Hey everyone, sorry to keep you waiting! Life kinda crept up on me a little bit! Plus I'm working out the last chapters now...I don't know how I feel about them. I guess I'm my own worse critic really, but I'll leave it up to you guys to judge...

Disclaimer: Stephenie's creation, my artistic licence ;)

Edward kept his word once we got to Seattle and kept his distance. I didn't hear from him in days and was suffering serious withdrawal symptoms. Any stranger on the street would think that I had just broken up with a boyfriend. Sure, he hung out with Jasper enough. In fact, they had been going out every night since we came back from Portland, much to Alice's annoyance. She let Jasper off the hook though, since he had been more than attentive to her when he found out they were expecting.

Even worse still was the fact that I was being so hot and cold with Jacob lately as a result. He was trying to be as patient with me as he could but I'm sure that my mood swings were starting to grate on him. We were hardly acting like the typical loved up couple, counting down the weeks until their wedding day.

It was at times like this that I reached out to Angela, the voice of reason. Of course Alice had helped me think things through as well, but Angela knew all too well about my Edward obsession back in high school. Maybe she could shed some light on the situation, or at least tell me to snap out of it. We met up for a lunchtime coffee during the week at a small café local to my office. Angela was a full time mom but managed to get Ben's mom to watch her two children while she was out. Mike and Tyler were the most adorable boys, with Mike being the dead stamp of his father and Tyler donning Angela's eyes and smile. When I thought of a model family, I thought of them.

'Sounds like a lot Bella,' Angela mused sympathetically after I recounted the turn of events so far. 'How are you holding up?'

'I don't know. I haven't really had time to sit and think about it until now,' I confessed. 'I just feel so guilty. I mean I love Jacob so much. How could one stupid crush just come in and turn everything upside down?'

'Well you did fall pretty hard in high school Bella,' Angela reminded me. 'Edward was all you could think of back then. Heck, I didn't even meet the guy but you talked about him enough. It was easy to forget once you went to college and moved on with your life, but now he's here and the memories are flooding back, that's all. It doesn't mean you don't love Jacob. Unless…'

'Unless?' I urged her to go on, eyes wide and waiting.

'Unless…you're not sure? You definitely want to marry Jacob right?'

'Of course I do. I would have preferred if I had more time, I have to be honest,' I admitted.

'So you feel pressured perhaps?' suggested Angela.

'When Ben asked you to get married after high school…how did you feel about it?' Angela and Ben got hitched a couple months after graduation. It didn't come across as sudden – everyone was very aware how smitten they were with each other – but in a small town, people talk. I had been so sick of hearing rumours about Angela being knocked up and needing a shot gun wedding; I knew she wasn't like that at all.

'Obviously, I was scared at first,' Angela recalled, a small smile lighting her features. 'I knew how crazy my parents would be about it, and all the stories swirling around about the circumstances. But I was only nervous about what other people would think, never about my own feelings. Nothing was more certain than how I felt about Ben, so saying yes was easy after that.'

She finished with a satisfied sigh and took her hand in mine. 'As long as your feelings about this are certain then you have nothing to worry about, I promise. But don't let anyone pressure you if you're not ready yet.'

'But shouldn't I be ready now? We've been together long enough,' I said worriedly, shoulders sagging in defeat.

'Bella, marriage is a big commitment not to be taken lightly,' Angela reminded me. 'It's not just the next step on a to-do list, even If that's how people see it these days. If you're not ready yet then it's better to admit it now than to regret it later.'

I stared into my half cup of coffee and mulled over her words. Things were going pretty fast for me right now and I was quite overwhelmed. I figured the best thing would be to talk to Jacob and voice my anxiety, hoping that he would understand.

'So you don't want to marry me?'

'No Jake, of course I want to marry you. I just don't understand why we have to rush all of this in five weeks.'

Jacob and I were sat on the couch in his apartment building; so far, my plan was not working out as I had hoped. Jacob offered to watch his newborn niece while his sister Rachel and her husband Paul had some time to themselves. Once she started to sleep, I felt it was best time to broach the subject to Jacob.

Jacob looked hurt although he was trying his best to be understanding. I knew If he continued looking at me with those puppy dog eyes that I would crumble and give him anything he wanted, but he needed to hear me out.

'Babe, I love you so much,' Jacob said tenderly, holding his face in my hands. 'When you agreed to marry me, I felt like I was the luckiest man alive. In fact, if I could have married you right there and then, I would have in a second.'

In these moments, it was too easy to understand why I loved and needed Jacob. While Edward left me confused, Jacob made me feel cherished. His absolute certainty about us brought tears to my eyes.

'Jacob, I'm so sorry,' I cried. 'I've been really moody these past couple of days and I've been taking it out on you.'

Jacob wiped my tears with his thumbs, his hands still cradling my face just like his words cradled my heart. 'It's okay Bella. Maybe I have put too much pressure on you. If you really want to wait for a while then that's fine with me.' He reassured with a smile, the sincerity clear in his eyes.

'No, I don't.' It was true – I didn't want to wake. I was tired of the hesitation and pining for memories and feelings that were long forgotten before. In front of me was a man that loved and cared for me more than anyone else I had known. Even if Charlie's suspicions were correct, Jacob was the only man who wasn't scared to declare himself to me; he wins every time.

'I want to marry you, Mr Black. No turning back now.' I chuckled quietly. Jacob grinned and kissed me, slow and tenderly as though he was showing me all his love and devotion through the way our lips moved together.

Later that night, I watched as Jacob sung his niece to sleep after she stirred a little. He had the vocal abilities of a walrus, but seeing him serenading her and looking down at her with adoration made my heart melt. I could almost picture him doing the same to another baby girl, with tanned skin and curly brown hair. For the first time since Edward's arrival, I really couldn't wait to become Mrs Black.

The next day, I woke up to a pair of blue eyes boring into mine.

'Alice? How did you get into my apartment?'

I used the spare key under the flower pot obviously,' Alice scoffed as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

'How did you know I have a spare key under the flower pot?' I quizzed while I rubbed the remains of sleep from my eyes.

'Bella, everyone has a spare key under their flowerpot. It's like an unwritten rule. Anyway, I'm not here to talk about flower pots, I'm here to help you pack!' Alice squealed excitedly and raided my wardrobe, deciding which items were worthy enough to be crammed into the suitcase at the bottom of the bed.

'Pack? Pack for what?' I asked. I sat up groggily and rubbed the sleep from my eyes, knowing my hair was probably a haystack right about now.

'I'm getting you out of this funk. You're going to be a bride so it's time you start acting like one!' Alice commanded, frantically walking from the bathroom to the bedroom and back with toiletries.

'Okay, but you still haven't told me where we're going or what we're doing,' I murmured warily.

Alice sat beside me on the bed and took her hands in mine. 'As your maid of honour, it is my duty to make sure you have the best bachelorette party ever so…'

'So?'

'We're going to New York City!' Alice screamed.

'Oh my God, are you for real?' I shrieked with excitement. Despite the fact that we owned a fashion magazine, we were yet to visit one of the fashion capitals of the world.

'Uh huh, just you, me, Angela and Rosalie,' Alice answered with a beaming smile.

'Angela and Rosalie are coming too? How did you manage that?'

'I pulled a few strings,' Alice replied nonchalantly. 'Ben is going to watch the kids while Angela is away and Jasper helped me get in touch with Rosalie. After all, a hen party is no fun without a few hens!'

'Thank you so much!' I grabbed Alice and gave the biggest hug imaginable. I was genuinely excited about this trip, and being with my girlfriends was just what the doctor ordered. I hoped that it would get me into the spirit of this wedding.

We scurried to pack the last few items and brought my suitcase to the car. Alice then drove us to pick up Angela from her home. She stood on the porch with Ben to say goodbye, Ben looking a little tearful. If it had been any other man, I probably would have cringed, but Ben had always been a tad emotional. I think that was one of the things Angela loved about him too. Angela's dad was a pastor and had often been quite strict with her, sometimes finding it difficult to express his emotions. The fact that Ben was the complete opposite only made her fall for him more.

'Hey Ben,' I said with a wave as he and Angela walked to the car together.

'Hey Bella, you make sure you look after my girl okay?' Ben threatened in jest.

'I'll make sure she comes back in one piece,' I replied with a wink.

It wasn't long before we hit the road to Seattle-Tacoma Intl. We were starting to cut it fine for time, so Alice took it as an opportunity to step on the gas. She recently purchased a yellow Porsche which was turning her into a bit of a speed demon.

In the excitement of things, I completely forgot to call Jacob and let him know the plan. I took my phone out of my purse when Alice stopped me.

'Don't worry Bella, I spoke to Jake beforehand and he gave me his blessing. He said he'll probably go out with the boys.'

'Oh, that sounds cool. Is Jasper going?'

'Most likely, yes. He'll probably bring Edward along too.' Alice must have noticed me pale slightly and reached to squeeze my hand. 'It's okay, they're big boys. I'm sure it will be fine.'

'Jacob's cool with Edward now, isn't he?' Angela asked, joining in the conversation from the back seat.

'Yeah I guess they are.' I said hesitantly. 'I still can't imagine them going out to a bar or whatever though.'

'I think it's nice that he's trying for you though,' Angela commented thoughtfully. 'Who knows, maybe they'll end up being best friends.'

'What, like a bromance or something?' I chuckled.

'Yeah, soon they'll be buying matching tees and staying up all night on the phone!' Alice put in with a snicker.

'And having movie nights without you,' Angela added, nudging my chair with her foot.

'Then you'll be complaining that they spend too much time together,' Alice finished. I giggled at the thought. I could always count on my girls to help me see the funny side. On a serious note, they were right; Jacob was really trying with Edward so I didn't have to fret about anything.

We arrived at the airport in good time thanks to Alice's crazy driving, checked in our suitcases, and got through security in no time at all. It seemed that Alice pulled more than just a few strings and managed to snag first class tickets which meant enjoying free cocktails at the airport lounge, except for Alice who had a Diet Coke, of course.

'Well girls, here's to a fabulous time in a fabulous city!' Alice cheered. As we lifted our glasses in salute, I could only hope that this little getaway would be just what I needed to keep my mind of the beautiful bronze haired man back home.