I used to think that the phrase "over the moon" was stupid. Redundant. Ridiculous. But literally, I was over the moon. Literally.

Bella and I had been dating for around six months. It was five months and 15 days. Not like I was counting. I was trying not to, but I'll never forget our first date.

I had informed Jenny that I would be home late that night, so to not have the kids wait up for me like usual. We went to the Art Institute and spent a few hours there before going to dinner at Gino's and then walking the boardwalk. Watching her admire the works of art was an experience I could relive a million times. The way her eyes lit up when she was something she loved, the little gasps she made at the ancient pieces, the little 'o' she made with her mouth when she got to close and set off the alarms. I laughed at her when she did that. She hit me lightly on the arm in response.

"I still can't believe you've lived here for as long as you have and you haven't been to the Art institute!" I exclaimed on our way. We weren't originally going to go there, but then she told me that morning so I changed the plans.

"Well." She folded her arms, "I haven't had a reason to!"

I sputtered. "Haven't had a reason? It existing is reason enough, and you living in the same city is more than enough!"

She pouted in response. "Well I'm going now so get off my case."

"Aww, Bella, I'm sorry. It's just, it's my favorite place in the city."

"It is?" she asked.

"Yeah. It's amazing." I said. It used to be my favorite place in Chicago, but then I met Bella in the coffee shop. I wasn't going to tell her it had changed, at least yet. Probably ever.

"Why?" she asked.

"Well, Kim and I used to come here all the time. She was an art major so she loved it, and we would come here, spend a little time together in the special exhibit, and then split ways. She would go to whatever section she was studying in class, and I would go to the mini room."

"The mini room?" she asked.

"Yes! It's a whole section of just little rooms and castles and displays to show the architecture and the way life was. It was pertinent for my time. Where do you want to go?" I had made her pull up the exhibits so she would know what to expect, but I figured we would just go for as long as it took us to be in there.

She hummed. "Well, let's just play it by ear." She seemed to get awkward.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

She hesitated. "Well I don't want to go to a place and muddle your intimate memories of your wife." She said lowly.

I almost laughed at her. "Bella, I promise you will not muddle my memories of Kim. I have plenty of memories of her. And besides, it's not like I only ever went there with her. I've been here since I was 23 and it was the first place I visited."

"Okay." She said. "Wait, isn't your mom back at your home?'

"Yeah, Why?"

"Well, you came here when you were 23. Did you live with your dad or something?" she asked.

"No, I lived with my aunt and uncle. They were understanding. My mom did come out for the first few months I was here, just to make sure I was okay. I was already pretty adult." I said.

"Oh, that makes sense. I moved to Washington when I was 16 because my mom had gotten married and I didn't want to tie her down." That sounded like her.

"Did you like it there?"

She got this lost look in her eye for a moment before she said softly. "I loved my father and my eventual husband, but it doesn't really feel like home anymore." I said. "It's strange to not have anything tying you to a place, when you once did."

I nodded.

That first date was the first of many. I think she was interested in pursuing a long-term relationship with me, I just hope it didn't change. Even if it did, I just hope she'll always let me stay in her life.

My headaches had disappeared without a trace. Just knowing that I would see her again was enough to keep them away, but actually seeing her…man that was indescribable.

Also, I don't use the term over the moon lightly. I was literally over the moon with happiness. We were on a date again, just meandering through the mall, but her hand was in mine and she kept sending me secret smiles.

We had kissed since we had started dating, but we had a serious discussion about taking things slowly beyond that. There were a few hidden rendezvous this some hands, but that's as far as we had gotten. The one night when we both seemed into the idea of having sex, Jenny called and told me that all three of the kids were throwing up. I suppose having sex with her before explaining the imprint isn't a good idea anyway, so I wanted to hold off.

Being a parent and dating was hard, but Bella was more than understanding. I can't believe how lucky I am to have her.

"Jared." She said, looking at the necklace in the window of a store.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"I have to tell you something." She said, avoiding eye contact. Oh god. My heart started to pound, I could hear it. The blood was rushing through my veins in a blind panic, and I was going through every possible scenario of what she could tell me.

"Yeah?" I prompted again, trying to feign calmness.

She pulled her hand out of mine and rubbed them together. "I have uh… I have a job interview out of state." She said. "And I wanted to tell you, just in case I get it-"

My ears were ringing. I was already planning on how to tell her I would follow her anywhere when I was pulled out of that by her concerned gaze. She looked like she thought I was angry. "What is it for?"

"It's for a principal position at a high school." She said. "I always wanted the job. I love it here, but I figured I might as well entertain the idea."

"Well, just let me know how it goes! You could land any job you wanted." I said. I wasn't worried. If she got the job, I could tell her everything and then follow her. I just hoped the kids would be okay with moving.

"Thanks, Jared." She said. She put her hand in mine again and we continued to wander the mall for Christmas presents.

…

Thanksgiving had come and gone. Bella had spent it at our house, and I told her to invite whomever she wanted. The neighbors next door to her, Abigail and Bill, and her friend Denise all congregated to my house. We had a lazy day in, the kids all got along well with Bellas' friends, and Bella never ceased to amaze me at how good she was with them; even Liam, who was kind of an ass to her.

The kids were excited to spend Christmas with their grandma at her house. We never went to La Push, but mom always spent Christmas with us. I didn't want to go back, in case it would prompt a shift or something with the (stupid) wolf or the (stupid) pack, but since the biggest thing had happened I figured what the fuck, might as well stir the shit pot anyway. And since Bella was god knows where doing an interview over the break, I took three weeks off and we were headed there.

The kids weren't used to travelling this much an it showed on their little faces. Liam and Lia were bickering with one another, and Ellie was fighting sleep in my arms as I tried to find the proper arrangements for our rental car.

Finally, we were on the long road trip to La Push. Before we had even made it on to the freeway all three of the littles were knocked out. Our flight had left at seven in the morning, but we had to leave the house around four to make it to the airport on time. I was annoyed, because I had booked the flight for that afternoon, but the airport rescheduled it for weather related reasons. Or something. I just know I had to be up at an ungodly hour, and that my kids were suffering because of it.

But they were all so excited to see their grandma that I could overlook the tiredness from the trip. The road trip from Seattle to La Push was a familiar one. Before I had moved to Chicago, I hated being at home, my poor mother. I spent a large portion of my childhood at my Aunts house in Seattle because I hated being in La Push. My father had died when I was young, but mom had had a really good job as a head nurse at Forks hospital. Eventually, she had gone on to get her nurse Practitioners license and had started a free clinic on the reservation on weekends. She worked her ass off and was a vital part of the community, so she didn't want to leave. But I hated La push. The only person that I had loved was my mom, so on every weekend and break I spent it at her sister's house in Seattle. She went with me most of the time, but I just didn't like La Push. I didn't get along with any of the kids my age, in fact I was known for getting into fights the older I got with my classmates. There was one kids who was a few years younger than me and he loved to harass me after school for some reason. Finally, I had started to attend college when I was 19, but two years before I was supposed to graduate I shifted into the fucking wolf. And then I left. My mom didn't want me to leave, but knew that I hated being a wolf, and when all the kids that I hated started shifting I didn't want to have to get a long with them and share a brain with them, so I left with my aunt when she moved.

Before I knew it, the familiar drive was over, and we were pulling into the Reservation. It had been years since I had been back. I was getting anxious. I was afraid that I would shift on the unfamiliar grounds, or that I wouldn't be welcome in my childhood home.

Of course, that was stupid because as soon as my car pulled into the driveway my mother was out the door, grabbing me into her arms, and crying tears of happiness. I really didn't see her enough. I tried to squash the feelings of guilt as she smiled at me and patted my cheek.

"Grandma!" Liam shouted, finally getting out of his booster and running to give her a hug.

"Liam! Lia!" She gave the twins a joint hug before giving Elli a big squeeze and picking her up.

"Come inside!" She said. "We'll get your bags later, and it's cold."

I smiled as my mom led my kids into her house. Weirdly enough, La Push didn't feel foreign to me today. I felt at home. I wonder what had changed?

"Jared!" She yelled at me. "I made your favorite!"

"Waffles with strawberries on top?" I asked hopefully.

"And whipped cream." She smiled from the doorway. I smiled at her and walked into the house.