Imprinted to be Yours

Alice's Party

The house had been fully done over in bright red on the walls. It looked like the house had been repainted just for Ness's birthday and by the way it smelt, it only reassured by theory. Candles were everywhere - on the tables, leading up to the stairs, around the walls and any other flat surface. Around the candles were dried out red rose petals and coloured streamers. There were even streamers hanging from the ceiling and the railing of the stairs, leading upstairs. Also standing on the stairs was the rest of the Cullen family. 

"Happy birthday!" Alice smiled and hugged Renesmee who was still star struck while taking in the whole scene around her. I had to say the whole house was pretty impressive, with being it was only two days ago I had been here. But then I also knew how Alice could be with parties and celebrations.  

"Oh my god, this is amazing Alice! Thank you!" Ness gasped with excitement while smiling widely and hugging her aunt tightly. I couldn't help but smile myself with seeing and sensing just how happy she was. At times, I knew Ness tried to cover up her emotions so no one would be able to tell what she was really feeling and be hurt. Usually I could tell when she was doing it, because her emotions were mixed and were conflicting each other, but this time, I could see and sense she wasn't doing such a thing. I loved nothing more than to see her so happy. 

I looked from Ness to the rest of her family walking down the stairs at human pace to greet her. Each of them hugged her and wished her a happy birthday. Bella was the first of them, and as she stood back to let her husband wish Ness a happy birthday, I smiled at her and held her gaze apparently too long for Edward's liking. He hissed at me too low for Ness to hear. I rolled my eyes at him and thought, "Get over it." I guessed Bella must have been able to read my express of what my reaction was to him, as she giggled while staring at me. 

Things between Bella and Edward and I had really changed over the last eighteen years. Of course with Edward knowing I knew Ness was maturing, he kept his watch on me and my thoughts, and for some reason he really didn't trust me like he had when Ness was little, though I really didn't care what he thought. But at times he had learnt to trust me with I being Ness's best friend and the only one she told everything to. I got the feeling he thought I was going to push Ness into things too quickly if she ever started to love me back. But I wasn't going to rush into anything with Ness. I would take things at her pace, quick or slow. I was in no rush to take things to the next level. We had forever together after all. There was no need to rush things. 

And then with Bella and me, I wasn't too sure what to think really. I still loved her like I had after I knew Ness was my imprint - like family - but over time, and over these past few years, it was a love which felt like it was on the border line of becoming something more, and it really didn't help anything when I sensed she felt the same way. It seemed to be she had gotten closer to me over the years with hanging around for Ness. But, I really didn't want to go back to the life we had before Ness - with her torn between Edward and I, and me still loving her. I had my true love, my imprint and I that was all I needed. I hoped. . . Though I no longer thought of Bella like I used to, I thought of her as a friend, like I would think of Embry and Quil. That was it. 

Alice took Ness's hand abruptly after everyone had wished her a happy birthday and pulled her over to the cream couch in the Cullen's living room to sit her down. Quickly Alice ran over to a small pile of presents on a little brown table next to the couch. "Here, open mine and Rosalie's first," Alice smiled brightly in excitement. Anyone who didn't know Alice would swear it was her birthday party and birthday. She seemed to be having just as much, if not more fun than Ness. Bella had told me Alice had always been like this. I thought arranging parties would get boring after a while for a vampire, but then, how could it when a vampire could do endless things, like climbing up a tree to decorate it - yeah, Bella had told me about her eighteenth party Alice had thrown. I was pretty sure Alice would have decorated the trees as well as the house for Ness, if it wasn't a surprise birthday party and if we were coming home at dark.