During our stay here, the only casualties was the headboard of our bed and this time it was my fault. My grip was too strong I guess.
We spent time with Renesmee more than we did together, surprisingly. She clearly enjoyed her time here. All her time was dedicated to the water. Like us, she didn’t need to come up for oxygen. I didn’t allow her to swim too deep, just to be safe. When we arrived I didn’t expect for there to be 3 jet skis. Of course, like mother and daughter, Nessie got a thrill from the speed.
It was around dawn when Edward got up and got dressed. He handed me a lavendar sundress instead of my usual t-shirt and jeans. He was wearing something very casual as well, like this was all part of a plan. And then it struck me, today was officially our last day here and that meant it was Valentine’s Day. I threw it on immediately and made my way out to the kitchen to make breakfast for Renesmee. Before I got a chance to leave the room he was in front of me, blocking the door.
“What’re you doing?” I asked suspiciously. I swear my husband of mine was always up to something. He smiled crookedly at me and said, “I’m taking you out today. The whole day is reserved for just you and I. Nessie will be fine here. She even offered to pack our things. Although I know that girl will just spend more time in the water than pack. Anyways, if she needs us, she knows where we’re going to be because I’ve shown her the location a few days ago.”And with that, I let him take my hand and off we went to spend the entire day together.
He led me to the water; we were heading towards what seemed like the southern tip of the island. This island was bigger than I thought. It took us about an hour or two to reach his favored destination. We reached a spot where there were two huge rocks. What I didn’t see right away was the hole close to the far edge.
“Are you ready?” he asked anticipating my answer with a grin.
My eyebrows shot up. “We’re going into the hole?”
“Yes. I want to show you something. We can only get there by going in and swimming to the opening a couple ways away.”
Despite the waves crushing constantly against the rock, the water below it was very calm and peaceful. I looked to my husband and his smile never ceased. Right then and there I knew that whatever he had in store for me would be out of this world. Before I jumped in, I stole a peck on his lips.
The water was so still. It felt like satin gently rubbing against my rock hard skin. He was right next to me by the time I found the opening he was talking about. He took my hand, still in the water, and we came up for air.
I was amazed and completely stunned with my view. The crystal water reflected the hidden gems embedded the rock wall of this cave. It was incredible. The light changed the rocks into different shades of pale purple.
“Stuff like this just doesn’t exist.” I was overwhelmed.
“It does in our world.” He smiled at me and took my hand. “This isn’t even what I brought you to see.”
He took my hand and we entered the other side of the cavern and into another tunnel. After another few feet I saw the most breathtaking sight. Its ceiling was a perfect arc. It was like it’d been hand carved on purpose. Edward turned me around, put his arms around my waist.
“Look!” he said excitedly.
And I did. We were inside an even more enormous cave. Inside there was an island of jewels and rock that was surrounded by water. Stalagmites hung down from the ceiling and patterns were formed all over the walls. The water was flowing steadily down a tunnel while the light was coming through some of the holes from the top; it made an even more magnificent green. Looking at the gems and looking at Edward ignited the memory of when he told me a little about his human life. The color matched what I imagined his human eye color was.
In the center was a huge pillar of rock that was textured from centuries of being untouched but it was almost perfectly flat. We sat down and stared at each other, in awe at our surroundings. We were still wet from the swim over here and he just looked so sexy. He didn’t need to read my mind to know what I wanted to do. Part of me even considered telling him that he hadn’t needed a gem cave to get me to do this. I thought better of it and continued into our Valentine’s Day. I was too busy to do anything but keep my lips on his. Our kisses deepened quickly and our clothes were coming off practically by themselves. The flat surface was surprisingly comfortable.
I don’t actually know how along we were in the cave making love but he stopped after a long while. He got up and got dressed. Apparently there was more for us in store.
He led me out of the tunnel and turned towards the sun. It was about to set. We were on the other side the island now. He sat me down on where the forest floor met the sand and wrapped his arms around me as he leaned us back against a palm tree. The sun was turning the water and sky to a golden orange hue. Other than his breathing, there wasn’t another sound to be heard. It was absolutely serene.
My head was on his shoulder and I looked up to stare at his eyes. “It’s beautiful.”
He was already looking down at me. I’m not sure he’d looked at the sunset even once. “Yes, very beautiful.”
His lips were very close. Suddenly the sunset didn’t hold any interest for me anymore. I put my hand in his cheek and kissed him softly. This trip was filled with lots of romance and adventure. It didn’t matter where we were, though, because as long as I was with my wonderful husband and daughter, I was in paradise.
"Let's head back now. Renesmee's probably waiting to hear about our date," he said pulling us up. This time, we ran through the forest and we found the house in no time. He went inside ahead of me because I stopped to walk around the house. I was really going to miss this place. I hope it was as memorable to Renesmee as it was to me. As wonderful this vacation was ,there was no doubt that I was excited to leave and get back to our home and family.