Paul and Hope were sitting by the fire with the rest of the pack. Paul was laughing at a joke Hope had just made and Hope was teasing him. I stared at her; she was so beautiful in the firelight. Her pale skin grew paler, creating a stark contrast to her dark hair. She was laughing and her eyes were flashing. She was growing up so fast it amazed me. At nine she could sit down and discuss news and events like an adult. She read books I hadn't even heard of at her age and her music choices were far beyond the Disney pop of most kids. She was perfect, an angel. She was a favorite with the pack too. She was the only one who could make Paul act like a giant teddy bear. Embry loved sitting and talking to her, Sam thought of her as a niece, family. Jarred, who was her family, had told me that if I ever hurt her, even accidentally he would kill me. For Quil she was a friend for Claire and almost a second bond for him. He would give his life for Hope and I would give my life for Claire. For Seth, Collin, Brady she was little sister, someone to tease and play with. Strangely she and Leah had a bond Leah had never managed to have with anyone else. Leah adored her and would do anything for her; Hope felt the same way about Leah. Leah was the older sister, mother, and best friend that Hope had never had. I was jealous of this but I knew she loved Leah, if Leah made her happy I would gladly let Leah and Hope spend as much time together as Hope wanted. For me she was everything. Yes, the pack adored her. Kim and Emily thought of her as a niece but I was sure as she grew older they would become her big sisters. We were a family, growing and changing to fit each other. By now Sam and Emily had two children and Emily was pregnant with their third child. Kim and Jared had two children, Embry and his wife Dinah were expecting their first in two months, and Seth had married his impression, Rachel, just few months before. Collin had imprinted on a shy but sweet girl his own age named Anna. Brady had imprinted on a rebellious fourteen-year-old named Jess and was having some problems with her. I hoped that she would come to accept him soon, I couldn't stand having him mope around. Hope rose and walked over to him, sitting down and hugging him. She was so sweet, she took my breath away.
When midnight came I put a bleary eyed Hope in the Rabbit and drove home.
"Did you have fun, sweetie?"
"Um-Hum." She smiled her dazzling smile at me before closing her eyes and falling asleep. When we reached the house I carried her inside and set in her bed, carefully tucking her in. She instinctively curled up into a ball and put her hand out, looking for something. When her hand hit mine she sighed with contentment and settled down to sleep. I stood there, letting her hold my hand for a few minutes before pulling away. She turned, her face confused.
"Jake?" She murmured. I bent over her to check if she had woken up but she was asleep. Immediately I thought of Bella. How she said my name in her sleep those nights I had spent outside her house. How she had said so many things in her sleep. I hadn't thought of Bella in almost four years. Bella was an old memory, the past. The old girlfriend you laugh with your wife about because she is secure enough in your love she can laugh about it. Because you have moved on. I gently lay down next to Hope, wincing at the creaks the bed made underneath my weight. Hope smiled and curled into me, instinctively laying her head on my chest. She was still asleep, her breath rising and falling in a steady rhythm. I wrapped my arms around her and frowned at the chill of her body. She was far too cold. I could stay and warm her up. I sighed knowing the choice was already made; I would have to be out of her bed before she wakes up. Not because she would think I shouldn't be there but because then she wouldn't think it would be a common occasion. When she was little and had nightmares she would walk into my room and curl up in my bed, never feeling the need to wake me to explain why she was there. Just coming to me. As she got older, about seven, she stopped having nightmares and I hadn't slept in the same bed as her for two years. It felt like coming home. To be able to feel her chest rise and fall, to be able to listen her heartbeat thump, to have her head on my shoulder. This was where I was supposed to be, with Hope. This was all that mattered.