Moving Forward - J. Black

xx.

EDITED

The reception began close to dark, fairy lights decorating the wooden area as guests conversed around the set-up tables. The band played softly in the background as Eliza glanced around the beautifully set venue. "Eliza!" Seth Clearwater spotted the blonde at the reception and immediately ran over to her. "Hey, Seth." Eliza laughed as the shifter's hug made her tumble backward as he was unaware of his growing height and strength. "What are they feeding you?" Eliza joked with a light groan. "Hey, Billy." Eliza smiled at the older man that followed Seth over to her. "You look beautiful, Eliza." Billy gave the girl a small nod as he acknowledged his son's imprint. "Thank you." Eliza smiled lightly at the older man, thankful that he had grown to the idea of her being around.

"We wanted to stop over before we go congratulate the new couple." Sue Clearwater stood next to Billy, giving the blonde a smile of her own. "Have you heard anything?" Eliza looked to the tribal elders for an update on Jacob. "Friends spotted him near the Canadian border, but that's all I've heard." Billy shook his head in disappointment. Eliza gave a nod of disappointment herself and gave Billy a thankful look before the small group made their way over to Bella and Edward.

"Eliza!" another voice called out for the blonde, Angela smiled brightly as she approached the girl. "Hey, Ang." Eliza smiled as she was approached by Bella's group of friends. "The wedding's beautiful." Angela complimented as she glanced around at the setup. "Yeah, we were just saying how pretty everything was." Jessica Stanley immediately invited herself into the conversation. "Oh, thanks, you don't think it's too much?" Eliza joked with Angela as she motioned to the giant cake to her left, but the group immediately denied the possibility. "I'll let Alice know." Eliza laughed at how uncomfortable the group seemed. Guests continued to greet the newlywed couple as Angela sent her friends off to hang out with the blonde.

Eliza's attention was pulled from Angela when the Denali coven stepped forward to greet Bella and Edward. Eliza took notice of how Irina's attention was caught up on the small group of the Quileute tribe and immediately worried that things would go south. Eliza politely dismissed herself from the conversation with Angela and Bree walked over as she also took notice that something was wrong. "Eliza, is everything okay?" Bree glanced over at the newlyweds and Denali coven. "Uh, yeah, just family drama." Eliza let out a sigh of relief when Irina walk away from both parties. "We should probably take our seats." Eliza then noticed that Alice was beginning to usher everyone to their seats.

"Hello." Emmett tested the microphone as everyone was being quieted down for speeches. Eliza whistled to let him know he was good and to get the crowd to quiet, Emmett gave her a grateful smile. "Um, I'd like to propose a toast to my new sister." Emmett began his speech by raising his glass. "Bella, I hope you've gotten enough sleep these last 18 years, cause you won't be getting anymore for a while." Emmett's inside joke was not well received by the human population, specifically Charlie, and Eliza had to bite her lip to prevent herself from laughing.

Most of the speeches were short and sentimental until Jessica Stanley took the stage. "Well, Bella was just like everyone else, totally mesmerized by Edward. Or 'The Hair' as I call him." Jessica began her speech and Eliza had a feeling she was a little tipsy. "And then, suddenly, Edward is all about Bella, even though she's not the captain of the volleyball team. I'm just kidding, I'm just kidding. Or the president of the student council." Bree looked at Eliza confused as to who the passive-aggressive woman was and the blonde just shook her head as she tried not to laugh.

"Edward will be a good husband, I know this because I'm a cop. I know things, like how to hunt somebody to the ends of the Earth. And I know how to use a gun." Charlie's short speech made everyone laugh.

"Now that you're my sister, you'll have to get over your aversion of fashion. Skirts, heels, handbags." Alice revealed her plans to reinvent Bella's style in her speech.

"Go to sleep, my love, go to sleep. When you wake you'll see me." Renee used her speech to sing to her daughter.

"I'd like to thank Renee and Charlie for bringing such a wonderful person into the world and into our lives. We will cherish and protect her forever." Esme smiled sweetly at the newlyweds.

"It's an extraordinary thing to meet someone who you can bare your soul to and will accept you for who you are. I've been waiting, for what seems like a very long time to get beyond what I am. And with Bella, I feel like I can finally begin. So I'd like to propose a toast to my beautiful bride. No measure of time with you will be long enough, but let's start with forever." Edward finished off the time of speeches with a few words to his wife.

After the speeches, the dance floor was opened up and Eliza stood to the side of it, watching Jasper and Alice dance around. The two vampires has become the center of attention and Eliza couldn't stop the smile from forming on her face as she watched the couple's joy. Seth and Bree both stood beside Eliza, but the young shifter took a subtle step back when he saw Jacob lurking at the tree line. "May I have this dance?" Jacob Black wore jeans and a long white dress shirt as he made his way to Eliza's side. Eliza's head snapped to her right at the sound of his voice, it sounded foreign after him being away for so long.

"Jacob." Eliza tried not to show her excitement when she took in the shifter's appearance. "Sorry I'm late." the shifter smiled at Eliza, hoping to avoid her anger. "How was Canada?" Eliza narrowed her eyes at the shifter. "I'll tell you all about it." Jacob held his hand out to her as a slow song began. Eliza sighed as she put her hand in his, letting him guide her to the dance floor. Eliza put her arms around his neck as he put his hands on her waist. "I'm mad at you." Eliza confessed as she laid her head against his shoulder, missing his presence. "I know, I'm sorry." Jacob apologized as he pulled her closer to his body. "I missed you though." Eliza confessed as the couple swayed to the music.

"Even Bree was worried about you." Eliza spoke up again after a couple of moments of silence, guilting the shifter. "I don't think she trusts me." Jacob looked over at the small brunette a couple of yards away. "She was kidnapped and murdered by a strange teenage boy and then nearly killed in a battle she wanted no part of, I'm surprised she trusts anyone." Eliza pulled her head off his chest with a small scoff. "That's fair." Jacob nodded as he thought over Eliza's words. The song ended and a more upbeat song began to play. Jacob picked the blonde up, spinning her around before he pulled her back against him.

"So, Canada?" Eliza mused as the couple stepped off the dance floor. "Got to admit, it's weird being back on two legs again, in clothes." Jacob's confession made Eliza laugh. "So you're out of practice with the whole human thing then?" Eliza wiggled her eyebrows as she made fun of him. "God, I missed you." Jacob pulled the vampire further into his arms.