Disclaimer: I own nothing. Boo.

July 11, 2010.

Well, I have decided to continue this story. There are a couple of changes. I have changed Bell and Edward's son's name from Carlisle to Ethan. This change is to eliminate confusion when I talk about Dr. Cullen later.

Also, I have changed both names for Jake's daughters. Isabella is now Sarah, and Renee is now Lucy.

Other than that, everything else is the same. Hope you keep an eye out for more! Thanks :)

And also, should this story or any of my stories ever get pulled, you can find them at the writers coffee shop library under the same name. Thanks :)

It's Always Been You

Chapter 1

Open Arms by Journey

Lying beside you,

Here in the dark,

Feeling your heart beat,

With mine.

Softly you whisper,

You're so sincere,

How could our love be

So blind.

We sailed on together,

We drifted apart,

And here you are,

By my side.

Chorus:

So now I come to you

With open arms

Nothing to hide

Believe what I say

So here I am

With open arms

Hoping you'll see

What your love means to me

Open arms

Living without you,

Living alone.

This empty house seems,

So cold.

Wanting to hold you

Wanting you near

How much I wanted you home

And now that you've come back

Turned night into day

I need you to stay

Chorus.

The Past-2001

JKPOV

It was the next to worst day of my life. I had been cornered by my long time best friend and woman of my dreams, Bella Swan, in regards to her wedding in four days, which would be the worst day of my life. We stood outside my rented house in LaPush, where Bella had driven to hunt me down because I had yet to RSVP to her wedding that I truly had no intention of attending. The sky was filled with dark cumulus clouds that threatened rain at any moment, and I wanted to be anywhere but here, staring into her dark blue eyes; the ones that were pleading with me.

"Why haven't you RSVP'ed to my wedding, Jake? You're my best friend! I want you there!" She was using her evil woman powers on me, batting her eyes, and smiling that perfect fucking smile that I loved.

And she knew fucking well why I hadn't RSVP'ed to her wedding. However, she refused to admit the reasons to herself. She refused to believe that I would ever be anything to her except Jacob Black, the fun-loving, caring, and understanding best friend. But that day wasn't today, and wouldn't be after today. We'd known each other since we were three years old. Even then I was in love with her, but I was never anything more to her than the best friend. I watched as guys broke her heart, and I was always there with the box of tissues and the shoulder to cry on. However it never got me anywhere.

I lied to the best of my ability, "I have to work Bells." At the time I was a mechanic at a shop on the reservation where I lived, but I was attending college for a degree in business with an emphasis in advertising. I had about 1 year left, and then I would leave this hell-hole and move out of this god-forsaken place.

Bella sighed. The way she did it was so beautiful, and it made my stomach dance with butterflies. It also broke my heart. I couldn't do it though. I couldn't watch her get married when the guy wasn't me.

Dammit, why can't she be as crazy about me as I am about her?

"You're lying Jake," she said, her eyes narrowing at me, "I called the shop. You have Saturday off." She put her hands on her hips, waiting for an explanation.

Red-fucking-handed.

I huffed, irritated now, "You called? Jesus, Bella. Why is it so important that I be there?"

She looked hurt, and I instantly regretted that question, because I already knew the answer. "You're my best friend...Why wouldn't I want you there?"

Before I stopped myself, the words spilled out, "Because you're marrying the wrong guy."

Fuck.

Bella's face flushed with anger, "Really, Jake? Are we still on that? I love you, but not like that. When will you see that?" She was now glaring at me with enough heat that could put Cyclops to shame. "It's whatever, Jake. Don't bother coming."

"Bella," I started. Dammit, this was hard. "Selfish or not, I'm not watching the woman I love, marry another man. You think just because you've insisted over the years that we're nothing but friends, that it has changed the way I feel about you?"

She crossed her arms over her chest, and rolled her eyes. "I. Cannot. Love. You."

I shook my head, "No, Bella, you refuse to love me. You have always refused to give 'us' a chance."

"You're like my brother..." her voice trailed as I put my hand up for her to stop.

"Just stop. I don't need the bullshit excuses anymore."

And then she was angry again, "No, what you need is a royal fucking ass-kicking. You've never supported any decision I've made about any of the guys I've been with. And finally, I've found the one, and you can't support me now, either. It's all about you, Jake. It isn't important unless it surrounds you and your chauvinist self. You..."

I couldn't take it anymore, and I stopped her mid sentence. I would not leave without one last blow to her ego. I grabbed her around the waist and kissed her, shutting her mouth for once. She struggled at first, her tiny fists beating into my chest, but I was relentless. We had never kissed until this moment, although I had tried many times in the past. Within moments, she relaxed against me, no longer fighting. It was the most amazing moment in my life, and I deepened the kiss. My tongue touched her bottom lip, requesting permission to enter. When she parted hers slightly, I smirked to myself. How could she deny this? If she did not want me to kiss her; if she wasn't feeling what I was feeling, then why did she allow me to continue? For a few minutes, our tongues danced, slow and passionate, like a fiery tango.

Finally, I broke the kiss and took a step back. She stood there, staring at me with disbelief and confusion in her eyes, her fingertips touched her lips, as if assessing what that feeling had just been.

I spoke, but it wasn't the soft sweet Jacob she was used to; my voice was thick with disdain with a tiny hint of sorrow, "Goodbye, Bells."

Before she could respond, I turned on my heels, and walked up the steps to my front porch, entering my house, not looking back as the rain began to fall, and I left Bella.

I did attend her wedding, but hid in the back. Even though I didn't want to go, I wanted to see her one last time, to give myself an attempt at some closure. She looked gorgeous, as I had expected she would. She appeared happy enough, but I could tell that she was troubled. In her eyes was a glint of doubt, and I had put it there.

I left before she knew I had even been there, and that was the last I saw Bella Swan Cullen.

BPOV

Nine Years Later

I stood in the courtroom, the one place I had never expected to be in my life, and waited for the Judge's final decision concerning custody of my recent ex-husband Edward and my two children, Alice and Ethan. I was fighting for full custody of my children, with sharing of major holidays and summers, provided that he undergo rehab. Until he was completely alcohol free, his visits would be supervised.

The judge looked up from her papers, glancing to me, and over to Edward, who looked like shit. Then again, the alcohol had taken a toll on him, and he was no longer the man I had fallen in love with ten years ago.

The judge spoke, "In the matter of the children, Alice and Ethan Cullen, I grant sole custody to the mother, Bella Swan Cullen, with the parameters she has requested, dividing major holidays and summers, with supervision until Edward Cullen is sober for a minimum of 12 months." The judge then knocked her gavel on the stand, signifying that the hearing was over. I moved from the desk in the courtroom and through the little gate to the seating area where my father was sitting with my children. Alice was 7 now, and Ethan was 5. They were my pride and joy, and I would do anything in my power to protect them.

Both Ethan and Allie jumped out of their seats, running up to me and giving me a hug. I knelt down and kissed them both on the cheek, "Go give your daddy a hug and kiss. Tell him bye and that'll you will see him at Christmas."

I hated to divorce Edward, but the truth was, I didn't love him anymore. His alcoholism had erupted into something I could no longer handle, and no amount of couple's therapy would save us. The day I handed him the papers broke my heart, but I just couldn't do it anymore. He begged, told me he would change, but it was too late. That was in April. It was September now, and I was on my way to a new life. Tomorrow, I would leave Forks, taking Alice and Ethan with me and we would go to New York, where I had a taken a marketing job at a well known company. Edward's brother, Jasper, who had been amazing throughout this whole ordeal, had set me up with interview after the divorce. I got the job, and was expected to start in a week.

I watched as Alice and Ethan went to Edward, who bent down with his arms open, and took them both in. He buried his head into the crevice where their shoulders met and sobbed. It truly broke my heart to see him that way, but he knew the stipulations. If he could prove to me that he could change, then the restrictions on his custody would change.

As he released them, he gave me a pained look that said, "How could you take them away from me?"

I averted my eyes, turning to my father, Charlie.

"I don't know if I can be here at Christmas. If I'm not, will you be able to keep them? I'm sure Esme and Carlisle would be more than willing to spend time with them as well."

He nodded, "Yeah, we'll talk about it when it gets a little closer."

"Thanks Dad," I said as I gave him a giant hug. "If you want to get out of here, I'll meet you at the house here in a bit."

My dad turned and left the courtroom, headed home. I didn't move from where I was standing, just waited on my children to finish talking to Edward. Finally, they both trudged over, sad looks on their faces.

"I don't want to leave Daddy!" Alice pouted, slamming her foot on the floor in protest. She was my little drama queen, while Ethan was the complete opposite, avoiding drama when at all possible. He was also very logical.

"We'll see Daddy at Christmas, butt-head." Okay, I said he was logical, not mature. He is five, after all.

"Ethan, that's not a nice word," I said, trying not to smile. "Now, let's go see Grandpa. We've gotta get to bed early to catch our flight!"

I turned towards the door, ushering them out, when Edward came up behind me. "Not going to say goodbye to me Bella?" His voice was cold and biting. He wanted me to know exactly how upset he was.

I turned to him, "Goodbye Edward." I moved to walk away, and his hand gripped my arm tightly. "Ow! Edward, let me go."

He leaned down close to my ear, his teeth gritting together as he spoke, "I will get them back from you, bitch."

I pulled away, turned from him, and marched out of the courtroom. I was surprised no one had seen him grab me. Or, maybe they just turned a blind eye. I did after all, divorce one of the richest families in the country.

I loaded the children up into my dad's other car, the one that wasn't a police cruiser, and headed home. When we got there, my dad was home. I parked the car next to his in the driveway, and headed inside, children in tow. They immediately planted themselves on the couch and began fighting for the remote.

"Hey," I scolded them, "You need to ask Grandpa if he has anything he wants to watch. It is his house after all."

I went to the kitchen, assessing what was in the fridge. In the end I decided on homemade sloppy joe's, based on a recipe by Rachel Ray. It was a favorite with the kids, and even my dad, who hated sloppy joe's found that he liked this recipe, because frankly, it didn't taste like shit.

We ate at the table, but it was silent, except for Ethan and Alice picking at each other as usual. Finally, my dad spoke, "I'm gonna miss you, Bells. The kids too."

I touched his hand with mine, "We'll miss you too." Charlie and I hadn't been close growing up; he even had an objection to me marrying Edward in the beginning. It wasn't until I got pregnant with Allie that he and I finally started seeing eye to eye. I guess he finally realized that I was an adult.

My dad wasn't the only one who had objected against my marriage either. Jacob had been so adamant against me not marrying Edward that he didn't even come to my wedding.

Jacob.

I hadn't thought about Jacob in years. As soon as I thought about the last time I saw him, I thought about the last thing he had done before waltzing so selfishly out of my life. That kiss. Even now, I still couldn't believe he had pulled that shit on me. My earth had been moved by that one kiss. It's amazing that I had managed to walk down the aisle and still get married. I still loved Edward, even after that kiss, but it had made me question everything I had done in my life to that point.

Now, years later, the thought of that kiss still caught me off guard, and I wondered where Jacob was now. Probably married, with a few children of his own. I always imagined that Jake would have been a great father. I saw him in my mind, tall, dark, and handsome. Eyes the color of chocolate, dark tanned flawless skin, and a smile that could always bring me out of the darkest corners of my mind. It's not that I never loved Jake. I did, but I never saw us anything more than friends. He had been right; I had never given 'us' a chance.

I shook my head, taking myself out of the daze I had just slipped into, and found 3 sets of eyes locked on me. Allie and Ethan were grinning ear to ear.

"Where'd you go Momma?"

I chuckled, "I was just thinking about something." They both giggled, and went back to picking on each other, which gave me the chance to turn to my dad and ask, "Whatever happened to Jacob Black?"

Dad raised his eyebrows when I asked this question, as I had not talked about Jake in years. Not since the night I told him that Jake and I were no longer friends. He shrugged, "I don't know. When Billy died last year, I saw him at the funeral. We spoke briefly. He's married, has 2 kids like you, and is advertising in Phoenix. That's really all I know."

I had been out of town on business when Jacob's father had passed. My dad was devastated, as Billy and he had been close friends for many years.

"Why do you ask?" He questioned me, interrupting my thoughts.

I shrugged nonchalantly, "Just wondering."

"You haven't mentioned him in years."

I nodded, "I know. I haven't thought about him in years, well until just a few minutes ago. We didn't exactly part of the best of terms. I never saw him after... that fight."

Charlie nodded, patted my hand, "I'm sorry. I know Jake and you were close. I hated to see you guys drift apart."

"Oh well," I stood then, taking my plate to the sink, rinsing it and putting it in the dishwasher. I turned around, looking at the kids, "Bath time, then bed."

They both crossed their arms across their chest, "But MOM!"

"It's 9 o'clock. It's past your bedtime. We have a long day tomorrow. Get your little tushes upstairs and ready for bed. I won't tell you again."

They both slid out of their chairs, and headed upstairs, Allie pouting the whole way up.

I took both of their plates, including my dad's plate, rinsed them and put them in the dishwasher as well. I then proceeded to clean the kitchen.

My dad didn't move from the table. Instead, I could feel his eyes watching me, waiting for me to say something else. Sometimes he just couldn't let things go.

"Bells?" Oh god, here it comes. "What exactly happened that day?"

I let out a monumental sigh and turned around to face him, drying my hands on a dishtowel before placing it next to the sink. I had never told anyone what had happened that day, and although I didn't want talk to about it now, I decided that my dad needed to know what happened all those years ago.

"That day," I started, "I went to Jake's to ask why he hadn't RSVP'ed to the wedding." I took a deep breath before continuing, "He told me, that he didn't want to see me get married to Edward, and that he loved me. We'd had the conversation before. I just didn't think of him like that."

My dad nodded in understanding but didn't say anything.

I continued, "Certain words were exchanged, then he kissed me. When he let me go, he said goodbye turned around, and walked inside."

Charlie just looked at me, then he moved his hand up to his chin and scratched it, like he was thinking before he said, "That boy always had it for you, Bells. And even after all that, he showed up to see you get married. Sounds to me like.."

I interrupted him, "Wait. What? He wasn't at the wedding."

He nodded, "Yes, he was Bella. He stood near the back. I saw him enter. And he left after you said 'I do'. Despite that fight, he still came. Maybe it was his way of finally letting go."

I couldn't believe it. Jacob had come to my wedding. He had come, even after the fight. I suddenly felt very sick to my stomach. All these years, I had never seen any of this as my fault, but the truth was, it was my fault. I had pushed him away that day. I couldn't care enough about him to not push him. Although, our friendship may have still fallen apart, since he hated Edward anyways. Oh well, it wasn't worth dwelling over now. Jake was gone. He was married, and he was happy. It's all I ever could've asked for him.

Charlie didn't press the issue further. He moved from the table into the living room. I left the kitchen, cutting the lights, and headed upstairs. Ethan was in the bedroom, pajamas on, sitting on the bed. Allie was still in the bathroom.

"Did you brush your teeth Ethan?" I asked. I got lucky with him. He wasn't like your typical dirty boy. He brushed his teeth, washed well, and it made my life easier that I didn't have to hold him down and wash him.

He nodded, "Yeah Momma." I sat next to him on the air mattress that he and Allie shared. I would have gladly slept there, but I was getting too old for that.

I ran my hand through his bronze hair. He looked a lot like Edward, but he had my big blue eyes. Allie had Edward's green eyes, my dark nutmeg hair, and my smile. I leaned in and kissed his forehead. "Are you ready for tomorrow?"

He nodded eagerly, but then said sadly, "I'm gonna miss Daddy, though."

My heart tugged at this, "I know baby. But you'll see him soon enough."

"Momma?" he asked, those big baby blues looking at me inquisitively.

"Yes?"

"Who's a Jacob Black?"

He'd heard me. Great.

"He's an old friend of Momma's."

He nodded, "Can I meet him?"

"Maybe one day. Momma hasn't seen him in a long time. Let me tuck you in, sweetie. I gotta get Allie ready for bed too. We've got a big day tomorrow!" I tried to sound as excited as I could, but the truth was, I was a little sad leaving Forks. I had grown up here. However, other than my father, and even Edward's parents even though I was no longer married to their son, I had nothing else here. And the job I had taken, promised me money.

I leaned down over Ethan and tucked the blanket in around him, then gave him a kiss on the forehead. "I love you."

"Forever and ever?" he asked. It was our little game.

"Forever and ever."

He smiled the smile that lit up my world.

I went to the bathroom door and knocked, "Allie? You almost done in there?"

"Yeah Momma."

I waited, and a few seconds later the door opened.

"Brush your teeth?"

"Yes ma'am."

"All right," I smiled, "Go crawl in bed, and I'll be right in to tuck you in after I brush my teeth."

I did my business and then tucked Allie in for the night. I then set my alarm, for 5:30 am, our flight left at 8:00 am, and we were expected to be in New York around 8:00 pm. I slid under the covers, and laid there only a few minutes, thinking about how very soon I would be in a new home, with a new job, starting a new life. And with that, I fell fast asleep.

JKPOV

One week later.

I exited the elevator like a smooth criminal, making my way up the front desk to check for my messages. The front desk girl, Jane, smiled flirtatiously as I approached.

"Good morning, Mr. Black," she said, her mouth then moving into a smirk.

"Morning. Any messages?"

She nodded, "Yeah, Mr. Brooks called to say that you're idea for the new Tiffany's line is the 'best advertising he's ever seen,' and then HR called, they have your new consultant. She's due in at ten."

I nodded. For once in my life, I hadn't requested to interview an employee, and it made me nervous, but I just didn't have the time. "Did they leave a name?"

She shook her head, "No, its odd. They didn't even send up her resume. I guess you'll find out when she gets here."

"Okay. Anyone else?" She shook her head again. "Well, when she gets here, can you send her into my office?"

I turned to head toward my office, but not before I turned back to Jane, "Oh yes, I almost forgot. Today is also the start day of the new marketing manager. Has she made it in yet?"

Jane shuffled around on her desk, looking at papers. "No, not that I'm aware of. I don't even have a name for her either."

Odd. What the hell was going on down in Human Resources. They needed to get their shit together.

"Well, when she gets here, can you send her to my office too? I need to discuss some things with her."

"Yes, sir."

It was amazing to me how this place had even stayed open before I got here. Everyone was so unorganized. Slowly but surely I had built my advertising department from shit to a solid gold empire. When I let HR deal with business for me, things went back to shit faster than the speed of light.

I went into my office, and sat in my chair, checking my email. There wasn't anything of interest. Until I saw one from my ex-wife Leah. I double clicked it.

Jake,

You've got the kids for Thanksgiving, but not for Christmas, if that's okay?

Leah

I hit reply and composed my response:

Sounds good.

Jake

I had been divorced about 10 months now. I had two children, both girls, Sarah, 4 and Lucy, 2. We had been married about 5 years, before finally calling it quits. I met her in Phoenix when I moved there in 2002, and got married about a year later. It was the good life for a while. But as most good things do, it came to an end.

I moved to New York shortly after the divorce. The job I was offered was beyond better than the one in Phoenix. Leah had custody of the children, and I got them during holidays and the occasional summer here and there. They would be coming at Thanksgiving with their nanny, Lucinda.

I continued working through emails, still nothing catching my eye, when Jane buzzed my phone. I buzzed her back, "Yeah Jane?"

"The new marketing manager is here."

"Okay hun, send her in please." I glanced at my tie in the reflection of the computer monitor, and stood right as the door opened. If I said that the woman who walked through the door surprised me, that would be an understatement. In fact, I'm not sure there is a word for exactly what I felt. But I went weak in the knees for a moment. And as soon as her eyes met mine, she stopped as well.

It was her; it was Bella.

BPOV

I stopped. I stared. My mouth was hanging open, and I had no fucking clue what to say. We both stood there, completely tard-struck. I thought I saw him wobble in his spot, like his knees were going to give out, and suddenly I felt like I needed to sit too. I shut the door, and leaned against it.

This can't be real. He can't really be the person I'm working with. For. No.

But it was. Jacob Black. My Jacob. He looked fucktacular. He hadn't changed a whole lot since I had last seen him. Except he had grown into a man. He may have even been taller and his hair was short, and slightly spiked. It's not that he was a kid the last time I saw him, but holy fuck. He looked like a motherfucking Adonis, wearing a fucking suit. My first instinct was that I wanted to hug him. Then I wanted to kiss him and tell him how sorry I was. Finally, I wanted to throw him down on the desk, and fuck the shit out of him.

Finally, he moved around the desk, slowly moving towards me, "Bella? Is that you?"

Of course it was me.

I nodded, "Jacob?"

Of course it's Jake, you ignorant bitch.

He closed the distance to me quickly, wrapping his arms around me. I wrapped mine around him in return, and suddenly I lost all my cool. I burst into hysterical tears. Never in a million years had I expected Jake to be here. Never had I expected to see him again in my life. My best friend. My Jacob.

He patted my hair, as I sobbed into his chest, more than likely rubbing my make-up all over his nice shirt, but I didn't care, and something told me he wouldn't either. We stood there for a long time, me sobbing like a damned fool, and him consoling me. Finally, I spoke, "God, I missed you Jake. So many times I wanted to call you, and tell you how sorry I was... but I didn't think you ever wanted to see me again and.."

"Shhhh..." he said squeezing me, "It's okay Bells."

Bells. How I missed that.

I couldn't believe this was happening. I was here, hugging my best friend. The one I had pushed away all those years ago. It was never Jake's fault, and it had taken me a long time to see that. He couldn't help the way he had felt for me. If only I had felt the same way back then. Then again, I wouldn't have Allie and Ethan, and I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world.

After what seemed like forever, Jake pulled away from me, looking at me.

"You're as beautiful as I remember, Bells."

Suddenly, I don't know what came over me, but I leaned up and pressed my lips to his. This was so not appropriate, but I couldn't help it. He didn't stop me, but suddenly I stopped. I looked at his hand. No ring. Could he... Could I be so lucky?

"Divorced," he smiled. "You?"

I nodded.

"Sorry to hear it."

"No you're not. And neither am I."

I went to kiss him again, but this time he did stop me.

"Not here, Bells." His words said no, but the look in his eyes told me differently. And I missed the way he called me "Bells." The look in his eyes told me that nothing had changed in these nine years. He still loved me and he had accepted me back into my life with open arms. I nodded in understanding and backed away.

He moved with me back over to the desk, and we sat. We talked about everything in our last nine years. I told him about my kids; he told me about his. And everything else, including how we both came to these jobs.

It was like nothing had changed though. It was like we hadn't even been apart. It was like all along we had been together.

Goddammit, Bella. All these years. All these fucking years it was him.

Things had calmed down a little as we talked. We now moved onto discussing the job that lay ahead. However, it was obvious we were both having trouble concentrating, but we knew what had to be done.

Finally, his intercom buzzed, telling him that his new consultant was here as well. Before she entered, Jake leaned over to me, "Dinner later?"

"I've got the kids."

He nodded in understanding. "Maybe another night?"

Suddenly I had an idea, though it might not be a great one. "How about you come over for dinner?"

He smiled. God I loved that smile. It could make dry ice melt. "Sure, what time?"

"How about 7:00?"

"It's a date."

JKPOV

I spent the rest of the day in complete awe over what had happened. Bells was back in my life. Just as swiftly as I had left nine years ago, she had swiftly waltzed back in. And not a damn thing had changed about the way I felt about her. Apparently she had the same feelings as well. I wanted to say things were moving a bit fast, but then again, we were both adults, and it's not like we had just met.

I didn't see Bella for the rest of the day, although I tried to think of every reason to. There just wasn't anything I could come up with. Before she left my office, she left me her cell phone number. I did think it was a little strange that she had already invited me to dinner. She hadn't been divorced but only a few months, and she was already going to let me meet her kids. Then again, we had wasted so much time already.

I left the office about 5:00 pm and hailed a cab. I got home, showered, and changed. Then around six, I called Bella.

She picked up on the first ring. Her voice so sweet, as always.

"I need to know where you live."

She giggled, "Jake!"

"Yeah, it's me babe."

She told me where she lived, and I told her I would be there soon. I finished getting ready and headed to Bella's, which was nice, because I got to take the Harley out for a spin. I arrived at Bella's promptly at 7:00, but not before I stopped and picked up a large bouquet of roses for her, tulips for Alice, and matchbox cars for Ethan. I wasn't trying to win her children over, but I figured it wouldn't hurt.

The door was answered by who I could only guess to be the children's nanny. She let me in, and showed me to the kitchen, where Bella was pulling plates out of the cabinet. I wanted so badly to walk up to her, grab her, and kiss her like I had never kissed anyone before, but I knew that wasn't a great idea, since I glanced over at the table in the dining room, and saw two children sitting there quietly, eying me.

Bella turned, setting the plates on a small island in the center of her kitchen. Her eyes lit up once again. God she was beautiful. She may have been nine years older, but she looked the same to me. I guess, if anything, she had some smile lines creased on the side of her mouth, but that only told me that life had not been too hard on her, and for that I was grateful. Her hair was still long, dark, and soft looking, and it had a subtle curl to it. Her eyes were as blue as ever, and although I will say she put on about 15 pounds over the years, which by no means made her even the slightest bit heavy, if anything she had 'filled out.' She still looked exquisite.

I removed the roses from behind me back, "For you."

She smiled, and moved towards me, taking them from me. "Thank you so much." She then leaned to peer through the doorway to the dining room, "Allie! Ethan! Come here please."

They both came running in the room, as if they had been waiting for this moment all night.

Allie approached me first, "Hello, Mr. Black! I'm Alice Cullen." She did a curtsy that I could only grin at.

"Well, hello Alice. It's so nice to meet you. And if it's okay with your mom, you can call me Jacob." I pulled the tulips from behind my back, "And these are for you."

Her eyes lit up, "Oh my! My first flowers from a boy!" She squealed with absolute delight, taking them from me and running off to find a vase.

I turned to Ethan who was looking sheepishly at me, "You must be Ethan."

He nodded, "Yes sir."

I smiled, pulling the cars out from behind my back. He too lit up with a smile before reaching out and taking them from me. He turned to walk away, but Bella spoke up, "What do you two say?"

They both replied with a 'thank you,' then headed back to the table.

She smiled at me again, "You didn't have to do that. They would have liked you anyways. How could they not?"

I smiled, "Well, I imagine that this would have to be hard for them. Hell, I'm surprised you asked me over."

"It wasn't a happy subject at first. But they're smart. They understand better than everyone thinks they do."

I nodded, "Well, I'm glad you asked me over. Can I help with anything?"

She shook her head, "No. You're my guest. I wouldn't dream of it."

I laughed, "Well, I would. Let me help you set the table at least."

A warm smile crossed her face, "Fine."

I set the table as she brought out the food. She had made burgers. Yes, I loved this woman. She knew the way to my heart.

We ate, talking about random things I guess. The kids had a lot of questions about how their mother used to be. For some reason children got a kick out of that shit. I told them different stories, about how she had a crazy idea to learn how to ride a motorcycle, or the time we went to see a movie and she had the flu, and she got sick all over me. That one tickled them pink, while Bella just turned pink with embarrassment.

After dinner, I waited in the living room while she put the kids to bed. This night had been amazing, and I hoped that it would be the beginning to something more. I know she felt the same way I did, she had made it clear in so few words. I had her now, and I wasn't letting go this time.

When she finally came back down, she stood at the doorway and smiled. "Care to crack a bottle of wine with me?" she asked.

I nodded, "Sure thing."

"I'll be right back."

I continued to sit there, waiting for her to return. She did so, a few minutes later, with two glasses and a bottle of wine. She set them on the coffee table then moved over to the fireplace, which she proceeded to start. Once it had begun to burn, she moved over to the couch, sitting next to me.

I took the bottle from the table, and popped the cork out. I poured us each a glass, and we both began to sip it, as we sat there, staring into the fire. We sat in silence for a little while, sipping our wine, until finally Bella had something to say.

"Jake?" she asked, not looking away from the fire.

"Yes, Bells?" She had a very serious tone, and I was a little concerned where this might be going.

However, she turned her to look at me and I looked at her. She had so much warmth in her eyes, and such happiness. "I love you."

I would say that it caught me as a surprise, but it didn't. I felt exactly the same way. I smiled, and took her glass from her. I set them both on the table, before returning my attention back to her. The light from the fireplace illuminated her skin in such a way that she looked almost as if she was sparkling. She was radiant. I brought my hands to her face, cradling it ever so softly. She smiled softly and we both leaned in.

This kiss was different than the other two kisses we had shared. While it still had the same electrifying feeling to it, it was better; more passionate, more love. The first kiss had been about showing her what could be, the second out of pure bliss that we were together, and this one. This one, that I knew the rest of our kisses would be like, until the day we died.

She pulled back, gazing at me. "I still can't believe you're here."

"I can't believe you're here either."

"Let's go to my room," she said, standing slowly. I nodded, standing as well. She moved to the fireplace, shutting it down for the night. Then we made our way slowly upstairs. The children's rooms were at the end of the hall, which was good. We slipped quietly into the bedroom, and shut the door behind us. She locked it, just in case.

There was a fireplace in her room too. This house, was so Bella. I smiled to myself. She moved around, throwing pillows off her bed. I moved to start the fireplace for her. As it came to life, I turned to her, "Have any music?"

She smiled, giving me a playful wink, "How romantic of you. There's a music system in the wall right here. I've got a CD of love songs in there." She let a sort of embarrassed laugh.

The lightness in my heart was intense, "That's perfect."

She reached over, and pressed play. I chuckled as REO Speedwagon's "Can't Fight This Feeling" came on.

I moved to her, as the words began

I can't fight this feeling any longer

And yet I'm still afraid to let it flow

What started out as friendship has grown stronger

She sat, facing me at the edge of the bed. I put my hands on her face again, and kissed her right as the chorus picked up.

And I can't fight this feeling anymore

I've forgotten what I started fighting for

I chuckled.

"What's wrong?" she whispered.

"This goddamn song."

She chuckled, "It's like it knows."

"Yeah," I said quietly.

This was what I had waited for my whole life. I had her in my arms. The kiss began to deepen, our mouths hot on each other, creating intensity, that was undoubtedly not being helped by the fireplace in the room.

Bella started sliding back on the bed, just as the next song began to play. I wasn't really quite sure what song it was, but it didn't matter. I climbed up, following her movements. And positioned myself over her. I leaned down, kissing her again, this time kissing along her jawline, up to her ear, where I lingered a moment, kissing that spot right behind the earlobe. She shivered, a soft moan escaping her lips. I worked my way back down her jawline and around to the other side, doing the same thing.

Nine years ago, it would have never been like this. If she had been interested in me, we would have fucked already. But fucking wasn't my prerogative. I wanted to make love to Bella. And that's exactly what I was doing.

BPOV

I was still waiting to wake up from the dream I was having. There was no way this was happening. But it was. I had everything. And it was perfect. Jake's hands rested at the edge of my shirt, before he leaned down and kissed me again. I could never grow tired of his kisses. His warm hands slid up my shirt slightly, stopping at my waist. He then slowly began to remove it, and I lifted slightly to help him remove it. However, I didn't feel this was fair, and I reached for his shirt, removing it as well.

I stared up at Jake, at what I can only define as the most glorious body I had ever seen. I was right to call him an Adonis. He was chiseled like a fucking god. I couldn't help thinking to myself, that this was mine. He was mine. I ran my hands slowly down over his chiseled abs, and a little lower, tracing the V on him that led to the area I really wanted to get to. But he was taking it slow. And that was fine. I wanted to savor every moment I could.

His hands rubbed gently against my skin, over my stomach, and up to the fabric of my bra. He squeezed my breasts gently on the outside, causing my nipples to become erect, then me to moan. He smiled as he realized that my bra was one that snapped in the front. He leaned down kissing my neck, as his index finger slid under the one clip that was standing between him and my breasts, and pulled up with an soft audible click. It opened, and the cloth slid away from my breasts, exposing them.

A small groan escaped Jake's throat as he saw my breasts. He instantly leaned into them, pressing his face in them. One hand grabbed the right one, and his mouth grabbed the left. Instantly, a fire shot through me. While I felt as though I was on fire all the other times we had touched, it was nothing compared to the inferno that erupted as his mouth made contact with my breasts. I felt alive, like someone had administered a shot of adrenaline straight to my heart.

I couldn't help it, but my hips instinctively lifted into his, and I felt that he was just as excited as I was. He looked up at me with a soft smile, "Don't get too carried away, love. We're gonna be here a while."

I groaned. I understood what he was doing, but I wasn't sure I'd make it. Although he might be getting pleasure from doing this, he couldn't be getting the same pleasure I was. I'd have to put my mouth on him and give him a taste of his own medicine.

I reached for his pants, but he countered with kissing down my chest and stomach, reaching my pants. He unbuttoned them slowly, and began to pull them off over my hips and ass, tossing them to the floor. I hadn't even bothered wearing panties, figuring if this did happen, it would eliminate one piece of clothing. He began kissing all around me, everywhere but the one place I wanted him to. He kept kissing along the inside of my thigh, coming oh so close, his hot breath making me wetter each time I felt it hit me. Then I felt a finger, run slowly up my slit, and I bucked my hips, moaning.

He chuckled. This was not funny.

I groaned, "Jacob..."

He nipped at my thighs with his teeth. Then I felt him move away. I looked up to see that he was unbuttoning his jeans. He slid them off, leaving only black boxers, but I didn't need boxers to see what I had been missing all these years.

When I say Edward had a small dick, I need you to understand. I'm surprised he got me pregnant with what little he was packing.

Jacob was the opposite. I had to be staring at at least ten inches of pure Jacob Black glory. The thought daunted me just a little.

He then slipped his boxers off as well, his eyes never leaving mine. He came back to the bed, and slipped back over me, positioning himself between my legs. I was so thankful he hadn't continued teasing me. As much fun as foreplay could be, we had the rest of our lives. Now, I need to feel his body connected with mine. I needed the fire that erupted every time he touched me, to consume my entire body. I needed this like I needed air to breathe. He hung over me, looking down. I felt like I was about die and go to heaven, and this god above me was going to take me there, one slow thrust at a time.

JKPOV

"I love you, Bells." I couldn't say those words enough. I was about show her, exactly how much I loved her. I leaned down again, kissing her. My mouth locked on hers, our tongues slowly caressing each other's. The head of me was so close to her entrance, the heat from it was almost painful. It was funny, I was actually a little nervous, whereas I had never been nervous before. I felt like I was 18 again, except this time, I was losing it to Bella, and losing it to her would have made me nervous. It was a good nervous. It was a giddy nervous. It was the way things should be when you love someone.

I broke the kiss, whispering to her, "Are you ready?"

She nodded, biting her lip, "It's always been you, Jake."

I couldn't help but smirk, but not in an insensitive dick head kind of way. I nuzzled my nose against hers, and kissed her, my tongue once again mingling with hers. I pressed the head of myself against her opening. She moaned into my mouth. She lifted her hips slowly. I slowly started to enter her. She was so tight and wet. If I had been 18, I would have lost it right there, but thankfully I was almost 30, and I had that under control.

I couldn't help but notice that the music that had begun playing was "I'll Make Love to You" by Boys II Men. I swear the CD Player knew what was happening.

As my throbbing member slipped into Bella inch by inch, I was losing myself. It was the most amazing sexual moment I had ever had. I looked at Bella, who had also opened her eyes.

We didn't talk, just connected in every sense of the word. I slowly began to work in and out of her. With each withdrawal and re-entrance, she took more of me. She was letting out soft, exquisite moans of ecstasy.

It was like we fit together perfectly. I fit into her like a puzzle piece. As I slid in and out of her at a slow and steady pace, I put both my hands on either side of her head, brushing the hair away from her face and cradling her as I made love to her the way I had always wanted to.

Our eyes still didn't leave each other's, and I began to feel like I wasn't going to be able to make it much longer. There was no space between us, as I had laid my body completely against hers. Our body's moving together in unison.

"Jake..." it was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard.

"Bella," I whispered back.

"I love you, Jake."

"I love you too."

At that moment, she moaned loud. I covered my mouth with hers, and I felt the walls of her womanhood tighten around me in spasm. She was gasping as her orgasm swept over her, and that undid me. I moaned softly into her neck as my body gave in and I came with her. My body has never been rocked quite that insanely by an orgasm. We kept rocking together as our orgasms took over, creating a roller coaster of pure pleasure. Just when we thought it was over, another one would explode in us, and she called out my name over and over.

Finally, after what seemed like 100 climaxes all at once, we subsided into each other., breathing heavily, and both whimpering. And as if the CD player once again knew, Journey's "Open Arms" began. And we both let out a small chuckle.

I held her in my arms, tightly, and sang to her softly.

"Lying beside you,

Here in the dark,

Feeling your heart beat with mine

Softly you whisper,

You're so sincere

How could our love be so blind

We sailed on together

We drifted apart

And here you are by my side

So now I come to you

With Open Arms

Nothing to Hide

Believe what I Say

So Here I am

With Open Arms

Hoping you'll see

What your love means to me

Open Arms"

We laid in silence, listening as the song continued, and then came to end. She was nuzzled against my chest. My Bella.

"I love you, Bella."

"I love you too, Jacob."

End.