(Edythe POV)
We were at my parents house because Thomas had insisted on sparring at dawn, again, and Carlisle had offered the easiest solution: stay here, eat here, then go to school from here. It was practical. It was also, in its own quiet way, domestic.
Alice was ecstatic to have control of his wardrobe now as well, laying out his clothes (with my approval) when he returned from training. He was aghast at the thought that he now had two closets. His one at home and now one at the Cullen house. His frustration was cute and mostly for show, a performance meant purely to tease Alice.
Currently, Thomas sat at the kitchen island with a plate that looked like it belonged to three people instead of one. He ate with the kind of intent only humans could manage…every motion alive, warm, relentlessly mortal. I watched him for a moment longer than necessary, letting the steady cadence of his heartbeat smooth the sharper edges left over from yesterday's talk with Leah.
He glanced up. "You're doing the staring thing again."
"I always do the staring thing," I replied, and let my eyes drift, deliberately, to my hand. The ring caught the overhead light and fractured it into soft, muted colors.
His mouth twitched. "I'm still not over the fact that it's real."
"Neither am I." I crossed to him and set my hand lightly on his shoulder. "But we need to talk about what real means."
His eyebrows lifted. "That sounds like a trap."
"It's logistics," I said evenly.
He made a low, dramatic sound in his throat. "Alice has infected you."
I ignored that…mostly.
"In a few weeks," I began, "spring break happens."
He stilled mid-motion. Fork hovering. "Okay?"
"I want our wedding then."
The words landed. I watched the moment his mind stopped sprinting and narrowed into a single line of attention.
For a heartbeat, he didn't breathe.
Then he exhaled slowly, like he'd been holding more air than he realized. "Spring break," he repeated, tasting it. "That's soon."
"Yes."
His eyes softened. "I thought you wanted small. Quiet."
"I do." I slid my fingers along his jaw, the gesture careful, intimate. "Small doesn't mean delayed."
He stared at me like he was trying to memorize my face again.
"You're sure?" he asked. I knew it wasn't doubt, Thomas did not treat my choice like a formality.
"I'm sure," I said. "I want something intimate. Private. Not a performance. Just… us. And the people who matter."
His smile turned faint and crooked. "Alice is going to spontaneously combust…again."
"She will," I agreed. "Later. Not today."
He stood from the table, close enough that the warmth of him pressed into the space between us, and kissed my forehead, reverent, steady, as if it was a vow made without witnesses.
"Okay," he said softly. "Spring break."
It should have been the end of the conversation.
It wasn't, I gently pushed him back to his seat to finish breakfast as I continued.
"There's another thing," I said, lowering my voice.
Thomas's expression shifted immediately, attentive. "What is it?"
"The wolves," I said. "Not a crisis. Not a fight. Just… the reality that they're young, volatile, and strong…and they'll become stronger. If they're going to learn control and coordination, they need someone who can meet them where they are without turning it into a dominance contest."
His gaze sharpened. "You want me to train with the pack."
"Yes."
A pause.
He voiced the first barrier out loud. "Your family can't go."
"No," I said simply. "None of my family can. The treaty is clear. This would be you, alone, working with them on neutral terms. Not us 'showing up.' Not Carlisle mediating. Not Jasper smoothing the room."
Thomas studied me for a long moment. "Why are you bringing this up now?"
Because Thomas cared. Because Leah mattered to him. Because I had seen what silence did to her.
But I kept my tone steady. "Because you can do something the rest of us can't," I said. "You can fight at their pace, hard, fast, physical, without forcing them to measure themselves against a vampire."
His mouth quirked. "You mean I can take a hit without starting a war."
"Yes," I replied. "And you can hit back hard enough that they have to respect you. While you're still human, you have the strength of a vampire. Maybe not a newborn, but as close as we have available."
He didn't argue, which told me he understood the point: it wasn't about proving strength. It was about teaching restraint without humiliation.
Thomas nodded slowly. "Alright. I'll talk to Sam."
Relief wasn't something my body was built to express, but my mind unclenched anyway.
"One more thing," I added.
He arched an eyebrow. "There's always one more thing."
"Bella," I said. "Charlie's grounding won't last forever."
Thomas's expression shifted, protective older-brother instinct sliding into place. "You think he'll let up soon?"
"I don't know," I said honestly. "But Alice mentioned she saw a few possible futures where Charlie offers Bella a deal…good behavior, no reckless choices, more freedom. He's trying to be fair. He just doesn't know how."
Thomas exhaled. "And when Bella gets a little freedom, she's going to use it to see Jacob."
I didn't deny it. "That's likely."
His eyes narrowed slightly. "Edward won't like that."
"No," I agreed. "And he will try to be subtle about it at first. He'll tell himself it's about safety. But it's also about trust, and jealousy, and the fact that Jacob is a reminder that Bella has a life outside of him. It's going to take some time for him to get past that."
Thomas leaned back against the counter, looking suddenly tired in the way humans did when they could see trouble coming but couldn't stop it. "So, what do we do?"
"We don't force it," I said quietly. "If Edward tightens his grip, Bella will pull away. If he breathes and lets her make choices, she'll come back to him on her own."
Thomas was silent for a beat, then nodded once. "Okay."
I lifted my hand again, watching the ring flash softly. "And spring break."
His mouth softened into something warm. "Spring break," he echoed.
Carlisle's footsteps approached behind us, quiet, controlled. He entered the kitchen with that calm presence that always made the room feel steadier.
"Good morning," he said, eyes briefly catching the ring with gentle approval. "How are we doing?"
Thomas's grin flickered. "Apparently getting married on a timetable."
Carlisle's smile deepened. "That sounds… efficient."
I didn't correct him. If he wanted to call it efficiency instead of certainty, he could.
Carlisle's gaze moved from Thomas to me. "And after the wedding?"
"We finish school," I said, letting the word settle with intention. "After graduation, we take a planned honeymoon…no deadlines, no timetables, and no reason to come back until we're ready."
Carlisle considered me for a moment, that quiet, physician's attention that never felt invasive—just thorough.
"A planned honeymoon," he repeated gently, as if testing the idea for hidden fractures. "That is… reasonable."
Thomas snorted under his breath. "That's Carlisle-speak for I approve but I'm trying not to scare you off with feelings."
Carlisle's smile deepened. "I am not sure anything could scare you off at this point, Thomas."
"That's debatable," Thomas said, and flicked a glance toward the hallway like Alice might materialize with fabric swatches and a tape measure.
As if summoned by the thought, Alice drifted into the kitchen doorway—too casual, too bright-eyed, the very picture of restraint in a body that had never been built for it.
"I'm not doing anything," she announced immediately.
Jasper appeared behind her like a shadow with a pulse of amusement. "She's doing nothing very loudly."
Alice elbowed him without looking, then bounced closer. Her gaze went to my face first, like she was checking that I still meant it, before it flicked, briefly, to my hand and away again.
"I heard the words 'spring break,'" she said, voice syrup-sweet. "And I'm sure that was… a metaphor."
Thomas's eyes narrowed. "It was not."
Alice's smile sharpened. "Oh."
Jasper's hand settled on her shoulder before she could combust. Carlisle's gaze moved between them, calmly cataloging the chaos.
"A small ceremony," Carlisle said, redirecting smoothly, "would still require planning. Even minimal planning."
"I know," I answered. "Which is why I'm telling you now."
Alice's lips parted. Then closed. Then parted again. The struggle was visible.
Thomas pointed at her with his fork. "No."
Alice blinked innocently. "No what?"
"No steamrolling."
"I wasn't going to…"
Thomas lifted an eyebrow.
Alice sighed dramatically. "Fine. I wasn't going to steamroll. I was going to… glide. Elegantly. Like a swan."
Jasper murmured, "Like a hurricane in a tutu."
Emmett's laugh thundered from somewhere down the hall. "I HEARD THAT."
Rosalie's voice followed, dry, bored, and faintly irritated. "If you two break anything before I finish pulling part numbers, I'm throwing you all outside."
Carlisle's expression remained serene, but his eyes warmed. "We can discuss details later. For now, I'm glad you've chosen a timeline you're comfortable with."
Thomas shifted in his chair slightly, one of those tiny human movements that meant he was absorbing the weight of it. Then he nodded once, decisive.
"Spring break," he said again, and this time it sounded less like surprise and more like a promise.
Alice finally exhaled, like she'd been holding her breath for hours. "Okay," she said, voice suddenly soft. "Small. Intimate. Edythe's choice."
I met her gaze. "Yes."
Her smile returned—gentler now, proud in a way that didn't feel possessive. "Then I'll help the way you want. Not the way I want."
"That," Jasper said quietly, "might be the most heroic thing you've ever done."
Alice glared at him. "I can hear you."
"I know," he replied, unbothered.
Thomas pushed the last bite of steak and eggs around his plate and glanced at Carlisle again, circling back. "So… after the wedding, after graduation. Honeymoon. No deadlines."
Carlisle nodded. "And in the meantime, there are… realities to manage."
Thomas's gaze sharpened. "The pack."
Carlisle's attention flicked to me, then back to Thomas. "Yes. If you're going to approach them about training, you should be prepared for resistance. Not only from Sam, but from the others. Pride is a difficult thing to set aside."
"I'm not trying to replace anyone," Thomas said. "Just…" His jaw tightened. "I can help."
"I know," Carlisle said simply. "But help can look like provocation if it arrives the wrong way."
Thomas's mouth quirked. "So I should make the offer peacefully."
"Preferably one that does not involve punching," Carlisle said, mild as ever.
Emmett wandered into the kitchen then, shirtless, hair still damp like he'd just come from the shower. He clapped Thomas on the shoulder hard enough to rattle bone, well human bone, anyway.
"If the wolves give you trouble, tell them you've been personally certified by Emmett Cullen as an acceptable opponent," he declared.
Thomas deadpanned. "That's definitely going to calm them down."
Emmett grinned. "You're welcome."
Edward entered last, quiet, composed, and faintly distracted in the way he got when Bella was on his mind.
Emmett's grin widened instantly. "There he is. Our favorite brooder."
Edward's mouth twitched, almost a smile. "Good morning, Emmett."
"Careful," Emmett warned the room, stage-whispering. "He's in a mood."
Edward sighed like he'd done this exact routine a thousand times. "I'm going to pick Bella up."
Emmett clasped his hands to his chest, dramatically moved. "Tell her I'm praying for her continued survival around you."
Edward finally looked at him, amused despite himself. "I'll tell her you're being unbearable again."
Emmett beamed. "That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."
Edward shook his head, still faintly smiling as he turned away. "Try not to break anything while I'm gone. That includes stripping bolts."
Emmett's eyes lit up. "No promises!"
Edward's answer came over his shoulder, dry but not unkind. "Of course not."
A moment later, the back door opened and closed, his departure controlled, familiar, almost casual.
Alice suddenly clapped her hands, sharp, bright, breaking the tension like snapping a thread. "Okay! School. Humans. Pretending we're normal. Everyone grab your things."
Thomas quickly finished the last of his steak, rinsed his plate and set it in the sink. I handed him his jacket and when he took it his eyes caught on the ring on my finger.
His expression did something small and helpless, like awe trying to disguise itself as irritation.
"I still can't believe you said yes," he murmured.
I stepped closer and leaned into him, brief and careful, so the others wouldn't have to watch anything too intimate. "You asked the right way," I whispered.
His hand found mine automatically, steady, grounding, then he let go to grab his bag. Alice was already herding us toward the garage like a general with excellent fashion sense. All three of us moved to Thomas's truck.
"Be normal!" Alice chirped, too cheerful.
Thomas muttered, "Define normal."
Normal was irrelevant.
We were building something real.