Ch. 4

Endless Surprises

Bella:

Lunch was a small family affair, the few guests choosing to drive into town for their meal. We sat at the smaller kitchen table, rather than in the dining room, and laughed and chattered amicably. It was something I wasn't used to, having only lived with one parent at a time, so I enjoyed the closeness of Jake's extended family.

"We're glad you came, Bella," Aunt Mae smiled at me over her plate. "Jake's never brought a girlfriend to visit before."

I didn't know what to say. Jacob and I had only ever been friends. But it occurred to me that perhaps this was what this trip was about—becoming something more. Had he already anticipated it and told his family I was his girlfriend? I glanced over at him. He had stopped chewing and was looking uncomfortable, but it only lasted for a second. "I would like nothing more than for that to be true, but—" he threw me his crooked smile, "that depends on somebody else." He went back to eating, leaving me the uncomfortable one with the future resting on my shoulders.

Aunt Mae looked at me incredulously. "Well? What are you waiting for? Make my nephew happy. Just look at him—what more could a girl ask for? He's the sweetest kid."

Jake turned his phony puppy dog eyes on me and laughed, but I could see the self-satisfaction behind his long lashes. He was setting this up. I felt like punching him.

"Don't believe my mom, Bella. You could do a whole lot better than Jake right here," Walker leaned back in his chair, staring at me. I knew where he was going.

"Oh really? You have any suggestions?"

He looked around the room, his eyes coming back to rest on me. "He's sitting right across from you." He had a smirk that rivaled Jake's.

Jacob set down his fork, regarding his cousin beside him. "Some suggestion."

Walker ran his hand through his chopped black hair and laughed. "I think so. You have any objections, little cousin?"

In one swift move, Jake had him in a choke hold, the look on his face priceless. "First of all, I do object. And second of all, I may be your little cousin in age, but not in stature."

"Okay, okay . . . Truce!" Walker wheezed, punching Jake on his arm when he was free.

Although Walker was smaller in stature—he was six feet compared to Jake's six foot, seven inches—he was eighteen, the same age as me. You could tell they were related; they both had the same dark skin, eyes, and hair, but Walker's was short and choppy, styled so that it looked like he had just woken up. His face was more angular, too, with a strong, hard jaw and chin—that aspect reminded me of someone, though I didn't have the faintest clue who—while Jacob's face was softer. Other than that, the two boys could be brothers . . . They acted just like it, that was for sure. Both couldn't go five minutes without striking the other. I found their amiable behavior amusing. Instead of feeling out of place in this strange environment, I felt assimilated, like part of their family, and I'd only known them for little over an hour. It was a nice feeling.

*****

Jacob:

After helping my aunt with the dishes and leaving Walker with one last bruise, I wanted to be alone with Bella. She appeared to be having a good time with my family, but that didn't stop me from pulling her away. This was supposed to be our time, and I knew exactly what my devious cousin was up to. He always did have a way with girls, especially the ones I liked, and I wasn't about to let him work his magic on her. No, I had risked too much to have him yank it all away in a moment of loneliness. I was well aware that he had recently broken up with his girlfriend of a month, and I could read the intentions he had glistening in his eyes all too clearly. It was a good thing I towered over him. He was no match for me.

We had stopped by the cottage after leaving the main house. Bella wanted to change into something warmer before we went out. Evidently, it was getting colder outside, although I never noticed things like that now that I was constantly living in a furnace.

While I waited in the living room, I absentmindedly watched the television. It was turned to some talk show, and I couldn't focus—not that I wanted to—on the annoying host and her poor guest. I looked at the clock; it was almost five. I hadn't realized how long we had spent in the car this morning. I had taken some detours to drag it out, partly to spend more time with Bella in such a cramped space, but mostly trying to throw any potential followers off our trail, or at least confuse them. I hoped I'd succeeded with the latter. Those vampires were pretty smart once they'd had a couple of centuries to knock some sense into them.

I wasn't sure, but I assumed Edward had been around long enough to have witnessed the Victorian style of dress and the invention of automobiles. That guy had so much self-control that my guess had to be correct—that and his elegant way of talking were proof enough. And that made me worried. He had the brains to find us if he wished. But would he come after us after all? Even if he thought Bella no longer loved him?

I only had a short time to make her fall madly in love with me before he did find us. I had taken a bet on him assuming Bella and I were far away, so he would search across the country instead of in his own backyard. But if I was wrong, and he followed us straight here, then I needed Bella's love for me as an indicator. Once he saw that she wanted me instead, I was pretty certain he would leave us alone. Couldn't he see that Bella deserved to have a normal, human life? Not have her mortality taken away from her because she was blinded by her first infatuation. I was sure he would sacrifice his happiness for her, if he could only see what I had always known. That she and I were meant to be together. I could give her everything she wanted—a normal life, family, a safe existence. And I was more than willing to do just that.

She came out of the bedroom suddenly, cutting into my thoughts. I glanced back at the clock; it had only been a few minutes. I was always getting lost in my mind these days. I started thinking and each time, it happened . . . my daydreams went directly to her. Just another sign she was the one. I wondered if she did the same with me. As if she had read my mind, she gave me a quizzical look.

"Ready?" she asked, trying to shove her arms inside her coat. I jumped up and held the coat for her, so she could easily slide into it. "Thanks," she mumbled, her eyes refusing to look at me.

I started for the door, not bothering to grab my jacket as a prop. If Bella noticed, she didn't say anything.

"So where are we going?" she said as she caught up with my stride.

"Well, I thought we could kill a little time before the concert starts."

"What concert?"

"It's really not a concert per se, but they have some of the local bands play. Unlike La Push, Long Beach always has little festivals and concerts on the beach for the tourists. It's kind of cheesy, but my aunt always helps out. I told her we'd stop by."

"Sounds fun," she said. "What is that your aunt does?"

"Face painting. That's why she wants me to come help; for some reason the kids love me."

She laughed. "It's because you're a kid at heart, Jake."

I peeked at her. "I'm just gonna take that as a compliment." I grabbed her hand, pulling her back to me. "Come here. Look." I pointed towards the rolling waves in the distance where a whale's fin could barely be seen.

She moved closer and sat down on a piece of driftwood. I followed her slowly.

"This view is amazing. No offense, but there is nothing like this in La Push. The time we went whale-watching, I didn't see a thing, although Jessica swore she saw a couple."

I sat down beside her. "Yeah, well, that girl can be a little ditsy."

"You said it, not me." She clasped her hands together and put them to her mouth, breathing warm air into them.

"Here." I held out my hands, and she placed hers lightly in mine. They were ice cold, compared to mine that felt like I'd stuck them in an oven for an hour. I wrapped my hands around hers.

"Wow, Jake, you're really hot," she said, looking up at me.

I cocked my head and smirked. "Yeah, that's what they tell me."

She tried to shove me away, but of course I didn't budge. "And full of it, you know that?" She laughed, but her face softened. "I'm glad you brought me out here. I like this place. Your family's nice."

I stood up, pulling her with me. "Correction, my aunt's nice. Walker's just waiting to pounce. You should be careful around him. I know he's my cousin, but sometimes I just don't trust him."

"Why's that?" Bella reached out and ran her fingers over the smooth rock of the cliff we were passing by. It was a dangerous one because it didn't exactly overlook the water below. If tourists who didn't know the area wanted to cliffdive, it was a disaster waiting to happen.

"He's never really had a father figure around; my uncle died when he was young. And since then, he's always hung out with a bad crowd. Those guys—well, you just don't want to run into them. They're a bad group." She shivered and I wrapped an arm around her. "Don't worry, Bells, I'm not gonna let you out of sight," I teased.

The sound of faint music starting reached both of our ears at the same time, and we looked up. I hadn't realized how far we had walked while we were talking. The crowded boardwalk was within sight now that we had rounded the cliff. I could see the area where they were setting up the stage for the musicians, and it brought back old memories of the time a few years back when Walker had convinced me to play for the crowds.

We were almost to the boardwalk when Walker showed up out of nowhere. "What's up, guys?" He slapped me on the back and winked at Bella. "Jake, I have a proposition for you."

I groaned, staring at him. "I don't want to know."

He laughed. "You remember that time we played at this thing and the crowd went wild?"

"The crowd hardly went wild," I interjected. "There were at the most thirty people there."

"Ah, yes, but thirty people who loved us."

"Whatever . . . what do you want?" I didn't even have to ask. I already knew too well what he had done.

"Well, I might've gone ahead and signed us up to play." He gave me a sheepish look, and I rubbed my forehead, anticipating a headache.

"I could kill you."

"Nah, you'll love it. And I'm sure Bella here would love to hear you. Wouldn't you, Bells?" He turned to her and winked again. "Did you know Jake is great at guitar and he can sing?"

"What?" She looked at me, her eyes wide. "I didn't know that! You never told me that."

"Because he's exaggerating. I don't really know how to play. I just kind of do it for fun." I shrugged.

"He's so modest. The guy's good, he can't try to deny it."

"Walker—" I couldn't believe he was saying this.

"Alright, so it's agreed, we're playing. I brought an extra guitar for you. I hope you still remember the song." He gave a short wave and took off in a jog towards the stage.

"What song are you playing?" Bella asked.

I sighed. Oh well. She would find out soon enough anyway. "Do you remember all the times I would come over to watch the game with Charlie, or go fishing when we were younger?" She nodded slowly. "It wasn't because I enjoyed hanging out with a couple of middle aged guys yelling at the t.v. And it wasn't because I loved eating fish every single night for weeks on end . . . I only enjoyed those things because your dad would bring you along. When you decided to stop visiting Charlie, it was a punch to the gut . . . and the heart. I spent the whole summer with my guitar. The song you'll hear is one of the products of that long summer away from you."

She looked away, and I wondered what she was thinking about. I'd probably just made myself look like a pathetic idiot. She didn't say anything. She didn't move.

"Jake . . . I never knew you felt that way. Why didn't you tell me? You've kept this a secret for years."

"Most teenage boys don't reveal stuff like that, especially not to the object of their affection."

"But I should've known. How could I have been so blind? I'm sorry I put you through that."

I felt a pang. I hadn't told her that so she would feel some sort of warped guilt for not feeling the same way. "Bells, it's not your fault. Yeah, I was sad, but you shouldn't beat yourself up over one decision you made a long time ago. All that matters is that we're here together . . . right now. Forget what happened or didn't happen in the past. Just focus on the now." I brushed my hand across her cheek.

"I just feel like I've hurt you so much in the past, but I can't remember the specifics. It's all blurry. And I'm sorry for anything I've done. I don't want to hurt you, Jake," she said quietly.

I took a step closer. "Then say you'll be with me."

"I'll be with you, Jacob Black," she whispered, not hesitating a second.

"That's all I've ever wanted." I bent down to kiss her, and in that moment everything that had happened since she had met Edward was erased. To me, there was no other guy who could come along and steal her away, and I had to keep it that way. But once I reopened my eyes, reality swooped back in, and all my fears and doubts returned.

"Look at you two love birds. I miss being young." I turned as Aunt Mae came toward us. She laid her hand on my arm. "Alright, I don't mean to break up the happiness, but I need your help. The face painting booth is a favorite this time, and the kids are making me pull my hair out. I left Walker in charge for five minutes while I came to get you two, so we should probably hurry back, or else I'll be attending my only son's funeral." She snorted and tugged on my arm.

We helped at the booth for a short while until the families started to make their way over to the stage, and fewer kids showed up. It was close to sunset when I pulled Bella away from her stack of paintbrushes. I intertwined our fingers and led her away from the last few groups of kids who were whining and screaming, leading her to a spot near the makeshift stage. I spread out one of the blankets my aunt had packed.

Bella threw herself down onto the ground and sighed. "No kids for me. That was exhausting."

I joined her. "They seemed to like you, though."

She gave me a look that said are you kidding? "That one kid cried because my dog looked more like a cow. And it's not like I didn't try. It's just incredibly hard to paint a picture on a wiggling kid's face."

I chuckled to myself.

"I don't know . . . the whole marriage and family thing is lost on me. I know it's supposed to be something that every girl dreams of, but it's never been like that with me. I don't know why," she trailed off.

"So you're completely ruling it out?"

She shrugged. "I don't know how the future's going to pan out, but right now I'm one hundred percent sure I don't like the idea. And how do you know that there's only going to be just one person for you? What if there are two? How do you choose?"

She was speaking hypothetically, but I couldn't help answering. "You don't have to choose. Everybody has a soulmate. Once you find them, there shouldn't be any question. You may get sidetracked with someone you think you're meant to be with, but one day you'll realize who your true one-and-only is."

"Jacob Black . . . who knew you were a romantic at heart?" She laughed.

"Yeah, yeah," I muttered, but she didn't see how I looked at her when she wasn't looking, and she didn't know the extent of my feelings . . . yet.

I heard footsteps behind me and turned. "Alright, man, we're up," Walker said. "You ready?"

I got to my feet reluctantly. "Yeah, ready to run."

He pulled me towards the few steps of the stage, running over some of the details. My heart was pounding for some reason, and I couldn't help but feel a little nauseous. I sat down on the first stool and got situated with my guitar while the cheering died down.

"Hi there. I'm Jake and that's Walker." I nodded to my right, where he sat on the other stool, strumming his guitar lightly. Some of the teenage girls yelled, and he grinned. "And uh, we're gonna play a little song I wrote a few years back for a special someone. Bells, this is for you."

It started off a little rough, but it quickly came back to me, and periodically I'd watch Bella to see her expression. When the song ended, I gave a wave and strode off the stage. Walker caught up to me, grinning from ear to ear.

"Did you see that? They loved us. I'll probably get a few numbers tonight."

"That's great, Walker. But I've got someone I need to be with right now, so excuse me." I started for Bella.

She was beaming as she hugged me. "That was incredible, Jake! I still can't believe that you never told me you could play. You're really good. And that song . . . was beautiful."

"It wasn't all that special."

"It was to me."

The next band took the stage and started playing their set, their music a mix of blues and jazz. Bella leaned her head on my shoulder, and we watched the sky fade from blue to gray to a deep purple as one song transitioned into another. This was what I'd been waiting for—my chance with Bella. And I didn't think it could get any more perfect. Things were going my way for once. Luck was on my side. But just when you thought things were going the right way, it could all come crashing down in a split second, and that thought nagged and nagged and nagged me all through the night.

The last band to mount the stage announced that they only did covers of songs. I waited as they set up their equipment, and then the familiar melody reached my ears. They were going with the classics to finish up tonight, and I immediately recognized Elvis Presley's lyrics . . . Wise men say only fools rush in . . . but I can't help falling in love with you.

I jumped to my feet, holding out my hand to Bella, just as others stood to do the same.

"Dance with me." It wasn't a question; it was pure demand. I knew she would hate me for this. I wasn't much of a dancer either, but in a moment of brashness, I decided I would put my dislike of dancing behind me just to feel her in my arms, swaying gently to the melody.

"Jake. . ." She moaned, grimacing. "I don't dance. You know that." She playfully shoved my hand away, but it was useless. I wasn't going anywhere.

"Bells, I know you dance. You've danced with me before . . . at prom. C'mon, just do this one thing for me, and I promise I won't ask you for anything else this whole trip."

"You swear?"

"No. But do this for me anyway." I pulled her unwilling body towards mine and started to move along with the music.

"You can be such a bully when you want to be," she grumbled as I chuckled lightly. In spite of her impatience for the song to end, she rested her head against my chest and closed her eyes. I tightened my hold, just in case she fell asleep on me—which would be typical Bella behavior to get out of dancing. Fake tiredness and pass out.

The song faded away, and I became aware that people were gathering their belongings and stalking off into the shadows. I pulled back, looking down at Bella. Her slightly messy, dark hair framed her face with soft waves and her caramel eyes were shielded by long lashes. I tipped her chin up with my finger, but before I could even lean down, she was coming towards me. Again, everything seemed right in the world.

I was hoping this kiss would never have to end, that it would continue unspoiled and uninterrupted, when I heard a throat clear. Bella jerked away, her face turning pink, and looked down. I glanced over in the direction of our intruder, but the figure was shrouded under the cover of darkness. He stood with his face pointed towards the ground, his jacket collar folded up so that it hid the lower half of his jaw. Even through the dark shadows, I could almost distinguish the faint outline of a strong, rigid chin, angular cheekbones, and the small sliver of skin that glistened pale white in the dim moonlight. My stomach twisted into a million tiny knots, and my breath caught in my throat. This was it. The end.