An annoying beep came from the red, blinking numbers beside me. Slowly I turned, memories flooding my mind of something important for the wedding, but I couldn't grasp what. It was too dark and too early in the morning for me to remember anything.

"Jenica!" Amy called from the hallway and into my room. "You need to get up! You're going to go see the priest today to talk about the wedding!"

I groaned, turning on my stomach and throwing a pillow over my head.

"Don't give me that!" she shouted. "Don't make me get the men up here to wake you up!"
Since all the pack had turned twenty-one, Amy had taken to calling them the "men". They might've been adults, but they had the maturity of twelve year-olds.

"Fine," I whined back. "I'm up."
"Good. Put on your holiest outfit and be downstairs in fifteen minutes!"
Amy's tiny footsteps disappeared.

There were advantages and disadvantages to having Amy as my maid of honor. She always kept me on track, made sure appointments were made, and kept Embry in line as Jacob's Best Man.

However, she woke me up at nine in the morning, took me to places I didn't want to go, and would dictate my life for the next month. That would get annoying.

Slowly, I rolled myself out of bed and hit against the floor. That woke me up.

I searched through my closet for something to wear to meet a priest. Somewhere, on the floor, I found a cotton candy pink dress with long sleeves that went down to my knees. The dress was never mine; Emily gave it to me for church purposes. Go Emily.

I walked over to the mirror and played with my hair for a few minutes until I got it into a French twist. Then, I grabbed my white heels and ran downstairs.

Lately Leah, Seth, Collin, and Brady had been hanging around the house a lot more than usual. They were never as close to me as the rest of the guys were.

Whenever they decided to come over I felt like I was in a fish bowl. They would observe me as if I was some strange creature in a museum. I never realized how closely this marriage would bond me with the pack.

Subconsciously, when they were staring at me, I would look back, and all they would do was smile like nothing happened. It scared me.

"Oh my Lord, is Jenica wearing something that's not black?" Paul teased from his seat on the couch.

I was back in the fish bowl.

"Suck it," I growled.

"I think you're right Paul." Jacob got up from his chair and took me in his arms. "I thought I'd have to deal with a Gothic wedding."

"Put a fucking shirt on, Jacob Black."
Did I mention I wasn't a very pretty morning person?
"My words exactly," Leah chuckled absentmindedly.

"I think you're the only girl that doesn't want to see her fiancé half naked," Jared laughed, bouncing Kim and their baby, Dakota, with the vibrations.

After Kim had given birth to a healthy, baby boy, and after they got married a year back, she never left Jared's sight. He was worse than an over protective mother.

"Okay, Jared, we get it," Amy sighed, coming down the stairs. "Jacob, go put a shirt on and get your fiancée a cup of coffee before she rips your head off."
"I've got the coffee!" Emily called, entering the living room.

"Okay, scratch the second," Amy instructed. "Just put your shirt on."
"Jeez, Ame, since when'd you become so bossy?" Paul chuckled.

Amy glared at him. "If Jenica doesn't kill you by the time this is over I will."

"Alright girls, let's calm down." Emily placed her arm around me and handed me an all-too-colorful mug. "We all know Jenica would've rather ran away to Las Vegas, so it's a great honor to be in their wedding. She's stressed. Don't make yourselves vulnerable to any mental or physical abuse."
"Like she could do anything," Paul snorted.

I stood on my tip-toes, barely sizing him up, as I held my steaming hot cup over his head, threatening to drop it.

"Whoa, baby."
Jacob took my waist and kissed me. My muscles relaxed as I enjoyed the kiss.

"God, Jake, way to ruin all the fun." Leah pouted. "I wanted to see Paul get beat up by a girl."
Paul shrugged. "Woulda stopped 'er if I thought she was a threat."
I made my best attempt to lunge at Paul, using all my strength, but Jacob effortlessly held me back.

"Stop encouraging her," Embry growled.

"What are you? My mother?"
"No, but I am," Sam growled. "Stop it."

Paul had no choice but to obey.

"This family's a bunch of party poopers," Leah whined. "I woulda put ten bucks on shorty."

"Jenica," Jacob growled, not as much of a correction as it was a threat.

"Sorry."

Leah didn't mean it, but I didn't mind either. At least she was a whole lot better than Paul.

"And if you think we're party poopers you should leave," Embry muttered. "Do us some good."

Jacob didn't give me enough room to lift my arm, let alone breathe.

"Uh, Jacob, kinda squishing me," I gagged.

He let go of me quickly; I took a very long sip of the burning hot coffee.

"Quil!"

A seven year-old Claire ran down the stairs and into Quil's arms.

The last time I'd seen Claire was when she was only five. Boy, had she grown. She shot up at least a foot and was prettier than ever.

"Hey Claire-bear," Quil laughed, kissing her forehead. "What's up kid?"

"Valencia stole my Barbies," she whined. Like Quil could do anything about that.

"Valley!" Paul called. "Where's Valley?"
Valencia popped up behind a wall. She had a thick head of curly black hair and was dressed in a Snow White costume. She wore a mischievous smile on her lips.

"Pawl!" she squealed. "Pawl come get Vawey!"
Paul got out of his seat while he rolled his eyes. Slowly, he climbed the stairs, then pounced gently on the terrible three year-old. He tossed her over his shoulder and came downstairs. Valencia was holding him by his hair.

"Valenica," I cooed, taking her from Paul. "Good morning baby."
Valencia took my face with her two tiny hands and kissed me.

"Pawl pway wit Vawey," she giggled.

I placed my forehead against hers. "Is that so? I think you should make Paul all pretty today."

"O.K. sissy."
I put her down on her feet gently, and she toddled over to Paul. She climbed onto him, with his help, and sat high and mighty like she had conquered something.

"Sounds like Emily's going to have to take some pictures for me," I cooed teasingly at Paul.

"Pawl take pwetty pictures wit Vawey." She kissed Paul, and then he started tickling her.

"You, Jacob, out now," Amy ordered, pushing me and Jacob towards the door. "You're going to be late."
With one fluid motion, Jacob took our coats and opened the door.

"Bye guys!" he called, then wrapping an arm around my waist and leading me out into the snow.

"God, I can't wait until we get our own house," he muttered, flashing a half smirk at me.

I shrugged. "I dunno. I think I'll miss the mayhem of Mom's house."

"We'll have mayhem of our own," he assured me, opening up my door for me.

Slowly I climbed into the old, beat-up car and adjusted myself before putting on my seat belt.

Jacob got in next to me and immediately turned on the car for the heat. He didn't have to ask to know that I was cold. It was obvious on my face.

"You nervous?" I asked as he backed out of the driveway.

He shrugged. "Naw, not really. Father Webber's really nice, and we already got the place booked. What's he gonna do, tell us that we can't get married?"

"True," I laughed, taking Jacob's free hand that was changing the radio station.

He looked down at it for a second, smirked, and then turned his attention back on the highway.

For the first time in a long time I noticed the engagement band on my finger. It was gold and simple, with five small diamonds across the front.

I had never really noticed it before. I always knew it was there, and never took it off. It was like a part of my life, and if it were gone I would notice. But for that moment I appreciated it. This was once worn on Mrs. Black's finger. I knew I would never get a chance to meet Jacob's mother, but it felt like I had a piece of her with me where ever I went. That meant the world to me.

"Something bugging you baby?" Jacob mused, turning off at the exit that said, "Forks, Washington."
I shook my head. "No. Just looking at my ring."
He looked at me quickly. "You like it."

"I love it."

Before another word was said we pulled up to the big, Catholic church that the wedding was to be held at. Since it was winter the wedding was to be held inside, which, let's be honest, looked a whole lot better than Fork's in the summer time.

It was just what I wanted.

Sunday Morning Mass was just about to start when Jacob and I rushed in. Amy told us it was respectful to go to a Mass before talking to the priest about performing the wedding ceremony.

I was born Catholic, and so was Jacob, so it was very easy to get the wedding approved. There were no conversions or anything. Father Webber was happy with that.

Mass went on for an hour, like any Sunday Mass, and I remembered every prayer from when I went to church with my grandmother when both my parents were in jail. She decided I needed a religious background, and I would become a devoted Catholic like herself.

I was never a "devoted" Catholic, but I went to church every time I could and prayed to our Lord. That had to give me some points upstairs.

After Mass, everyone went up to greet Father Webber. It was really hard to get our turn, and we waited about twenty minutes until we actually got to talk to Father Webber.

"Jenica!" He greeted me with a warm smile, a kiss on the cheek, and a hug. "How are you this fine morning?"

"Very good, Father, and yourself?"
"Excellent, excellent. I hear you and your fiancé have come to talk about the ceremony with me?"
"Yes, we have, Father. We were so lucky to get booked in such a lovely place."

Father Webber smiled and took me by the hand. "Let's go back to my office."
He led us through the church and into a small room in the very back, behind the pews.

"Have a seat," Father Webber offered. "This should only take a short while."

Jacob and I both sat in the itchy, red armchairs that Father Webber had in front of his desk. He opened a manila folder with the last name Black on it.

"Ah, here we are. The date is sent a month from now." He put on his reading glasses. "Is that correct?"
"Yes, Father," I replied.

"Now, the big question, will you both be writing your own vows?" He smiled at me; usually it was the woman's idea to write their own vows.

"Yes," Jacob answered with a strong voice, reaching for my hand. "We have our own vow books."
Father Webber smiled. "Excellent, excellent. And do you have an estimate of how many people are coming?"
"About two hundred."
I knew there were a lot of people coming, but since when did we have two hundred people coming?

"Very good. Our church can fit that many."
Father Webber wrote something down in the manila folder, and then quickly closed it shut.

"Well, that's all for now." Father Webber shook both our hands. "I will see you for rehearsal dinner, yes?"
"Of course," Jacob laughed. "Thank you very much, Father."

He smiled. "Best of luck to both of you."
Jacob and I left the office hand in hand.

The walk back to the car was silent; I was still pondering how we could have two hundred people attending our wedding. There couldn't be that many people in La Push.

Yet, no matter how many people there were, I was marrying Jacob, and it would be the happiest day of my life.