Okay everyone! Here is what was originally part of Chapter 5. I hope you like it. This chapter is a happy chapter, but be prepared for some conflict in upcoming chapters. Enjoy the happiness while it lasts! Please, please, PLEASE review. I would love to know what your favorite part was in this chapter, as well as anything that can be improved. Happy reading!
I gasped as we reached the big house. The front drive was full of cars. Every light in the house was on, and I could see the silhouettes of my friends and family in the windows. Beyond the house, I could see the backyard. There were twinkle lights decorating every tree, and there were a couple of dozen tables draped with white tablecloths covered with elaborate flower arrangements.
I looked up at my parents. My mom looked absolutely horrified. "It could have been worse," my dad said.
How could it possibly be any worse? My dad just chuckled and led my mom and me to the front door. He opened the door and motioned for my mom and me to walk in first.
"Happy Birthday!" all of our family and friends yelled. I couldn't help but grin. Even if the entire party was completely over the top, it was still nice to be celebrated.
Alice was the first to hug us. "You're welcome," she said with a grin as she hugged first me, then my mom.
"Thanks, Alice," I laughed. The rest of my vampire family followed Alice's lead, hugging us both.
Emmett whistled as he walked up to me. "I can't believe your dad let you out of the house in that dress. You look smokin' hot." My dad glared at him. "What? She should take it as a compliment."
"Don't worry; I do. Thanks Emmett."
Charlie and Sue were next in line. "Happy Birthday, Nessie," he said as he hugged me awkwardly. "Wow Bells, you look…umm… great. Happy Birthday," he said to my mom as he hugged her gingerly.
"Thanks Dad," she said returning his hug. "Thank you so much for coming, Sue." My mom smiled warmly at Seth and Leah's mom.
"Wouldn't miss it." Sue smiled back. "Happy Birthday to both of you."
After Charlie and Sue came the wolf pack. They all told me "happy birthday" and teased me good-naturedly. Embry had brought his girlfriend, Jill, again. They must be pretty serious, I thought.
"Thank you so much for coming, Jill. I'm so glad that there will finally be another girl around. Life gets pretty old hanging around with all of these guys."
"You're welcome," she said, smiling shyly. "I hope that we can get to know each other better. I'll need someone to help me navigate the waters of being in love with a wolf." I saw Embry shake his head infinitesimally, and she blushed. "Oh, I'm sorry…I just assumed…"
"Think nothing of it," I said, trying to get over my blush. "I may not be able to help you out with being in love, but I sure can offer advice about being around a bunch of teenage boys that explode into giant wolves. We'll have to catch up later." She nodded, and they both went to go wish my mom a happy birthday.
Billy was next. He clasped my hand as he told me "happy birthday."
I bent down and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you so much for coming," I said.
Jake was the very last to find me. Finally, I thought to myself. He pulled me into a giant hug, and I closed my eyes to savor the moment. He released me too soon for my liking, but I put a smile on my face.
"Happy Birthday. You, umm, look beautiful." My heart soared as I looked down at my dress, blushing.
"Thanks. You don't look too shabby yourself." That was the understatement of the century. He looked freakin' amazing. He was wearing a dark gray v-neck t-shirt underneath a black blazer with dark jeans and shoes. Good Lord. For a kid who enjoyed running around as a giant naked wolf, he sure knew how to rock wearing clothes.
"Thanks. I wasn't sure if this was going to be too informal…" he trailed off.
"No, it's perfect." I tried to see if he was carrying a card.
"Sorry, I had to put it with the rest of them. Alice's rules." I looked over to where he pointed, and my mouth fell open. I was expecting a stack of cards, not a huge pile of presents.
"Are all of those for me?" They couldn't all be for me.
"Yep. Your mom's are over there." My mom had a slightly smaller pile.
Alice skipped over to us then. "But neither of you get to open anything until after supper. Everyone," she called to the crowd, "please go take your seats. Dinner is served!"
…
After dinner, Alice and Jasper brought the presents out to the backyard. "Bella, Renesmee," she called as she waved us back up next to the house. She shoved me, rather hard, into a chair next to the one my mom was already sitting in.
"Sheesh Alice. I really don't need any presents." She just glared at me and looked at Jasper pointedly. I felt my irritation vanish and looked at my presents excitedly. Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew that it was Jasper's doing, but at the moment, I really didn't care.
"Okay Nessie. You first," said Alice as she held the camera ready. I grabbed the box nearest to me and unwrapped it carefully. Inside was a tattered book with "Recipes" written on the cover. I opened it, and inside it said:
Renesmee, This was mine when I was human. It contains all of my favorite recipes from my human life. Along the way, I've added some more. Your mother's favorites from when she was human are in here, as well as some as your own favorites. I'm hoping we can cook through them together. Love always, Esme and Carlisle.
I closed the recipe book and clasped it to my chest. "Thank you so much." I set it on the table and walked over to give Esme and Carlisle both a hug.
My mom was next, and I handed her my gift. She opened it and gasped. I had framed the portrait I had sketched of my parents. I had given everyone else theirs already but saved my mom's for this moment. "Thank you," she whispered, giving me a hug. She turned it around and everyone "awwed" appreciatively.
My next gift was from Billy. Inside a small box was a life-size hummingbird figurine. Billy was notorious for his carvings, and I examined the small wooden bird carefully. "It's amazing Billy. Thank you."
Both of us opened a few more heartfelt gifts, and then I chose one that I immediately knew was from Jake, just by the way it was wrapped. I was surprised though. Normally he just gets me a card, and he makes me a bracelet every year. This year his gift was in a box, and it was heavy.
I peeled off the wrapping paper and opened the box. My mouth fell open in surprise. Inside the box was another box, wooden and ornately carved with a forest scene. "Did you make this?" I whispered. Jake just grinned and ducked his head. I pulled the box out and opened it carefully. Inside the lid was a picture of the two of us that Alice had taken a few months ago. We were walking to the house, holding hands and laughing. Neither one of us was looking at the camera, but it was perfect. It totally captured who we are. Inside the box was the gift I was expecting: a woven bracelet with a wolf charm. "Wow Jake. Thanks."
We finished opening presents and ate the giant cake Esme wheeled out of the house. Eventually, Charlie and Sue came to tell us goodbye. "Us old folks are going to head out," he said, giving me a hug. "Happy Birthday again."
"Happy Birthday, Renesmee. Bella," Sue said, giving both of us a light hug.
"You kids go ahead and have your fun," said Charlie as they left. I waved and turned around to see Quil.
"I'm going to go run Claire home. I'll be back later."
"But I don't want to go!" the nine-year old pleaded.
"It's past your bedtime already. Your mom will kill me if I don't get you home."
I picked her up and spun around. "It's alright Claire-bear. We'll have to hang out sometime soon. And thank you so much for the nail polish. The pink sparkly one is my favorite." Claire beamed and waved as she and Quil left.
Billy wheeled his wheelchair in front of us. "I had better turn in to. Happy Birthday again," he said as both my mom and I kissed him on the cheek.
Once Billy left, my dad turned to me with a grin on his face. "Do you want to see your car now?" he asked.
I had completely forgotten about my present from my parents. "Umm, sure?" I said, making my answer a question.
Jake was by my side in an instant. "She wants to see it. Lead the way, bloodsucker." I rolled my eyes. At least Jake would be excited about my car, even if I could care less.
The four of us made our way to the garage followed by our friends and family. "Wait here," my dad said when we entered the garage. Jake grabbed my hand, bouncing with excitement. My dad walked over to the car covered with a sheet that I assumed was mine. With Emmett's help, he flung the sheet off, and my jaw dropped.
Jake's eyes about popped out of his head. "You got her a Corvette?" he asked with blatant jealousy.
My mom glared at my dad, and he grinned sheepishly. "What?" he asked. "It's a Chevy, just like your old truck." She just shook her head at him wordlessly.
Jake dragged me over to the side of my new car. It was shiny; a pretty light blue color.
"That's the best part," my dad said, answering my thoughts. "The color is Carlisle Blue." Everyone chuckled appreciatively, and even my mom cracked a smile.
Jake shook his head. "That's not the best part. The best part is the custom leather interior. The best part is the 430 horsepower. The best part," he said as his voice dropped to a whisper, "is that this baby can go from zero to sixty in 3.95 seconds." His eyes gazed with wonder at my car.
"Jake, can you step back a little? I don't want any drool spots on it." Jake just rolled his eyes as he tried to peer in the dark tinted windows. I unlocked the car, causing him to jump. The better part of the wolf pack gathered around as a swung the door open. I let them ogle the interior for a few moments before I eased the door shut again. "Alright boys, that's enough. Let's get back to the party."
"You're not even going to take it for a spin?" Jared asked incredulously.
I shook my head. "It will still be there later. Besides, I'm not going to leave in the middle of my own party. That would be rude." Everyone followed me back inside, and I turned to Alice. "Alice, can we get some tunes going up in here? This party is starting to get a little boring."
She jumped up and down and clapped. "I'm so glad you are getting into this whole party thing!" she called over her shoulder as she ran to the stereo system.
As a quick-tempo dance number blared out of the speakers in the living room, Emmett grabbed me by the hand. "Alright, little girl, let's show 'em how it's done!" He pulled me into the middle of the dance floor while Alice's camera clicked away feverishly. Emmett twirled me around until the song ended, and I was completely winded. I didn't get much time to recover, because Jasper was next to claim me. Soon everyone else was dancing too. My parents swayed quietly in a corner while Emmett and Rosalie and Alice and Jasper intimidated the rest of us with their dancing skills.
Sam and Emily sat on the couch the had been pushed off to the side, content to watch the rest of us. Paul and Rachel, Jared and Kim, and Embry and Jill all joined us on the dance floor. Even though the songs were all up-tempo, Embry and Jill swayed slowly side to side. Every once and a while, Embry would lean down and press his lips softly to Jill's. I smiled. Someday, I wanted a love like that.
Jake, Seth, Leah, and Quil all stood to the side watching everyone else. Laughing, I ran over and pulled Seth onto the dance floor behind me. "Come on Seth! You can't stand on the sidelines forever!" He laughed and attempted to swing dance with me good-naturedly. When that song was over, I grabbed Quil. "Leah, I demand you find someone to dance with! It's my birthday, and I refuse to let you be a wallflower." I look of irritation crossed her face, and I felt a little sorry that I had said anything. Leah and I had never been close. She merely tolerated my existence, unlike the rest of the wolves who treated me like a kid sister.
I looked at Jake pointedly. He sighed and grabbed Leah by the hand, pulling her on to the floor. I tried not to feel jealous as I watched her laugh as Jake attempted to spin her out and back in.
When the song ended, I let Quil go back to his place on the wall, and I went over and poured myself a glass of punch. "Alice!" I yelled over the music. "I think us non vampires need a break!" She nodded and walked over to the stereo system. I expected her to turn down the music so we could all take a break from dancing, but instead, she turned it to a slow song.
I watched Sam pull Emily onto the dance floor. All of the couples were on the floor now, swaying slowly to the ballad Alice had selected. I looked over to the wall where the rest of my single friends had been standing, but I didn't see Jake.
"Care to dance?" a voice asked, and I about dropped my glass of punch. I was surprised he asked at all. Dancing to a slow song seemed like a very couple-like thing to do, and it was obvious to me that Jake didn't think about me that way.
I wasn't stupid though. Even if Jake didn't think about me that way, I wasn't going to pass up this moment. I nodded as I set down my drink. I placed a hand on his shoulder, and he placed on hand on the small of my back. His other hand held mine as we spun slowly in the center of the room.
I tried not to grin, but it was hard. This was such a perfect moment.
"You look really beautiful, you know," he whispered into my ear.
"You said that already," I said, looking into his eyes. I was mentally kicking myself for my stupid response. Smooth, Ness, real smooth, I thought.
He smiled. "I know, but it's true," he whispered. He looked into my eyes, and as the music slowly reached an end, he leaned down and pressed his lips to mine.
Yay! I'm so excited that this big moment finally happened! Please review! Thanks!