Hopeless Devotion ~ A Jasper Hale Story

Part 3

Alice declared it a necessity.

Rosalie called it damage control.

Bella and I didn't argue.

The Cullens' house smelled like eucalyptus and something floral I didn't recognize—Alice's doing, obviously. Candles lined every flat surface, soft music hummed from somewhere unseen, and every mirror had been mysteriously draped or removed.

"This," Alice announced, clapping her hands once, "is a stress-free zone."

Rosalie snorted. "As stress-free as it gets when you're marrying into vampires."

Bella shot me a look that said are we sure about this? and I just shrugged. I was already barefoot, already resigned.

Alice pushed us both toward the living room. "Sit. Relax. Do not think about weddings, battles, Volturi, or wolves."

Leah would've laughed herself sick.

Bella curled onto the couch first, tucking her legs under herself. I sat beside her, close enough that our shoulders brushed. The familiarity grounded me.

Esme appeared briefly with tea—herbal, warm, calming—before disappearing again, leaving us to Alice and Rosalie's mercy.

Rosalie worked on my nails with meticulous care, her expression focused, almost serene. Alice flitted between us, adjusting towels, humming, occasionally pausing like she'd seen something delightful just beyond the present.

Bella leaned her head back as Alice started on her hair. "This feels... illegal," she murmured.

I smiled. "Like we should be doing homework or emotionally spiraling instead?"

Bella snorted.

Rosalie glanced up at me. "You're allowed to enjoy this, you know."

"I am," I said softly. And I meant it.

For a while, no one spoke. The quiet wasn't awkward—it was rare. Bella's breathing evened out, her shoulders loosening in a way I hadn't seen in weeks. My own thoughts slowed, drifting instead of racing.

Alice broke the silence gently. "You know," she said, "this is the last time things will be... like this."

Bella opened her eyes. "That sounds ominous."

Alice smiled. "I meant it nicely."

I laughed under my breath. "Everything with you sounds ominous."

Rosalie smirked. "She's not wrong."

Bella reached over and squeezed my hand. "I'm glad we're doing this together."

"Me too," I said. And the words felt heavier than they sounded—meant for weddings and futures and everything waiting on the other side of them.

By the time Alice finished, Bella's hair shimmered softly, loose and natural. When Rosalie was done with me, my hands looked... elegant. Not like someone who'd helped burn vampires days ago.

Alice stepped back, satisfied. "Perfect."

Bella groaned. "If you try to put me in a tiara, I'm running."

Alice only smiled wider.

Then it was finally time to put some of the last eggs in the right basket.

The clearing wasn't hidden.

It didn't need to be.

The mountains rose in the distance like a held breath—blue-gray and endless, their ridgelines softened by mist. The air smelled like pine and damp earth, the kind of place that felt old in a comforting way, like it had been waiting for something to happen.