Bella's POV

"So the goblins came and took the baby…"

"Jake," I yell from the living room "Stop telling Lexi that story!" He's always trying to tell her stories that scare her and then he gets to go home while I get to deal with nightmares.

"Once upon a time there was a Princess named Alexandra…" Must better I think as I head to the kitchen to start the dishes. Though at time he drives me crazy I don't know what I would do with Jacob.

I had Lexi when I was 18. She's 5 now. Her father went off to college and I never heard from him again. So it was just me, my dad, Lexi and Jacob. He has been my best friend since freshman year of high school and he was and is a huge help with Lexi. He would spend the night and get up and feed her, he babysat whenever he could and now he tells her bedtime stories. We tried dating in high school but after the first kiss we knew we were destined to always be just best friends. He doesn't spend the night anymore since he's now in a serious relationship with a girl named Leah but he still comes over a lot and he still babysits when he can.

She falls asleep and he comes out, raids the freezer for the ice cream I always have, and turns the TV on.

"Don't you need to be home Jake?"

"Nah, Leah's working late tonight. Do you work tomorrow? I can take Lexi then Leah wants you to come to dinner." I'm immediately suspicious. Dinner at their house almost always means they are trying to set me up with someone. I haven't dated much since Lexi's father left but I'm busy with her and work. I run a photography business and I do everything. But I'm happy.

"Jake I do not want to be set up anymore. You two are horrible matchmakers. But yes I do work. I have a wedding in the early afternoon."

"What was wrong with Paul?" he asks.

"Major anger issues Jake. He yelled at Lexi for spilling her drink. It wasn't even on him."

"Fine. Seth?"

"He spent the whole night playing with Lexi. Which was nice but why would I want to date someone more interested in my daughter than me?" Sigh.

"OK, OK but this isn't one of our friends. It's a guy she knows from work. Well I guess he's her friend but you know what I mean." He looks at me with those puppy dog eyes.

"Does he know the point of the dinner?" His expression tells me no.

"Fine! But this is the last time Jake. I mean it." Like I haven't said that before.

"You won't be sorry!" Except I already am.

Morning comes and Lexi wakes me up at 6:30 staring at me just like she does every morning.

"Come on Lexi baby, just a few more minutes. You can go watch TV; there are cupcakes in the kitchen." I always try everything I can but I'm always up 10 minutes later making her breakfast and listening to Disney Channel.

"Mommy, I want to hear the goblin story." Aggh Jake!

"OK sweetie, next time you spent the night with Jake and Leah you beg and cry until he tells it to you."

"OK mommy! Can I spend the night tonight?"

"I'll talk to Jake when I drop you off." That would be really nice actually, sleeping past 6:30.

I leave her to her breakfast and TV and check my email and make a list for the day. I have the wedding at 12:30 and I have to drop off some film and pick up some prints. Then I need to come back here and get ready for dinner. Yay. I'll pack a bag for Lexi because they never mind keeping her and even if they for some reason did, I will have my terrible set up to guilt them into it. If Jake was here he would say, you're so negative, no good will ever come to you if you can't see past all the bad. Oh Jake, such the optimist. Sometimes I wonder why we fell into best friend love. He was popular and played football. I was shy and took pictures for the newspaper. I always sat alone at lunch and read a book, one day he sat with me and now 8 years later he tells my daughter too scary bedtime stories and sets me up on bad dates. I asked him why he sat with me that day and he said I looked lonely. I wasn't lonely; I was really into a sad book. But I'm grateful for the mistake.

A/N Any suggestions on who Bella should be set up with? And I've always just done one story at a time but I kept seeing Jake telling a little girl scary stories and I needed a break from my other story. Not a long break though if you are reading it.