Chapter 2

Rated M

Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer-who's obviously Team Edward, while I'm, well, TJ!

Billy rolled into his son's bedroom. He was surprised that the house was so quiet. At first, he thought that Jacob may have gone to the hospital to be with Rachel and Paul, but his car was out in front of the house. When he opened the door and saw that Jacob was in bed with a woman, he gasped in surprise. There had never been a woman that wasn't pack in the house at all. Carefully, he backed out of the room and closed the door. He went into the kitchen and started the coffee maker knowing the scent would rouse his sleeping son. Naturally, the curiosity was getting the better of him. He wanted to know who the mystery woman was. She didn't look familiar.

The scent of coffee didn't wake the sleeping pair, so Billy decided it was time to cook some breakfast. He glanced at the clock and saw the time, thinking instead it was time for brunch, or lunch. He got out pots and pans to cook and wasn't very careful about banging them against the cabinet and the stove top. Every time he clanked something, he'd look toward the door hoping it would open.

Eventually, a large breakfast spread lay on the kitchen table. Billy sat eating by himself, actually enjoying the fact that Jacob wasn't inhaling everything before he could eat.

In the bedroom, though, Jacob and Bella were whispering about what to do.

"Jake, he's going to think I slept with you!" she said in a rush, her eyes wide with panic.

"You did sleep with me," he answered, smiling at his joke.

"Stop! This is serious," her whispers getting louder. "Your dad hasn't seen me in 10 years and he thinks I'm a vampire! If I waltz out into your kitchen, I might give him a heart attack!"

"Bells, you're being ridiculous! My dad will be so happy to see you alive. Come on, get dressed and we'll go out and eat. From all the noise he made, it sounds like he cooked every bit of food in my refrigerator. Besides, he never cooks, so he has to know you're here." Jacob stood from the bed and walked to his dresser to grab some clothes.

Bella sat in the bed. Her eyes darted between Jacob and the door, expecting Billy to pop in any second. As Jacob dressed, her eyes lingered on him longer, as she appreciated the view. His physique had only improved over the years. He was more defined, if that were possible, but he wasn't bigger. However, a guy who was 6' 6" was still huge by her standards, and a lot of others, she figured.

She sat stock still as Jacob turned around, tucking his t-shirt into his jeans. She couldn't stop herself from staring at his crotch as he fixed the shirt and zipped up his fly. He chuckled and went into the bathroom to brush his teeth. Snapping herself out of the trance, Bella stood and grabbed her clothes from the bench at the foot of the bed. She went into the bathroom after Jacob. Inside the bathroom was a water closet and his closet, so she stepped into his closet to change. When she came out, Jacob had left a toothbrush and toothpaste on the counter for her. She could hear him speaking with Billy in the kitchen, but couldn't hear the words.

After taking an exceptionally long time to brush her teeth and wash her face, she finally dried her face and walked to the bedroom door. Peering out the door, she could see Jacob standing at the counter fixing two mugs of coffee. It seemed she was going to have to face the music after all. Taking a deep breath, she walked into the kitchen. She pulled out the chair next to Jake, where he'd placed her coffee mug. She'd kept her head down at first, but then looked up at Billy.

"Hey, Billy," she said, purposely looking him in the eye while she sipped the coffee. She was trying to show him that she was still her, still human. Brown eyes, and consuming food and beverage.

Billy looked at her sharply and then Jake. Without saying a word, he backed up from the table and left the house. After he went out the backdoor, he leaned in and slammed it purposely-extra hard.

Bella cringed when he did it. Jacob sighed. He wasn't sure how Billy was going to react to the sight of Bella, but that reaction wasn't at all what he anticipated.

"Hungry?" he asked Bella, ignoring the elephant in the room. He pushed a couple of slices of bacon into his mouth, chewing them up while watching her. She rolled her eyes and put her head into her hands, blowing out air in a rush.

"No, Jake, I am not hungry. I've just upset your father. How can you think about food right now?"

"I can always think about food, and you know what, he'll get over it. I think it's the shock that you're here and human. And looking amazingly hot, by the way," he looked at her and grinned.

She shook her head and "tsked" him. "He's your dad! How can you say that?"

"Look, I care very much about my dad. I think that should be obvious by now, especially to you. You know me better than most people. He's seen how sad I was when you left with the Cullens and didn't come back. Can you blame him for being so surprised?"

"I guess not. Maybe I should go, Jake. I shouldn't have dropped into your life like this. You've moved on. It looks like you're doing amazingly well for yourself. I don't want to mess up what you've accomplished." Bella stood from the table and carried her mug to the sink. She stood at the sink and sipped the last few swallows, staring out the window. Her mind replayed the first day she discovered Jake was a wolf. She had slapped Paul Lahote in the face and Jacob had come to save her.

As she turned around to ask Jake to take her back to the hospital, Billy returned. In his lap were a stack of books. He put them on the table at the place Bella had been sitting.

"Read them," he demanded and then left again. Bella glanced at Jacob, the question on both of their faces.

She sat down and opened the top book. Quickly, she realized it was some kind of journal or diary. She noted the first date was the day she got married to Edward. It didn't take long for her heart to start to break. As Jake read over her shoulder, he realized what Billy had given her. He had no idea that his father had kept journals about him. Jacob tried to take the books out of her hands, but she held onto the books and wouldn't let go. She read each page and when Jacob smelled her tears, he could only wonder what his father had written. Knowing what she went through, could have gone through because of Edward Cullen, he didn't want her to suffer anymore.

Yes, people could and would, say that she is selfish. That she should have known she was making a mistake. What did they think a teenager did when they crashed into a tree while texting? They made a mistake, an error in judgement. He could forgive her.

"Bells, honey," he began, but she stopped him with her fingers. He stopped talking when she did that and looked into her eyes, pleading that she not go on.

"I missed 10 years of your life. Ten years. Billy chronicled everything that happened. Did you know that?" Her eyes searched his. She was able to see the answer in them. He'd had no idea what Billy had done.

"Okay, you can read them. We will read them. But not all today, okay?" Jake practically begged.

"All right, Jake, if that's what you want."

"It's what I want, Bella," he admitted. She simply nodded and handed the remainder of the stack back to him, her silent compromise. Then she continued to read the journal she had already started.

Bella was engrossed in the writing, reliving the moments of Jacob's life she had missed. She didn't notice that he had wrapped his arm around the back of the chair and his legs around the seat of the chair.

While Bella was catching up on his life, Jake was enjoying the closeness they were having. There was no awkwardness, no insecurities, nor was there Edward Cullen in between them. The one question he was terrified to ask her was "what happened now?"

He couldn't stop himself from touching her hair. It was much shorter than it had been for all of her life. The highlights gave her a different look. He liked it. He liked it so much he leaned in and kissed the top of her head. Bella froze. Her hand hovered over the corner of the page as she reached to turn the page.

Jacob took advantage of her momentary lapse and took the last journal from her hands. This time she didn't fight and let it go. Once he set the book upon the stack, on the other side of him, his large hand rested over top of Bella's folded hands. Though she was looking down, he could see the slight smile on her face.

"I've missed you," he admitted softly.

"I've missed you, too. Very, very much. I wish I had been brave enough to come back to you, to call you, or to somehow let you know I was okay," she responded.

"Things were hard for you. I want to be mad, but I'm not. I'm just relieved you are okay. That you're human."

Reaching out, Jake gently turned Bella's face toward him and slowly leaned in to kiss her. She didn't pull away but returned the soft kiss. When he started to lean back, she followed and placed one more firm kiss to his warm lips. She pressed her fingertips to her lips, as if she were cementing his kiss to her mouth.

"Why don't we go back and get your car? Have you called Charlie yet? Was he expecting you?" Jake asked as he stood and rinsed out his mug.

"He knew I was here but I was supposed to stay at a little motel in Port Angeles. I'll call him and let him know I'm here. I'm sure I can stay with him," she shrugged as she gathered her purse and jacket.

"Do you want to stay at Charlie's?" Jake asked.

"Well, I don't want to stay in Port Angeles," she admitted. "So I guess it has to be Charlie's house."

"Will you stay here? You can have the guest room if you want, but please, Bells. Stay here," he gently pleaded.

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