"I need to go collect more wood, wait here until I'm back and we can go for a walk?" Jacob asked with a grin, and a peck on her cheek.
Bella had been lost in thought though, and jumped a little at the contact, then her hands quickly reached out and gripped at his arm. "Wait, um, I was wondering actually... just how far are we from Forks? I was wondering about my father... whether he was still alive." She bit her lip.
Jacob swallowed. He knew Bella's father - he was the police chief that favoured fish. Their fathers had been best friends - honestly he was surprised he and Bella had never met before. He was only a year younger than her, though he supposed the first years of his life had been clouded by the death of his mother too much to be dragged around to his father's best friend's house.
Jacob also knew that the police chief now had three other children, and believed his eldest daughter was living a nice life still somewhere else in the country. Three adopted children - since his second wife had been killed in a freak hunting accident with a trigger-happy, slightly inebriated tourist wanted to hunt the "bears" in the area.
Those "bears" being Jacob and his old pack protecting the Res from cold ones.
Did Bella really want to know what became of her father in the end? Would Charlie really want to know what kind of life his eldest daughter had really been living all these years?
Finally, Jacob sighed heavily. There was a heavy lump in his throat threatening to choke him for the lies his was about to say. "I'm sorry Bella, I knew him... He married Sue, but they both died. House fire." Not a total lie - Sue was dead, and Charlie had accidentally caused a house fire once.
Jacob watched as Bella's eyes glazed over for a moment, and he steadied her in case she was going to faint. Slowly, a tear slid down her cheek, she nodded and then walked back into the cave mutely.
By the time he'd returned, she seemed back to normal. Finally, he felt he could breathe again - one or two hours of her being a little sad over a father she hadn't known for nearly two decades was better than however much hurt the truth would've caused.
Greeting her by holding her and kissing her head, Jacob let himself relax a little. This little slip of a girl, older than him by years and experience, who had suffered through enough to make many people break physically and mentally, had managed to slip and weave her way into his heart and wedge herself there - maybe permanently. His wolf was settled and calm around her, practically a puppy begging for attention whenever she was near. They hadn't imprinted on her, but they more than accepted her.
Years ago, he had loved another. Now, he loved Bella. Harder, and stronger - reinforced by the same feelings from his wolf. Where last time only half the man had loved a woman, this time the whole of him loved her.
Still though, he couldn't bring himself to tell her what he was. It was too much - even for her. She detested everything supernatural - albeit she only knew of vampires, as far as he was aware. He could keep it from her, he had to. Otherwise, she would surely run away in terror.
"Jake?" A soft voice came from within his arms. He'd been musing for so long, he'd forgotten he was still holding the subject of his thoughts within his arms.
Chocolate orbs met his own dark brown, and for a moment he was just lost before - "Marry me."
She tensed. "Wh-what?"
"Marry me." Saying it again was a lot easier, and he slowly began to grin down at me. "Let's get married."
"B-but," Hesitation from her almost made his heart stop beating. Rain slowly began to pour around them - he needed to keep the wood dry, so he tried to move them both to be within the cave. "Jacob." She tugged on his wrist just as he placed the wood carrier down within the cave. Looking back with wide eyes, he tried to gently pull her inside since she was starting to get soaked in the heavy downpour.
Then he noticed she seemed to be thinking over his words too much - her brows crushing together, her mouth twisting up and her fists pressed into her stomach. Gently, he rubbed his thumb into the top of her nose, between her eyes, before she gave herself a headache and waited.
Immediately, her eyes closed at the contact, and she relaxed a little. "Jacob, I'm an orphan."
"I know. So am I. Marry me."
"Jacob, I used to be a prostitute."
"I know. Marry me."
"Jake, I'm forever going to be hunted by vampires, even with your danger repellent thing." Her hands waved around, and he thought back a chuckle.
Again, "I know. So, marry me?"
Finally, her eyes opened and one tear slid down her cheek to join the rain. "Are you sure you want me?"
This time he does chuckle, and wraps his arms around her where she stands. Him inside, her outside. Slowly, her arms rise to hug him back and she gently cries into his chest. She's so small next to him. "I'll want you until my dying breath."
Sniffling, she leaned back. "Wanna marry me, then?"
Simultaneously they broke out into laughter, and Bella squealed as he spun her around until she was finally in out of the rain.