About a week had passed since I had made the mistake of going to the Cullen's house. The threads around the hole in my chest had been weakly sewn together for Charlie, but I knew that reminding myself of anything to do with them would ruin me for once and for all.
Almost every day I spent down at the Black's house- I would be lying to say that I wasn't enjoying myself. Jacob was just so easy to be around; if you didn't count the fact that he took up almost all of the room and ate so much that it was hard to believe it would fit inside him.
Whenever I was with him, close enough to feel his heat radiating out and warming me, like my own personal sun, it felt like another stitch had been put in my wound. The pain had not become less; it was just that now I could handle it: I could bear the pain when I was around Jacob.
I was sitting in the lounge room, chatting about school when, out of the blue, Jacob said something completely surprising. "Bella" He sucked in a deep breath "Bella, I love you". He said it with so much emotion, such transparent honesty that I could tell that he meant it.
I was so astonished that all I could do was gape at him with my mouth open. So many things were going through my head that I was surprised I was capable of thinking through each one. What if Edward came back, would I be able to hurt Jacob enough to go back to him? No, I didn't think I could. Would Edward be angry with Jake for being with me? I didn't know- he said he didn't love me, but I had always secretly hoped...
There was only one thing that I did know for sure. Jacob loved me, and I would not have to try to love him back, it was natural, simple, as easy as breathing to be with him, and I loved him too.