[Jacob's P.O.V.]

With Nessie getting bigger everyday, I started feeling so much more closer to her. The Imprint already made us soulmates, but my feelings toward her change with each minute amount of change she goes through each day. I feel more like her boyfriend than her protector now. I can tell that Edward's bothered by this.

I felt a freezing cold hand shake me awake from my nap. "Jake, you need to eat something."

I opened my eyes to see Bella's pale face quite close to mine. Her vampire stink burned my nose in the close proximity. "Bella, stand up. I can't take the smell right now," I said, pinching my nose to exaggerate my point. She stood back up very quickly right after she punched me in the arm, hard. "What? I was only kidding."

Seconds later, Bella was no where to be seen. I flopped my head back on the wadded blanket I'd been using as a pillow substitute; it smelled of the human Bella and Renesmee, a sweet and soothing combination of scents. Groaning as I sat up, I saw Alice flit inside the house with a few handfuls of wild flowers. She's strange like that; always using the window whenever possible to enter the massive Cullen house.

I stood up and actually smelled the food cooking in the large kitchen. My extended stints here always reduced my sense of smell while in the house, so smelling things other than the combination of Cullen scents was difficult on a good day. Whatever was cooking, smelled delicious. I strolled into the kitchen and found Bella and Nessie standing at the island stovetop, Edward sitting on a bar stool instructing the two of them.

Not that it was necessary for Bella to eat human food anymore, she decided to take a few lessons from Edward to help Nessie learn as well. Now that Renesmee'd grown a little bigger and much more mature, she'd decided to try living closer to her human-roots-I guess is what you could call it.

The one good thing from the cooking experiments was being able to eat what Renesmee couldn't finish. "What's for dinner?" I asked as I walked around and put my arm around Nessie.

"Arroz Carreteiro. Something Mom ate in Brazil when she and Dad were on their honeymoon," she answered.

I looked in the pan and saw meat, rice, tomatoes, onions, and then saw I all the spices on the counter. It was bound to be a flavor explosion; I had to try it. "Can I taste?"

Bella held out the spoon with some of everything on it. Taking a bite from the offered portion, I was hit by the multitude of different flavors and textures. I stood there a moment just savoring the taste. Before I could swallow and give my compliments to both chefs, Edward beat me to the punch. "He loves it."

Swallowing, I agreed with my own opinion.

"I'm glad you like it," Renesmee replied with a huge smile. When she smiles like that I really hate that her dad can read minds.

"Get a bowl," Edward told me, probably a ploy to get me to think of something else.

I turned and pulled out a couple bowls; one of them was of an average size, and the other wasn't normal-sized at all. It was actually a mixing bowl; well not a mixing bowl exactly, but the dog bowl Rosalie had bent for me as a joke. I only use the stupid thing because it's bigger than the rest of the Cullen dishes. When Blondie sees me using it to pile food up, she snickers and walks away.

Ness and I walked into the living room with our food. Emmet and Jasper were engrossed in a football game, but before I could join them in their sports stupor, Nessie placed her hand on my cheek and sent the question, "Can we go into the dining room where it's quiet?" through her gifted palm.

I nodded and we went into the rarely used dining room to sit and eat in the almost silent space. Almost silent because I could still hear through the unnecessarily thick wall separating the room were were currently in and the rest of the house. "What is it that you wanted to tell me?" I asked.

"Nothing. I just wanted to spend some time alone with you, without everyone being so close. It's bad enough they can hear us anyway," she replied.

I nodded in understanding and wolfed down almost all of my food. I looked over at her and couldn't help but think that she was beautiful. Before I had the chance to tell her that I thought so, I heard Edward, still in the kitchen, say, "I'll be right back Bella." A second later, he was in the dining room with the two of us and told me, "Will you please try to keep your thoughts to yourself? I really don't want to hear what you plan on doing to my only daughter."

Before I could protest, or tell him that I hadn't thought of anything inappropriate, Renesmee exclaimed, "Dad! Mind your own business."

With that, Edward left the room and I was left to think about how difficult my life was going to be with him around so often, not like I hadn't pondered the same thing in the past concerning being around a different girl.