The house had been fully done over in bright red on the walls. It looked like the house had been repainted just for Ness's birthday and by the way it smelt, it only reassured by theory. Candles were everywhere – on the tables, leading up to the stairs, around the walls and any other flat surface. Around the candles were dried out red rose petals and coloured streamers. There were even streamers hanging from the ceiling and the railing of the stairs, leading upstairs. Also standing on the stairs was the rest of the Cullen family.
"Happy birthday!" Alice smiled and hugged Renesmee who was still star struck while taking in the whole scene around her. I had to say the whole house was pretty impressive, with being it was only two days ago I had been here. But then I also knew how Alice could be with parties and celebrations.
"Oh my god, this is amazing Alice! Thank you!" Ness gasped with excitement while smiling widely and hugging her aunt tightly. I couldn't help but smile myself with seeing and sensing just how happy she was. At times, I knew Ness tried to cover up her emotions so no one would be able to tell what she was really feeling and be hurt. Usually I could tell when she was doing it, because her emotions were mixed and were conflicting each other, but this time, I could see and sense she wasn't doing such a thing. I loved nothing more than to see her so happy.
I looked from Ness to the rest of her family walking down the stairs at human pace to greet her. Each of them hugged her and wished her a happy birthday. Bella was the first of them, and as she stood back to let her husband wish Ness a happy birthday, I smiled at her and held her gaze apparently too long for Edward's liking. He hissed at me too low for Ness to hear. I rolled my eyes at him and thought, "Get over it." I guessed Bella must have been able to read my express of what my reaction was to him, as she giggled while staring at me.
Things between Bella and Edward and I had really changed over the last eighteen years. Of course with Edward knowing I knew Ness was maturing, he kept his watch on me and my thoughts, and for some reason he really didn't trust me like he had when Ness was little, though I really didn't care what he thought. But at times he had learnt to trust me with I being Ness's best friend and the only one she told everything to. I got the feeling he thought I was going to push Ness into things too quickly if she ever started to love me back. But I wasn't going to rush into anything with Ness. I would take things at her pace, quick or slow. I was in no rush to take things to the next level. We had forever together after all. There was no need to rush things.
And then with Bella and me, I wasn't too sure what to think really. I still loved her like I had after I knew Ness was my imprint – like family – but over time, and over these past few years, it was a love which felt like it was on the border line of becoming something more, and it really didn't help anything when I sensed she felt the same way. It seemed to be she had gotten closer to me over the years with hanging around for Ness. But, I really didn't want to go back to the life we had before Ness – with her torn between Edward and I, and me still loving her. I had my true love, my imprint and I that was all I needed. I hoped. . . Though I no longer thought of Bella like I used to, I thought of her as a friend, like I would think of Embry and Quil. That was it.
Alice took Ness's hand abruptly after everyone had wished her a happy birthday and pulled her over to the cream couch in the Cullen's living room to sit her down. Quickly Alice ran over to a small pile of presents on a little brown table next to the couch. "Here, open mine and Rosalie's first," Alice smiled brightly in excitement. Anyone who didn't know Alice would swear it was her birthday party and birthday. She seemed to be having just as much, if not more fun than Ness. Bella had told me Alice had always been like this. I thought arranging parties would get boring after a while for a vampire, but then, how could it when a vampire could do endless things, like climbing up a tree to decorate it – yeah, Bella had told me about her eighteenth party Alice had thrown. I was pretty sure Alice would have decorated the trees as well as the house for Ness, if it wasn't a surprise birthday party and if we were coming home at dark.
Ness smiled widely as she was handed Rosalie and Alice's present in a pink wrapped box. She shook it softly and then looked up to Alice and Rose with a wide grin before she started to open it. "Oh Alice, Rosalie, that's so beautiful, thank you so much!" she gasped at the silver sequined, night silk dress while taking it out of the box and then stood up to hug her aunts.
Jasper and Emmett then walked up to her slowly while grinning. I looked to Emmett from the corner of my eye while smiling crookedly with knowing just by the look on his face he really had something planned up his sleeves. I then saw a little red box in his hand as he held it behind his back. Ness eyed him suspiciously with knowing just how playful and teasing he could be. She then looked to Jasper in wonder of what was going on. Emmett pulled his hand from behind his back and handed the little parcel to her. "Happy birthday Ness," he grinned.
"It's from the both of us," Jasper added with a smile and then looked over his shoulder to me. "And Jacob of course," he said after a moment. So that's what it is, I thought while grinning and walking over to the side of the couch where Nessie stared up at me in surprise.
"You've already given me something Jacob," she smiled and took the wolf necklace I had given her into the palm of her hand while it hung from around her neck.
I smiled and shook my head. "This wasn't anything like that Ness. "
"C'mon open it!" Emmett pressed with another grin of anticipation. I couldn't help but laugh slightly as Ness rolled her eyes and giggled.
She looked down to the little box and then started to open it quickly as she could. Under the red paper was a little white box. She looked to the three of us in confusion before taking the top off and holding up keys on a key ring. "Keys?" she asked, looking at us from the corner of her eye with an odd face. I just had to laugh.
"Look out back," I told her as she got up and started to follow us towards the back door as the rest of the Cullen family trailed after us. Both Jasper and Emmett stood on either side of the open door as there in in the doorway, just outside of the house was Ness's new motorbike. It was black with bright pink flames over different parts of the bike. She gasped loudly with seeing it and walked over to its side to get a better look at it.
"Oh my god, this is incredible! Thank you‼" she screeched and hugged all three of us, but it was only me she shared a vision of what she was feeling to. I winked at her as she held my gaze for a second longer and then hugged Jasper and then Emmett.
Emmett chuckled while grinning. "No worries Ness. It's thanks to Jacob you got it burnt pink flames. We ordered it online and it was supposed to be pink, but it turned up red. So, of course we knew the friendly motorbike fixing dog could do something about it, so we called him," he joked. I had to laugh at that. Emmett and I had become good friends over the years. We always did this to each other – teasing, play fights, basically everything two brothers did.
I looked over to Bella and saw her smiling while staring at Ness's bike. "Good work Jacob," she said after noticing I was staring at her.
I smiled. "Thanks Bella."
"What type is it?" Ness then asked and went over to its side again and jumped on the back of it. "Can you teach me to ride it Jacob?" she asked a second later.
"Custom made Harley Davidson," Jasper answered.
"Only the best," Emmett added with crossing his arms.
"Of course I will," I smiled and walked over to her side. "Jump off for a second."
Ness looked up to me then with wonder as I lifted the seat and pulled out a black and pink motorbike helmet – which matched her bike with pink flames going over the helmet – for her to wear. Her face lit up again and screamed an another thank you which was almost too intense for any of our ears to handle. My girl was enthusiastic, I had to say it, and I loved it.
Esme and Carlisle came forward then with smiles on their faces. Esme held a small envelope in her hand as Carlisle stood beside her. "This is a little something for both you and Jacob, Renesmee," he said softly as Esme handed the envelope over to Ness while she sat back in the seat of her bike. She ripped the top of the envelope and took out the two pieces of paper that were inside. I was confused to what they were until Esme started to explain.
"Tickets for the two of to go around Europe together on your bikes," she said, speaking as softly as her husband had. I almost lost all breath from my body when I heard her. I had always wanted to go and see Europe on a motorbike, I just hadn't ever had the money to do so, and now I was going with Ness? How could that get any better!
"Thank you, grandpa, and grandma!" Ness jumped up and hugged them both tightly. They both looked to me leaning against the side of her bike. I was still in shock.
"Thank you so much," I said sincerely. "It really means a lot."
"That's no problem Jacob. I'm glad you're both excited," Carlisle said softly again.
Bella grabbed Edward's hand and brought him in front of us. "Our turn!" she said loudly and handed Ness another set of keys, marked Audi. Ness looked down to the key and then looked up to her parents wide eyed. "Are kidding me? You gotta be!" she cried with excitement.
"It's all yours honey," Bella smiled and then looked up to Edward. He smiled and pressed the button on a key he had to open the garage. The door suddenly rolled up and revealed the shiny black car inside with a bright pink ribbon around the middle of it. Ness's hands went to her mouth in shock as she saw it. I thought at one point she was going to faint with how excited she was and with how fast her heart was now racing.
The quiet motor came to life as Alice slowly drove it out of the garage and parked it in the middle of driveway. The sun shone down on the car and made the black shine so brightly it almost hurt my eyes.
It was a pretty sweet car! I loved it, but not anymore than I loved my own. Ness and I had simular taste in cars, but her parents hadn't let her buy any car for herself. When she was old enough, she was given Bella's 'oldish' – it wasn't really that old, but it was to the Cullens' – car to drive to and from Seattle in. It was a nice car too, but it wasn't anything like this one. I was over the moon when she had given me my Audi for my birthday, so I knew just how excited she was.
She starred at it glistening under the sunlight, in shock for a moment and then jumped off of her bike to hug both Edward and Bella tightly. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she cried over and over again.
"Happy birthday Renesmee," Edward murmured softly with a smile while looking down at her.
Alice got out of the car then and stood at the open door. "Don't just stand there thanking them Ness, come over and check out your car!" she grinned.
Ness giggled with looking over to Alice and then shouted a 'kay' before she ran over to it. As she passed me still leaning against her bike, to my surprise, she grabbed my hand to come with her while still giggling. I smirked at her while trying to keep up with her quick pace.