Author's Note:

This is my first attempt at writing. This is a concept all my own. I'm only using the names and the places the beautiful and super talented Stephenie Meyer created :)

Pretty please leave a Review even if it's anonymous…
:: If you have nothing nice to say then don't say anything at all ::

Chapter 1

I didn't recognize the young girl staring back at me in the photograph. She was genuinely happy and care free. She didn't have dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep and she was completely in love with the guy standing behind her with his signature smile, and strong arms wrapped around her waist. That was another time, another place…

"Mom its Dad," Junior stuffed the cordless house phone in my hand before running out of the living room.

I looked down at the phone and back at the photograph in my hand. Sighing I put the old photograph, face down, just as I found it, back into the drawer of Charlie's small corner desk.

"Yeah?" I answered into the receiver.

"Hey Bells, I'm tied up at work. Can you bring Junior here?" Jacob asked sounding distracted, the sound of metal clanking together serving as background music.

"Yeah fine, are you going to take him to the game then?" I asked looking for the car keys. The car keys that I was originally looking for when I came across the old photograph.

"Game? What game?" He asked just as the background music came to a halt.

"Jacob," I sighed upset that he forgot. "It's the final game of the season."

"Shit, I forgot… umm… at what time does the game start?" The clanking noise started up again.

"At four, Jake he's going to be so disappointed if you don't show_"

"I'll be there, on time, I promise."

I rolled my eyes, he promised to love me 'til death do us part too, and he didn't. Then again he married me out of obligation. Because I got pregnant with Junior, our marriage was doomed from the beginning. We didn't have money to buy a place so we lived together in Charlie's place. We argued day in and day out for four and a half years… we argued about anything and everything. From the grease residue he would leave, in the kitchen sink, when he washed his hands, after work, to money issues. With him working for John Downling as a mechanic, he wasn't making much, and me working as a cashier at Newton's Olympic Outfitters… let's just say that money was hard to come by.

When he told me he thought it was best for us to be separated for a while, I was broken hearted. Within a week he moved out and within a month I filed for divorce. The hardest decision I ever had to make. Jacob wasn't the best husband, but he is a wonderful father to Junior. The one thing we agreed on was for our son to not be jaded in the least throughout the whole process.

"Okay so I'll see you at the game then." I pressed the END button on the phone, not giving him a chance to say anything and cradled the phone to my chest. Seeing that old photograph of the two of us together, so happy in love, just re-broke my heart all over again. I wonder why my dad kept it tucked away in the drawer after all this time.

"Hey mom, what did dad say?" Junior asked with his baseball glove in hand.

"He said that he'll see us at the game." I attempted to smile at him, but felt the all too familiar sting of tears trying to make their great escape.

"Awesome, can we go out for ice cream afterwards? Win or lose?"

I walked past him, trying my best to make it to the bathroom before he caught site of the tears.

"Mom?"

"Yeah sure honey, just give me a sec. okay?" I sniffed and closed the bathroom door, on the face of my son. The face that's an exact replica of his father… tan skin, deep set dark brown eyes, the same black glossy thick hair, the long eyelashes, he even has that dimple on his chin… Just like Jacob.

I miss him, everyday, even though we always fought… I never slept alone. Now I crave his body to keep me warm. I even use his bar of soap, because I miss the way he smelled. I'm so pathetic. There was a time I even bought the cologne he wears to spray down my pillow, it was a poor substitute, but it did help with the coping. The divorce was finalized two weeks ago, and I cried a whole lot then too. I just wish I could go back in time… no, no I don't. I love Junior. He's the best thing that has happened to me in all of this. He's my very own little Blessing.

. . .

"Grandpa Charlie and Billy are here already Ma' look!" Junior exclaimed practically bouncing as he half jogged, half walked towards the baseball field.

I just nodded as I looked around for Jacob. I didn't see his truck in the parking lot, but maybe he parked on the other side of the park? No, he would be sitting with Billy and Charlie, if he were here, that son of a sea biscuit.

"Hey kiddo, you ready to kick some serious butt?" Billy asked an over excited Junior.

Junior nodded and was about to say something when… "Hey Black! We got to get you warmed up before the game buddy, come on." Emmet McCarty, the coach of the little league called out to Junior over the chain linked fence, as I took my seat on the bleachers next to Charlie.

"You alright?" Charlie asked after a few seconds of me fidgeting in my seat.

"Fine," I lied as I checked my wristwatch. Two minutes before four o' clock. Come on Jacob, please show up. Please. I mentally prayed closing my eyes.

"Don't worry Bella, he'll be here. He knows how important this is for the little one." Billy said leaning forward, looking at me with all the confidence and trust that he held in his son.

The referee blew the whistle… The game was about to start and Junior was first up to bat. My left leg wouldn't stop bouncing up and down as I nervously looked behind me, towards the parking lot. Where are you Jacob?

I looked over at Junior, who seemed to be doing the same. He was looking for his dad when the coach stepped up to him to give him some kind of pep talk. I was already going through any possible lie I could come up with to tell Junior, why his dad couldn't make it to the most important game of his six year old life.

Smack! "Foul Ball!" The usher yelled out as the ball rolled along in the orange dirt.

"That's okay Junior, you'll get the next one buddy!" Charlie yelled out, while Billy and the crowd clapped along.

Smack! My little guy hit that ball hard. The ball went flying past the kid that was standing in the outfield.

"Run Junior!" Jacob yelled standing right next to me, cheering Junior on.

I whipped my head around so fast when I heard Jacob's voice. I didn't even see him coming…

"You're late," I murmured when he sat down next to me.

Jacob got back up to cheer along with the crowd when Junior made the first point for the team.

"Dad! Did you see that?" Junior excitedly said from the other side of the chain linked fence.

"Yeah squirt I did. Keep it up 'kay?"

"'kay," Junior snuggled his baseball cap closer to his head as he leisurely walked back to the dugout with the rest of his team mates.

I could feel Jacob's eyes on me. We weren't married for very long, but we were in a relationship long enough for me to know how my body reacts with just a look. My heart speeds up, my knees become gelatin and I can feel the heat rising in my cheeks, which means he can see me blushing. Shit!

"I'm sorry that I'm late, but what matters is that I'm here." Jacob said to me in a low subdued tone.

The game was long, but completely worth the two hour torture of having to sit next to my ex-husband the entire time, because Junior's team won the final game of the season, which equals a happy seven year old, for the rest of the summer.

"Dad, dad, dad, look I get a trophy!" Junior ran and jumped into Jacob's waiting arms.

They hugged and laughed as Jacob spun them around.

"You're getting heavy Junior, what's your mom feeding you?" Jacob asked as he put him down and rustled his shaggy hair.

"Nasty vegetables," Junior made his funny, 'that's nasty' face, which included a wrinkled up nose, scrunched up eyes, and a little bit of his tongue sticking out.

Charlie, Billy, Jacob, and I laughed along with him.

"Jacob, Charlie and I are heading up to the Makah Rez. for some fishing, you two coming along?" Billy asked.

Jacob looked over at Junior, and shook his head, "Nah, I have to work tomorrow and I was planning on taking him up to Port Angeles to celebrate."

Junior almost dropped his trophy when he heard Jacob, "Really?"

Jacob laughed, "Yeah, really. You deserve it."

"Awesome, mom are you coming?" Junior asked tugging at my hand.

I bit my lower lip, before I squatted down to be at eye level with my son, "I think it's better if you go alone with your dad. So you guys can spend some quality time together just you and him."

His lower lip jutted out in a pout, "I really, really, really want you to come mommy."

My shoulders slouched, and I looked up at Jacob who just shrugged his shoulders, I gave him the 'you're not helping' look. "Okay, I'll go, being that you really, really_"

"YAY!" He shouted as he practically knocked me down when he threw himself at me.

. . .

I handed Jacob, Junior's weekend duffle bag. "I uh, packed him some cold medicine his nose was a bit runny this morning, just make sure you give him a table spoon of it before bed."

Jacob nodded, as his hands grazed mine when he took the Transformer inspired duffle bag.

I stuffed my hand into the front pocket of my jeans trying to hide the goose bumps Jacob just gave me from a simple graze.

"Hey mom aren't you coming?" Junior asked from sitting shotgun in his father's red truck.

"Where to honey?" I asked walking up to him as Jacob jumped in behind the steering wheel.

"Remember you said that we could have ice cream after the game." He gave me the sad puppy face, I can never say, 'no' to.

"Alright I'll meet you there." I said, stepping back.

"Just ride with us, I'll bring you back here afterwards." Jacob called out.

I was about to say, 'no, that's okay,' but Junior's face lit up and he was already moving over in the truck's bench seat to make room for me.

The ride to the ice cream shop wasn't as awkward as I thought it was going to be. We filled the silence with idle chit-chat about work, and funny Junior moments. It was actually pleasant. The longest conversation Jacob and I ever had without it breaking into an argument.

Once inside, I didn't know which ice cream flavor I wanted, when Jacob ordered me a triple fudge sundae.

"What are you trying to do to me?" I shook my head as we sat down in the corner booth to eat our ice cream like a family. I thought this is how we should be… together. Then I remembered when he walked out, and I quickly did away with that thought.

Jacob chuckled, as he dug into his banana split.

"What?" I asked amused and curious as to what he was laughing about.

"This is where we first kissed, remember?" He asked looking up at me.

"Eww… gross. Dad." Junior commented.

I blushed and looked away. I remember all right. We were sitting in the same booth, the only difference was that Jacob wasn't sitting across from me, he was sitting right next to me and we were only sixteen at the time. Well I was sixteen he was fifteen and completely skinny, and all gangly. Totally the opposite of what he was now. All toned, and muscled up… I was there that summer he started bulking up. It was that summer that we lost our virginity's to one another. Two years later I got pregnant and just like that. The magic was gone.

"Here's fifty cents go play pinball." Jacob said shooing Junior out of the booth.

"Awesome, thanks dad," Junior replied taking off.

Jacob cleared his throat, "I uh, wanted to ask you something?"

I finished off the ice cream and put it to the side, "What's up?"

"Leah and my sisters are planning this camping trip, it's for two weeks. It will be right before Junior starts school. I know I only get him on the weekends, but it will be good for him to spend some time with the family and be with his cousins_"

"He can go." I interrupted.

"You sure?" He asked surprised that he didn't have to keep on trying to sell me the trip.

"Yeah, you're his father and I know you'll keep him safe and I know how much he loves to hang out with his cousins." I shrugged my shoulders and leaned back into the booth.

"It's not that. I just know how much you miss him when he's with me on the weekends. To be without him for two weeks_"

"I'm sure I can manage." I interrupted him again.

"Anyway, I was hoping you can come along?" He looked at me with a smirk playing on his lips.

"Me? Oh, no. You know that nature and I don't go well together. And it's summer time_"

"So?"

"So? How about it being mosquito season? I go out there and they'll post an 'All You Can Eat' sign on my back."

Jacob laughed, and I couldn't help but join in.

"They have this neat little thing called Bug Spray, I don't know if you've heard of it?" Jacob said between his laughter.

"Ha-ha, very funny… I don't think_"

"How about you think about it? You have a whole week to decide before we head out."

I bit on my lower lip and fiddled with the spoon in the empty cup. Who was I kidding? I know I'm going to psych myself in and out of going before I finalize my decision and end up going anyway. . .