Alright, I know. Its been forever. I'm awful. But I've got another chapter for y'all, and I fixed chapter 6. Dunno why I suddenly switched into the third person for that one, but its been edited and re-posted.
Okay, so this chapter is a little light fluff b/c some intense stuff is to come, and I thought y'all would appreciate some lovey-dovey stuff. Thank you so much for reading. Enjoy!
Chapter 7
I straightened my tie for what must have been the sixth time in my tiny bathroom as I checked over my appearance once more. Well, I shrugged at my reflection; I guess it'll have to do. I had never been much of a dress up guy to begin with. I'd actually had to get Leah to help me shop for tonight as I had grown out of all the nice things I had when the oh-so-wonderful wolfy growth spurt had hit. She had decided on a dark red button down with a black tie. Apparently, "dangerous" was the only thing I had going for me, and I should play it up. Her thoughts, not mine.
I was so excited about my date tonight that I didn't even mind dressing up. It felt kinda good to look nice for my Bells. Lord knows she always looked amazing. I had to keep her from moving on to something better. I shook myself out of those thoughts. After competing for her for so long, it was defiantly hard to remember that she was mine and loved me for whatever crazy reason.
As I got behind the wheel of the rabbit I thought about the events of the past few weeks. Vamps were here en masse, which, suffice to say, had the entire pack on edge. I hated so many of those monsters being around my family, friends, and especially the girl they were all here for. Damn, if only Bella had taken a pass on dating Cullen from the beginning. Her life could be so much easier if she hadn't gotten mixed up in this world. Although, it may have been slightly harder for her to come around to my more wild half without the precursory introduction to the very real existence of things that go bump in the night.
I pulled in behind the chief's cruiser and grabbed the flowers from the seat beside me. Taking a deep breath, I put all thoughts of vampires, Voulturi, training, and Edward freaking Cullen from my head. I bounded up the stairs and rapped on the door.
"Hey there, Jacob," Charlie greeted me as he stood aside to admit me to the house.
"Chief Swan," I said with an incline of my head as I ducked inside. "How's the peace-keeping business going?"
"Oh fine," he said as he took me into the living room where he had a University of Texas v. Ohio State game on. We chatted easily in front of the television. It was great to know that Charlie had wanted his daughter with me all along. It always made me feel like I had a leg up on certain other contenders. Not that I thought the chief could have forbidden his daughter from seeing whom she wanted, but it was a little comfort.
The stairs in the hall squeaked, signaling Bella's decent. We both stood, although Charlie was clearly reluctant to look away from the screen. It's hokey, whipped, whatever you want to call it, but I let out a gasp as my eyes fell on her. She was wearing a pale blue, knee-length dress with delicate little straps that set sweetly on her slim shoulders. Her hair fell in graceful tresses down her back, but was pinned away from her face. Her soft brown eyes dropped from mine as an adorable blush came to life on her cheeks. I knew I was grinning like an idiot, but I did a lot of idiotic things in the presence of this small, beautiful girl. I reached my hand out, and she slipped her tiny one in mine, smiling up at me.
"Hi," she greeted softly. There was a long moment in which we simply stood at looked at each other. Despite all the hell we were both going through, I was the happiest I have ever been. I knew it was selfish. The world was literally going to hell around us, but it was so easy to get lost in my little heaven with the girl I loved.
"Ah hem," Charlie cleared his voice pointedly and Bella smiled shyly up at her dad with a small shrug. "Lookey there, Bells. Jacob brought you flowers." I dutifully held out the bouquet and she took them with a smile. She smelled them before Charlie took the batch saying, "You kids go on and have a good time now. I'll put these in some water for you, hon."
Bella said goodbye to here father, and allowed me to tow her out behind me.
* * *
As the waiter walked away, Bella reached across the tabl to take my hand in hers.
"What?" she asked reading my face.
"Its nothing," I said preparing to blow off my feelings like I usually did, but she cocked her head sweetly and gave me a questioning look. And, because I'm a huge chump, I of course gave in. "Its just sort of ridiculous."
"What is?"
"How happy I get every time you touch me," I said the words into the table, but when I brought my eyes up to meet hers again she had a tear in her eye. "Oh crap, Bells did I say something wrong. You aren't ridiculous. That's not what I meant, just that- um"
"No Jake," she said cutting me off with a smile. "God I'm such a girl," she said swiping hurriedly at her cheek as the drop of moisture spilled over. "You just make me so happy too, and I hate that my affection for you still, well, surprises you. I know I did my part in making you think I could never love you. I mean, no wonder you have a complex. I told you outright for more than a year that I was in love with another man, and that I would never be with you. Its just that I wish I had figured myself out sooner or something."
"Bells, don't worry about me. I mean, okay, yeah its weird for me especially now that Cullen is around. I don't like him, and I really don't like him with you. I'm trying really hard not to be the boyfriend who wont let you hang out with certain people, but I'm sure you can understand my aversion to a particular cold-blooded ex."
"Yeah, I know," she said with a little shrug. A shrug that said, 'yeah I understand, but you are just going to have to deal with it because I'm too good of a person not to still care about the bloodsucker.' Sometimes I wish she wasn't so freaking compassionate.
"But hey," I said, hoping to relieve some of the tension, "this wont last that much longer honey. We'll take care of this Italian mafia or whatever, and you'll be in the clear."
She gave me a nervous smile and looked away.
"And we'll be together. Always."
* * *
"Oh Jake," she breathed with wide eyes. "this is beautiful!" Her head was tilted all the way back as she took in the stars blazing above. I smiled widely at her as I pulled the blankets out of the back of the rabbit, and spread one out on the grass. Bella came to sit with me and leaned her back into me chest making a small, contented noise. I threw the blanket over our legs, and wrapped my arms around Bella.
"That dinner was great, Jake," she said as I began running my hands through her long, softly curling locks. It was a damn good thing she thought so. That pasta dish of hers had cost me a nice chunk of change. It was too bad I hadn't had a hundred plus years to work on building up the bank necessary to properly pamper my girl. Although if I showered her with ridiculous gifts all the time as Cullen had it would probably just annoy her beyond belief. Well okay, he knew it would, but it still rubbed him the wrong way.
"I'm glad you liked it," was all I said.
"Hey look there," Bella said pointing up into the sky. I fallowed her finger to the glowing orb in the night. "Full moon. You know, its good the legends about all you monsterey types aren't right. Scary, man-eating animal boyfriend busting out once a month would put a kink in the relationship."
I chuckled and laid a soft kiss on her forehead. She twisted around in my arms to catch my lips in hers and the world fell away. My arms dropped from her hair to her waist as I pulled her completely around and she locked her arms around my neck, one of her small hands tunneling into my shaggy hair. She sighed sweetly into my mouth, and I just about came undone. I was about to loose myself in the moment when the worst happened. I had just started laying Bella down on the blanket when I felt a buzz in her pocket. She chuckled sweetly and gave me an embarrassed look as she reached in her pocked to stop the call without checking the caller id. She pulled me back down to her, but two seconds later it started buzzing again.
"Oh jeez, I'm sorry, Jake," she said pulling the offending phone out of her pocket to look at the lit up screen.
"Weird," she said as a small frown creased her brow. "It's Charlie. He knows I'm out with you." She sat up and flipped the phone open. "Charlie?"
There was a long pause and her eyes cut to me with an odd expression before she looked away again.
"Can't it wait an hour?"
Another pause, another look.
"Okay, um, see you soon then." She took a deep breath and turned to look at me with an apologetic expression.
"Can we go home? Apparently its important."
"Charlie wants you to come home?" I asked.
"That wasn't Charlie. It was, um, it was Edward. He's at my house with Charlie and Carlisle."
* * *
"What's going on?" Bella asked as soon as she entered the living room where the three men were waiting.
"We were wondering if we could talk with you, Bella," Carlisle said rising off the couch and thanking Charlie- who looked a bit confused- for his hospitality.
And then it happened. I made eye contact behind Bella's back with the copper leech. And he smirked and winked. "All's fair," he mouthed. He had interrupted our date on purpose. Bitch.
