Chapter 1: Surprise
Renesmee's POV
I opened my eyes to the bright sunlight streaming in through my window. I stretched my arms out and flexed my muscles. Then I heard a grunt, followed by a weak laugh.
" Sorry Jake." I chuckled softly. My voice was still thick with sleep.
" S'okay." Jacob slurred. " What time is it?" He wound his arms around me and squeezed my abdomen.
I grunted and turned to my left to look quickly at the clock.
" It's nine thirty." I answered. It took a few moments for that to settle into my mind. " Oh shoot! It's nine thirty! Get up Jake! We have to get to Carlisle and Esme's house and... and..." I had always refused to call Carlisle and Esme grandpa and grandma. Esme looked in her late twenties or younger, and Carlisle could barely pass for thirty. They didn't look a thing like grandparents should.
I jumped out of bed quickly and ran around the room, first to the dresser and gathering my red bra and matching underwear, then to the closet to gather the rest my clothes. But this decision would take time.
I smelled the air and ran over to one of the tall piles of folded clothes I had stacked almost to the ceiling. I ran my finger down the stack and stopped on a familiar leather material. Grabbing it and pulling it out of the tall stack was one of the easiest things to do. The stack didn't so much as shake.
The skirt was Polo. There was red stitching and a red zipper running down the full length of the side, which would come a good four inches above my knee when I had it on.
I ran quickly over to a different pile and pulled out a red and white horizontally striped halter top, which was also Polo.
I slipped on my clothes and grabbed my new pair of red stiletto pumps that were Polo like the rest of my outfit. I stood in front of the mirror and pulled my hair up into a smooth ponytail. But I saw the pinkish blotch about the size of a quarter on my neck.
Oops. Darn you Jake. Going and giving me a hickey like that! Now I have to fix my hair over again! I ground my teeth together in frustration and pulled the hair band out quickly, letting the curls in my bronze hair fall around my face. Well, not really around my face since my hair reached all the way to my waist. I brushed my hair out until the only curls were the ones at the very end and my bangs were flipped over to the side of my face. I walked back into Jake's and my bedroom to scold him and pull the blankets off him if I had to.
Our house was located about a block from First Beach, on the La Push reservation. I walked there all the time with Jake. Sometimes we would stop walking and sit down on a long, bone-white piece of driftwood with roots twisted up at one end like a hundred frail tentacles. He told me that he and my mother used to sit on that piece of driftwood, the natural bench it made, and talk. That's where I had my first kiss with Jacob. It sounds strange I know, kissing a shape-shifter. It was about a year ago. I smiled as I remembered...
* * *
" Where are we going Jake?" I said, laughing as the wind from Jake's fast running made my hair fly back against my skull. I turned my face into his neck to hide it from the wind. So much I wanted to press my lips into his neck and tell him how I felt.
" It's a surprise." He said again, for about the 12th time today.
He knew I hated surprises. I inherited that from my mom. I closed my eyes and pressed myself tighter against his back. He smelled so nice. Kind of outdoorsy. I never did understand how the rest of my family thought he smelled bad. He smelled great to me.
He was running on foot, which was becoming a habit now. Mom said he used to change into his wolf form if he needed to run for anything, unless he was carrying someone in his arms.
We came to a sudden stop just under a fringe of ferns that lead to an opening to the beach. I jumped down off his back and onto the soft ground. I started toward the beautiful view of the beach in front of me, but something held me back. A hand on my shoulder. I turned and looked up at Jacob. I was a lot shorter than he was.
" Whoa whoa whoa little miss. Where do you think you're going?" Jake said teasingly.
" To the beach?" I asked slowly, getting confused. If we weren't going to the beach, then why were we here?
" Not by yourself. And didn't I tell you it was a surprise? Close those pretty eyes." He said.
I had always trusted Jacob and I had nothing at all against him. So I closed my eyes and I felt myself being lifted off the ground.
" Up you go." I heard Jake murmur and he cradled me against his chest.
He wasn't wearing a shirt, and that made me nervous. I didn't really know why. I pressed my hand against his chest and thought, You suck. I hate surprises Jake. All he did was laugh and say, " I know."
My mom had helped me an focused me on my gift. I used to only be able to show people memories, now I could show thoughts.
Then he put his hand over my eyes and set me on something hard. It wasn't painful or uncomfortable, it just felt like a wooden chair. I felt him sit down beside me and he took his hand away.
" Open." He said.
I opened my eyes to the beach. It was sunset and the sunlight was reflected off the water in the most beautiful way. The stones on the ground were glittering with wetness. I looked over and smiled at Jacob. He was studying my face. When I smiled at him, he smiled back. I turned back toward the water and laid my head on his arm. His skin was about the temperature of mine, maybe a little cooler. It felt nice.
He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close into his side. I felt his cheek press against the top of my head. Brother. Protector. Friend. Lover. All of those words ran through my head every time Jacob touched me. I don't even know why. They seemed familiar to me, but I could never remember where I'd heard them.
I turned my face up to tell him that this was a nice surprise, but my breath got caught in my chest. His face was only a few inches from mine. His lips about six centimeters. I fought the urge to kiss him and succeeded. But he failed.
He pressed his soft lips gently against mine. I wanted to fight against his kiss, because I didn't want my dad to murder him, but he was so irresistible. So I kissed him back. It felt like my skin was on fire where he touched it. He placed his hand on the back of my neck and wrapped his other arm around my waist. It lasted for what felt like and eternity to me, ironic I know.
Jacob finally pulled away and all I could do was smile up at him.
" I'm sorry." He didn't sound at all like he meant it.
" No you're not." I corrected. " And if you are, I'm not." That last sentence took a lot of courage from me. But courage was something that I had a lot of.
" That's good. I just said I was sorry because I thought that you wouldn't have wanted me to kiss you...." Jake trailed off, shrugging.
I took his face in my hands and thought, I've waited for you to do that for at least six months. Pay attention boy. I only used my thoughts because I knew my voice would shake or I would stutter, plus with thoughts, I could let him see just how very much I had wanted him to kiss me. He smiled and when he did I could see it.
He was glowing.
" Brother, protector, friend, lover." I murmured. I studied Jacob's face as I thought. I dropped my hands because I didn't want him to hear.
Okay, so when I was little, Jake looked after me and helped me and encouraged me like a big brother would with a little sister. Then, after I got older, actually up until about three minutes ago, he was a really close friend. Helping me with my school work. Because mom and dad couldn't, seeing as how I'm home schooled. And through all of that, he has protected me. I must have heard it from him somehow.... Then he kissed me again, pulling me out of my thoughts.
* * *
I blushed at the memory. After he kissed me that day, I told him about the words I thought of each time he touched me. He told me that's what he had told my mother, and I must have been near when he said them. He explained imprinting when my mind came up blank. And I had finally understood. Every time I had learned something new or did something different or said a new word that he didn't know the meaning of, he would smile, and be happy and encourage me to keep going. He loved me.
I grabbed my white, leather Polo jacket off the post on the bed and put it on. Jake had on a pair of khaki colored shorts and a white t-shirt with a pair of white Nike running shoes on.
" You're finally up and moving. Are you running human today?" I gave Jake a quick peck on the cheek before rushing to the kitchen and getting all the ingredients out of the fridge to make sandwiches.
" Yeah. Figure I better, in case your parents aren't expecting me as a wolf." He came into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around my torso. I felt his lips against my neck and I smiled.
" Here. Hurry up and eat. We need to get there in time to help Alice decorate." I shoved the plate that held a sandwich on it at Jacob and walked back into our bedroom to get the present.
" You need to help Alice decorate." He said it so low I'm not sure if I was meant to hear it. " It's her brother's birthday honey. And it's Alice we're talking about. I'm sure she can handle the decorating for five more minutes." He said with his mouth overflowing with food.
" Well, it's my dad's birthday, and I fully intend to help my aunt decorate for his surprise party." It was really hard to surprise a man that could read minds, but my mom was the best person for the job.
" Okay." Jake said.
He grabbed my hand and I grabbed dad's present. It was in a shiny blue and white bag. Alice was going to decorate the house in blue and white.
" We better hurry then. And you know how Edward just adores surprises." Jake rolled his eyes at me as we stepped out onto the soft grass.
" He's never been surprised before. So"
" Except for when Bella found out she was pregnant with you. She said that he froze on the floor and wouldn't even breathe until she told Carlisle that she felt something move inside her." He chuckled. But it didn't reach his eyes. And I knew why.
" Maybe this was a bad idea. Trying to surprise him. My own father hated me when my mother was carrying me because I was killing her. And I'm not at all ashamed to admit that I hated myself too. I know it was my mother's decision to keep me, and I'm glad she did, but sometimes I wish she hadn't because then her life would have been so much easier, and she could have been prepared for the pain that changing her put her through, and not in agony every second for about five days, because of me...." I had to stop talking because I ran out of breath. But I wasn't anywhere near finished.
I knew my father turned out liking me in the end, but that was just because he could read my mind when my mom was still carrying me. He heard that I loved my mom and that I didn't want her to hurt. And, of course, my father cared for anything that loved my mother.
Jacob let go of my hand and brought his up to my chin to make me look at him. " If your parents wouldn't have kept you, do you know how I would feel now? I would still be in agony. Every second of every hour of every day of every week of every month of every year and so on. If you were never born, my life would still be empty. Edward has had his reason for existence for about six years. Bella. Renesmee Carlie Cullen, listen to me!" He said, for I had let my eyes look away from him toward the forest. I looked at him again and he had the most passionate look on his face.
" You and you only are the reason for my existence. If you were never born I don't know where I'd be right now. Because without you, I don't have a heart. Without you, I don't have a home. Without you, I don't have a soul. Without you, my life is incomplete." His dark eyes were piercing.
He loved me, and I knew that, but the way he put his words... I leaned forward and hugged him tightly. He wrapped his arms around me and laid his head on mine.
" I'm sorry Jake." I said against his chest.
" Me too." He lifted me up like a toddler and kissed my lips softly. " I love you Nessie." He said as he set me on my feet.
I grabbed his hand and said, " You're my world. My universe. My every thought is about you, almost. I love you too." Then we started toward the trees, hand in hand. appreciate
