I enjoyed writing this one the most and it's a long one. Thanks to all of those that dropped me a review with the last one.

Copyright disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight

Chapter 7

Bella was at the store once again after school. She was shocked at how often she went because of feeding Seth all the time and sometimes Jake. She couldn't figure how they put away so much food and both stayed in perfect shape. She was distracted putting away her bags, when a shrill voice came out of nowhere. "Bella...Bella Swan. Oh my god, finally we're running into each other."

Bella thought she knew who it was. Was she really in the mood for this? She knew she had no choice, but to turn around. "Jessica, heeeyyy, it's been a long time. How are you?" Bella looked at Jessica's large protruding belly.

She proudly rubbed over her very pregnant stomach, "Oh great, just busy. You know this is our second one. Our four year old keeps me busy."

Bella looked puzzled. Jessica acted like Bella should know who she procreated with. She should be honest and tell her she had never inquired one thing about her over these past five years. She had no idea who the poor sap was that ended up with Jessica, but she wasn't going to be rude. It wasn't worth it. She should find an excuse to get out of there as quickly as possible. She glanced at her groceries, cold stuff...that was her out. She needed to get those put away in the fridge. She was trying to open her mouth to explain that to Jessica, but she kept on talking. Finally, Bella caught on when she heard Jessica say "Mike" a few times.

"Oh, so you married Mike Newton?"

"Yes, silly, who else?"

"Oh yeah, well tell him I said, 'hi' and congratulations to you both on the children, but I need to be getting back to Charlie's."

"Sure, but first aren't you going to let me know what's going on in your life now that you're back in Forks." Jessica was fishing for details, so she could spread gossip about Bella, most likely.

"Well, there's not much to tell. I work at the Elementary school as an aide. I take care of my Dad, that's about it."

"Bella, come on that's not what I heard."

"What do you mean, what you heard?"

"Everyone knows you're dating that deputy, you know, one of those gorgeous Quileutes. How'd you manage that so quickly? It's because he works for Charlie, right? He wants to look good for his boss." She threw back her head in laughter trying to be cute.

Of course, Bella, knew she was insulting her, but she could care or less.

"Oh, I just thought of something...if you're seeing Seth, you probably know my friend, Nadia. She's practically engaged to Jacob Black. You know him right? Of course, you do, his Dad and your Dad are friends. So do you know her? She and I met a few months ago and became fast friends." Coming to the store today was quickly becoming one of Bella's worst decisions ever. Was Jessica ever going to stop?

"Um, no I've never met her."

"Oh, well she's really fun. We have so much in common and she's great with my son. I'll tell you a little secret...being around me has given Nadia baby fever. I wouldn't be surprised if she and Jacob didn't have one of these on the way soon." She again rubbed her stomach and as soon as she did, Bella felt sick to hers. There was no way what she was saying could be true. Jacob was not planning on having kids soon. She hoped not, at least. That sounded like the worst thing he could do, considering his not so stable relationship. What was with Bella's luck? Of course, Jessica would be friends with Nadia; it seemed fitting that someone two-faced and self-absorbed would find Nadia, "fun".

"Well, Jessica, as much as I enjoyed catching up...I have to go now, really, so maybe I'll see you around." Bella climbed into her truck, and looked back to see Jessica sashay to her car. She noticed she had her cell phone stuck to her ear already. She was probably calling everyone she could think of to tell about their encounter. She was certain whoever she was talking to, she would not portray her in a good light.

Even though, Bella had just restocked the fridge and pantry, she couldn't muster up the energy to want to cook. Seeing Jessica again and hearing about Nadia literally sucked the life out of her. She didn't know where Charlie was or when he was coming home. She figured Seth was on his way. She felt like calling him and telling him to pick up a pizza. Just as she was picking up her phone, Seth walked in. He walked over to her and lifted her into his arms. She kissed him and he said, "I've missed you so much."

"You were here last night," she pinched his cheek and kissed him again.

"Yeah, well that still too long. You haven't started dinner have you?"

"No, as a matter of fact, I didn't feel like cooking tonight."

"Well, you're in luck. Tonight we're going to my house. My mom's been cooking for hours. Charlie's already there. Everyone's waiting for us."

"Who's everyone?"

"Leah and some of the guys are coming over and Billy."

Bella looked nervous, she still hadn't met Seth's sister or his friends even though they had been dating over a month.

"Come on...they all can't wait to meet you, but remember what I've told you about Leah?" Bella frowned. Seth had explained to her that Leah was a little rough around the edges. "Don't get that worried look. It'll be fine. She's being nice today, I promise."

When they got to the Clearwater's house, Seth gave Bella's hand a reassuring squeeze. "Come on, they're all gonna love you."

Bella followed close behind Seth as they stepped inside. All the talking and laughter ceased and all eyes zeroed in on Bella.

"Aw, look who's here?" Paul walked over to her and threw his arm around her. She shrugged it off same as before. "Remember me, darling?"

She tried to give him a friendly smile, but it was more of a creeped out look. "Get the fuck out Lahote," a female voice came up behind him. She instantly recognized her from her picture, it was Leah.

She looked Bella over, she could feel her sizing her up. "So you're Bella?"

"Um, yeah...hi Leah, it's nice to meet you." Bella extended her hand and Leah shook it. "Ouch," she thought to herself. Bella had never felt a woman's hand shake feel so strong.

"Does the iced al...um I mean asshole know she's here?"

Seth shook his head. "I don't need his permission to have my girlfriend over, so drop it, Leah." Bella guessed she was talking about Jake, but she had no idea what she meant by that.

"So you and my baby brother, huh? Kinda robbing the cradle, don't you think?"

"Wha..." she started to say, but Seth interrupted.

"Leah," he warned.

"No, it's cool...if that's what you both are into. I just have one thing we need to get out in the open." Leah got really close to Bella. She was definitely in her personal space and she looked her square in the eyes, "I'm warning you now, if you hurt my brother...I will break your arm."

Bella wondered if she should laugh, because maybe Leah was trying to be funny, but she spoke up again. "No, seriously, I'll break it." Then she simulated how that would happen by doing a demonstration with her hands. She held both of them up and pulled them out and twisted them outwardly before dropping them at her side. Bella swore her arm actually hurt because Leah put on such vivid display. How was she even suppose to respond to that?

Seth gave his sister a warning look and hugged Bella close, "She's just trying to be scary, she would never do that, Bella. It'll never happen. Anyway, you'd never hurt me, right?"

Bella looked into Seth's trusting face. She hoped not, but she felt like she was forcing her words out when she replied, "Of course not."

Seth went on to make a few introductions. Bella was trying to attach all the faces to the names. She already knew Paul, unfortunately. There was Collin, Brady, Embry and one couple there, Jared and Kim. Embry seemed really nice. She instantly took a liking to him. She was also impressed when she realized Embry was the one that took Jake's place and took care of Billy. Apparently, Jacob's sister had promised to come home when Jacob moved out, but she backed out at the last minute. Embry didn't have the best home life, so he volunteered to move in with Billy.

Bella went into the kitchen to see if Sue needed help. Billy and Charlie were at the kitchen table. "Hey, Bella...it's great to see you again," Billy told her. He had come over a few different Sundays, but she still felt a little awkward around him. He knew something about the Cullen's and she didn't know what or how, but he made her a little uncomfortable. She was trying to get over her apprehensions, so she made her way around the table to give Billy and Charlie both hugs.

"Sue, can I help?"

"Absolutely not, go relax; I've got it covered tonight. It's time you got a break from the kitchen, you deserve it Bella," Sue told her.

Bella went back in the living room to rejoin the group. There was only a tiny space left on the sofa between Seth and Paul. She squeezed in. Seth whispered in her ear, "You can sit in my lap if you don't want to touch Paul."

"Seth..." she blushed.

Bella tried to figure out what the conversation was about. It seemed like everyone was talking at once. She couldn't help but stare a little at Kim. Jared was just as handsome as the rest of the others, but Kim was not very pretty. Bella felt ashamed for thinking that. It wasn't like she considered herself a great beauty, but she did wonder what attracted Jared to Kim. She must have a really good personality.

After a few more minutes of observing, she wasn't so sure about that either. Kim actually came across as very annoying and dumb. She lost count of how many times she said, "What?" or "I don't get it." Every time she opened her mouth, she swore the guys, excluding Jared, took turns rolling their eyes at her. Seth was watching Bella, he leaned over and whispered in her ear, "I'll tell you later."

Soon, Sue came out and announced dinner was ready. She had everything set up buffet style, since there were so many mouths to feed. There wasn't a table large enough to seat all of them. The guys weren't shy about filling up their plates and heading back into the living room to eat. Seth nudged Bella with his knee, "Get up there Bells, before these bottomless pits take it all." He helped Bella cut in front of Collin and Brady, so she could make a plate.

Bella took her time eating, because her nerves had caused her stomach to feel a little funny. She was use to watching Seth and Jacob eat; it was kinda funny to have a whole room full of men who took their food way too seriously. She heard Paul arguing with Collin in the kitchen about the last piece of chicken.

Paul came back in, victorious; he asked Seth with his mouth full of chicken, "So are we all on for a bonfire next Friday night? Jake finally said, 'whatever' so I took that as a 'yes'."

"Yeah, I'm excited about it."

Bella looked a little confused.

Seth noticed, "We all get together and barbecue some food, build a huge fire on the beach. We have music, it's a party. We use to have them all the time, but...well, no one felt like it for a long time, but you'll have lots of fun. I promise."

"Okay, but won't it be kinda cold?"

"You know you're never cold with me. It'll be great," he winked at her.

"You done?" Seth asked her and she shook her head. He took both of their plates into the kitchen. Jared announced that he and Kim had to get going. As soon as they left, Bella finally got an earful about what everyone thought of Kim.

"Damn, I don't know why Jared never took my advice about gagging and bagging that bitch," Paul stated. "We'd all be a lot better off, am I right?"

Even Seth was laughing, as they all agreed. Bella could see why they all couldn't stand her, but Jared was their friend. She felt bad for him that they were all so obvious with their dislike for Kim. She imagined that is why he was so quick to leave after dinner. It probably made it very uncomfortable for him.

Collin asked Paul if he really had said that to Jared. "Hell yes, I did. That fucker almost broke my jaw even though I was trying to help."

"Better be careful, Lahote; you never know when you might stumble upon your own Kim," Leah said sarcastically.

"Nope, not I. It'll never happen to me. I've got myself covered, I never look em in the eyes. I prefer to only see the top or the back of their heads, so I'm good."

Bella looked horrified at how crass Paul was. How could he talk about women like that? Did he seriously believe looking in girls' eyes was what caused people to fall in love. Seth kicked him in the leg. "Shut the fuck up, Paul. Do you not have any manners? Bella doesn't want to hear about your skanks. Keep that shit to yourself."

She had really had enough interaction for the night. "Hey Seth, I want to see your room," she announced wanting to get away from the crowd.

"Yeah, Seth. You know what that means? Or do you? Come here and let me whisper it to you," Paul said. Bella was humiliated. Why did Paul have to make everything sound dirty. She couldn't figure out why he and Seth were even friends. They were as different as night and day.

Seth ignored him and led Bella to his room. She giggled, his room was too cute. She swore it probably hadn't changed since he was like fourteen.
"I know...in my defense, I'm rarely home. I only use it for sleeping. I don't bother changing it because I'm moving out soon as soon as I finish my house."

"House? You have a house, Seth? How am I just now hearing about this?"

Seth told her that his aunt had a little cottage on the edge of the reservation she had left to his mother. She passed away when he was kid from breast cancer. "Mom doesn't want to live there and she never wanted to rent it out, so she offered it to Leah first, but she doesn't want it. So, yeah, Bella...it's my house. It's been empty for a long time. I'm redoing most of the inside. I use to work on it a lot, but since Charlie got shot and you came along; I haven't spent any time there."

"Wow, Seth...when can I see it?'

"How about now? It's still light out for a little bit longer, plus I have the electricity running again for my tools. Let's go, do you want to?"

"Sure, why not?" Bella was intrigued that Seth hadn't mentioned this yet.

They told everyone "goodbye" and headed out, so Bella could see this house that made Seth's face light up every time he mentioned it.

Bella was following Seth out to the truck when Jacob drove up. Bella never expected to see him there tonight. She remembered what Leah had asked Seth earlier. Why did she say he was iced? "Hey Jake," she waved.

He looked rather stoic, "Where are you two off to?"

"I'm taking Bella on her first tour of my house," Seth proudly announced, "What are you doing here?"

"Oh," he looked at Bella. She felt uncomfortable all of the sudden. "I'm looking for my Dad."

"Are you busy this weekend, Jake? I didn't see much of you this week," she asked.

"Yeah, I got shit I have to do, maybe we can hang out Monday."

"Oh yeah, I've got a workday...I should get out early, no students. Well...bye," she said before climbing into the cab of Seth's truck. She couldn't resist glancing back in the mirror. He was still standing in the same spot watching them drive away, and she wondered why he seemed so sad.

The house wasn't too far away from the Clearwater's, but Bella didn't think she had ever been to that part of the reservation. It was pretty remote to all the other populated areas. They pulled up to the little white cottage with green shutters. It was kinda small, but looked like the perfect size for a bachelor or a starter home. He took her hand and led her through the front door as soon as he unlocked it. It was pretty much ripped apart inside. Seth had gutted it and had started over with a clean slate. She could definitely see the potential though. There were plenty of large windows and it had a nice floor plan. It was only two bedrooms and one bathroom, but Seth had opened up the kitchen/eating area with the living room, so it appeared larger than it was.

"So?" he asked.

"Seth, it's great. I love it, you have to start working on it again. I can help you," she offered. "Of course, me and power tools don't mix, but I could help you with painting and decorating. I would love to help you pick out the window treatments." She looked down at the floor. Maybe she was getting ahead of herself. Seth never said he wanted help. It did seem pretty personal to be involved in decorating his house, since their relationship was still so new. It really didn't feel like it was, they were becoming more and more comfortable with one another.

"Sure, Bella...I would love to have a woman's touch for this house. It isn't like I want it to end up like my embarrassing teenage bedroom back home." Bella walked into the kitchen area. There was a bar area that he had built but it wasn't covered, it was still the bare wood.

"Whatcha plan on using for countertops?"

"Not sure, yet. You know how quick the kitchen costs can add up. I don't have a huge budget for this remodel. That's why I'm taking it slow and doing most of the work myself. Quil helps me when he can."

"Oh, why didn't he come tonight?"

"He had something else he had to do, but you'll meet him next weekend at the bonfire."

Bella saw darkness had come quickly and the only light in the room was one overhead light over the breakfast nook. It was a pretty dim light, and Bella could tell right away, Seth had a glint in his eye. He lifted her up to the bar and stepped in between her legs, "I told you I missed you and now I've got you all to myself here." The two of them got involved in a very heated make out session. Bella felt like her wall of frigidity was slowly beginning to crumble. She was the one that kicked it up a notch by pulling him in tighter with her legs. Seth responded by trailing kisses down her neck which inadvertently caused her hips to jerk into him a little more. He moaned into her ear and she feel a tingle run down her spine. They kissed some more and she liked the way his hot fingers felt on the skin of her back. He was rubbing up and down her lower back, but when she felt one of them trace under her bra hook, she stiffened. She really didn't want to have that reaction, Seth was so good to her and she really enjoyed being with him. No matter how much she felt like he was turning her on; she still couldn't go further, at least, not yet. He was quick to catch on and pulled back. "I guess we should go."

"I'm sorry Seth..."

He touched her lips with his finger, "Shh, it's okay, Bella. We'll get there. You know how I feel about you, don't you?"

"Seth..."

"It's okay, I know it's all happening so fast and you're probably still worried, but I'm here for you. You're special to me, and I can wait."

They headed back to Charlie's soon after. Bella decided to bring up Kim and Jared, the unlikely couple. "So Kim is kinda different, huh?"

"That's a very polite way of putting it. She's an idiot, Bella."

"Well...I haven't had the chance to spend that much time with her, but okay. What does he see in her?"

Seth looked ahead at the road and she assumed he didn't want to talk about it.

"It seems to me like, for some reason, none of you ever tell me the full story. You and Jake both will start to tell me something and then you clam up. I don't understand, is there some secret club that I'm not an official member of, so you can't teach me the secret handshake?"

"It's not a club, Bella."

"Well, what is it then?"

"It's...it's nothing and hopefully, some day soon I can answer your questions better. One thing I can tell you is that out of all the girlfriends, you're the only one anyone likes."

"Why? They barely know me."

"You're different," was his only answer.

"How?"

"You're just different, so take that as a compliment. Even Paul likes you. I know he has a funny way of showing it, but he was actually on his best behavior tonight."

"Oh my god, I'd hate to see what's bad behavior for him. I found myself feeling sorry for all the faceless women out there he demeans. Sam's married, isn't he? So are you saying you don't like his wife either?"

"Hell no, she's a rude bitch. Oh yeah, she happens to be my cousin if you didn't know that."

"No, I didn't, and you can't stand your own cousin?"

"Nope, Sam use to date Leah in high school until that bitch came along."

"Ew, that's pretty bad. She broke up her own cousin's relationship. Let me guess, she and Nadia get along?"

"Oh yeah, they're joined at the hip."

"Well, to tell you the truth, I ran into Jessica Newton earlier and she's friends with Nadia too. She told me all about it after trying to make me feel like dirt when she insinuated you're only with me to score points with Charlie."

Seth looked pissed to hear that, and Bella knew it wasn't true. "What a bitch, don't listen to anything she has to say, Bella. I happen to know the only reason Newton married her was because he knocked her up end of senior year and his Dad insisted on it. He spends most of his free time down at the local bar trying to drink away the reality that is his life."

"Oh well, he was kind of a pest in high school, but I actually feel sorry for him." She waited a few minutes before asking, "Did you notice, Jake seemed upset as we were leaving? I wonder what's up?"

"No, he seemed like himself to me. Bella, he really isn't that nice. For some reason, he only acts pleasant around you."

"Seth," she was about to get onto him.

"It's fine, I get it. I was wrong and you were right, being friends with Jake is a good thing. He's halfway human again and he seems to be very supportive of you. I wasn't trying to sound jealous. I'm not." Even if Seth said he wasn't jealous, she dropped the topic of Jacob to avoid any disagreements.

Bella had a pretty laid back weekend. Monday was going to be an easy day because the kids were off. She mainly needed to help Kate with some upcoming projects and redo a few bulletin boards. The kindergarten teachers had it a little easier than the rest of the teachers, since they weren't all tied up with grading like the older grades were. She started work at the regular time, but Kate assured her they would be out of there by two. Bella hadn't heard from Jacob at all, so she didn't know if he still planned to come over that afternoon. The morning flew by until Kate announced right before noon, she was starving and asked if Bella would go to the diner with her.

They were seated in the middle of the diner and the lunch crowd was also there. Forks wasn't known for its sit down eateries, so this was everyone's go to place that actually went out for lunch. "This is great, isn't it? We finally get to talk away from school." Kate told Bella. It was nice and Dr. Thompson had been asking Bella why she hadn't done anything with her co-workers yet. She would be sure to pass this along to her.

"Thanks, for asking me Kate."

"I've got to admit, I have ulterior motives. I want the low down on those hot guys you spend so much time with. We can never speak freely at school with all those little ears."

Bella looked around at the room full of people because she wasn't sure she still wanted to speak freely out in public. She really didn't know what exciting information Kate thought she had to share.

"Come on, girl you've got to spill. I've been playing the everyday housewife role for a while now, help me remember my wild days."

Bella laughed at that ridiculous statement. "I think you've got me confused with someone else. There's absolutely nothing wild in my life."

"But Bella, I've seen them. Seriously, which one of them is giving you the D? Oh my god, don't tell me. It's both of them isn't it? This story is going to be so juicy." Kate rubbed her hands together in anticipation of some torrid love affair that did not exist.

"No...no, it's not juicy at all, Kate. Seth is my boyfriend and Jake is just a friend. I'm not getting the...um, well, nevermind." She couldn't even say the initial, it was too embarrassing. Did Kate want her to announce to the whole diner about her long lasting virginity?

"Well, it's probably for the best that you're not fooling around with Jacob Black. When I finally figured out that was who you left with that second day of school, I was a little worried for you. You do know his girlfriend is certifiable, don't you?"

"So, I've heard. He and I are childhood friends. I don't have anything to do with her."

"Well, good, but you should talk to the other aide, Liz. Her brother dated her. They all went to the same school. She can tell you some stories. Also, from what I heard she went around to every girl that had previously known Jacob when they got together and issued a formal warning to stay away. How'd you manage to miss out on that?"

"Um, I guess he doesn't tell her about me. What I really mean is I know he doesn't."

"Oh, sounds to me like this is a little more than a friendship, B."

Bella tried to sound as convincing as she could, "No, nothing is going on. We're just good friends. I'm with Seth."

"You poor thing, you're so confused. It's written all over your face," she told her.

Bella began to wipe her face with her hands, hoping to remove whatever Kate thought she was seeing.

"Bella, tell me which one do you find yourself fantasizing about late at night or when you're bored? Which one makes you hot and bothered?"

"Um, Kate...really me and Seth are together. We're just kind of in a new relationship, so we're taking it slow."

"So you never have sex dreams about Seth or Jacob, because that's a dead giveaway if you are. Which one is it?"

Bella looked absolutely horrified, because she was having sex dreams about Jake all the time and she couldn't believe Kate asked that question, but at the same time Jacob had just walked in the diner with his arm around the bitch, Nadia. She was facing the entrance, but Kate's back was to them. She swore her meal was going to come up on the table, she felt so sick.

Kate mistook the look for the truth and she repeated it, "So it's true sweetie, you dream about hitting the sheets with Jacob Black, don't you? What're you going to do about it?"

She had at least whispered the question, but Jake turned and looked straight at her. She couldn't begin to read the expression on his face. Perhaps, he was just alarmed to see her while he was with Nadia. She knew there was no way he heard Kate over the roar of the diner crowd. All she knew was she had to get out of there immediately. She needed air. Fuck...she swore to herself. She needed one of her pills, she was getting ready to have a panic attack. "Kate, I've got to get some air, here..." she reached in her bag for money.

"No, this is my treat. Take my keys and go to my car, I'll take care of the bill." Kate stood up and turned around to see Jacob and Nadia. She gave Bella a knowing nod and Bella slipped behind them. She didn't make eye contact with Jake again and she didn't even think Nadia ever turned around to see her.

Kate soon came out to the car, "Well that was a close one, huh? Scary bitch, I swear Bella, you need to find a way to get over your feelings for him. I wouldn't put physical violence past that girl. You don't need that kind of drama, you're way to sweet."

"Thanks for everything, Kate, but can we please not talk about my personal life anymore. I'm a very private person."

"Sure thing, honey, but if you need to spill; I'll listen anytime: day or night, just call me."

Bella only had to work about two more hours. She was going to carry some of the future crafts and projects home to do some cutting and sorting so they could have more time to do hands on activities in the classroom. Bella had put everything in one large box. She unlocked Charlie's door, he was at PT still. She picked the box up and backed herself up into the house. It was a cloudy afternoon and the house was rather dark. As soon as she turned, she saw the silhouette of an intruder sitting at the table. She almost dropped the box, before she realized who it was. "Jesus, Jake...what're you doing sitting here in the dark? You scared the hell out of me."

"Sorry, I let myself in with the extra key."

"Yeah, one day I'm going to get rid of that key. Well, what are you doing?" She asked again.

"I came to check on you."

"Why?"

"Because I was worried about you."

"I don't know why, you just saw me, I'm fine."

He stood up, from the table and walked over to her, "I don't think you are."

"Why wouldn't I be? I know how things are. We're friends, right?" She was restating the obvious. He shook his head at her. "Sooo...we're not friends?"

"Bells...I think it's about time we get it all out in the open?"

"I...I don't know what you mean, Jacob."

"Yes you do," and then he reached out and touched her shoulder; his hand ran down the length of her arm and he took her hand and held it tightly in his. They had some incidental hand holding before, but this was different. It wasn't like he was helping her up or down the hill. He was purposely holding her hand. She wasn't sure why she felt like she couldn't breathe and she regretted not taking her anxiety pill.

He spoke again, his voice was low and hoarse, "You and I are not just friends. You don't have to pretend with me."

She pulled her hand away from him and stepped away. She didn't think she could look at him. She didn't want to do this. She couldn't have this talk with him. He didn't let her go. Instead, he came up behind her and got as close as he could. She could feel ever inch of his large, hard body pressed against her. He brought his hands around her waist and put his face next to hers. She felt his breath on her cheek, but she froze. She couldn't move. Did she really want to? His mouth went to her ear and then down her neck. He started to give her hot, open mouth kisses to that side of her neck. Her legs felt like jello, if it wasn't for him holding her up, she would have crumbled to the floor. She needed to stop him, but she couldn't will herself to do it. He kept taking deep breaths in between the kisses and she had never felt so aroused in her entire life. It was so wrong, but she wondered what it would be like to really kiss him on the mouth. If she turned around right then, that's what he'd do, so she stayed with her back to him.

"Bells, tell me what you want and I'll do whatever I can to make it happen, " he said in her ear.

She said the only lie she could manage, "I want you to leave. That's what I want. We can't do this Jake." She finally got enough strength to pull away, and face him. Damn her eyes for tearing up in front of him. "Go Jacob," she pointed at the door.

He looked defeated, "Okay, Bells, I'll go; but one day, you're going to ask me to stay and when you do, I will."

Thanks so much for reading.