Okay, so I have to admit, I am definitely team Edward. But I absolutely love this chapter. It might be my favorite one yet. Make sure you let me know if it's your favorite too!

Chapter 19

"Don't you own a shirt?" Bella asked, irritated, as her best friend made his way up to her front porch. She didn't budge, just stood there with her arms crossed. "The neighbors are staring."

Jacob glanced around at the almost empty street and noticed the old woman from two doors down walking her dog across the street. "What, are you jealous that Mrs. Berry finds me attractive?"

"Ugh, you're utterly disgusting Jacob Black."

"I'm glad you have such a high view of me," he retorted dryly. "Well, number one, there are plenty of reasons why I am shirtless today, as I am on most days. My dad has officially refused to buy me any more clothes until I'm more careful when I change. That sounds like a simple request, but when Paul insists on attacking me by surprise every other minute, it can get kind of difficult."

"And number two, why should I, with a body as attractive as the one I have been blessed with, hide my assets. You know what they say, if you got it, flaunt it."

Bella just stared at him, her face void of any amused reaction he was trying to elicit from her. "Wow, arrogant much?"

Jacob flashed her his adorable smile. "You know I'm right."

She sighed and conceded. "Okay, I won't deny that you do look damn hot without your shirt on. But that still doesn't mean my 85 year-old neighbor wants to see you naked."

"Oh, I wouldn't doubt that," Jacob said, pulling Bella into a hug. She initially refused to react, but eventually her resilience wavered.

"I missed you," she whispered into his chest.

"I was only gone for two days," he said as he laid his cheek against her hair.

"You're my only friend, Jake. When you're gone, I have nothing to do. I've been watching I Love Lucy episodes for the past 48 hours. I only took breaks to eat and sleep."

"Well, I'm back now. What do you want to do today?"

She thought about it for a second. "I don't know. Let's just go down to the res. We can hike or something."

He raised his eyebrow at her. "Hike? Since when do you, Isabella Swan, hike? I think the last time we tried, you tripped over a rock the size of my thumbnail and proceeded to break your ankle."

"I didn't break it," she grumbled. "It was only a slight sprain."

"Regardless, I still had to carry you the three miles back home."

"Oh please," she snorted, as they made their way to Jacob's waiting motorcycle. "It's not like you had any difficulty doing it."

"You're right," he said, smiling. They strapped on their helmets and he kicked his way away from the curb. "I actually quite enjoyed it."

Bella smiled silently at this last statement as she laid her cheek against his back, feeling the wind against her face. She loved riding, but not even Jake allowed to ride her own bike anymore. Not since she had accidentally broken her wrist and two ribs while taking a turn too fast. According to her dad, she wasn't supposed to ride at all, but since he was gone on a fishing trip for the weekend, she didn't care.

It didn't take long to get to their destination. Jacob parked the bike outside of his father's red house and helped Bella out of her helmet. "Do you want to go see anyone today? I think Sam and Em might be at home."

She thought about it for a moment. "No, I don't think I do."

"Okay," he said. "Then let's just go for a walk. You look like you have a lot on your mind."

"I guess," she said as they made their way down the gravel pathway that led into the woods behind his house. He grabbed her hand, a gesture that had long become one of friendship rather than romantic affection, at least to her. "It's just been about a year since Victoria and the others left. We still don't know where she is, and that's a little nerve-wracking."

"I know. I wish we could do more, but we can't exactly track her all over the world, you know."

"Yeah, I'm not dumb. I just get scared."

"You know we won't let anything happen to you," Jacob said gently.

"I'm not worried about myself. She just took the lives of so many people. It's hard to think that I might be responsible."

"You're not responsible Bella. You know that. She doesn't even belong on this planet. It's nobody's fault but her own."

Bella stayed silent for a while, contemplating this. She had a strange feeling that there was more. Like, this wasn't the end of it, and she was terrified that what was coming was going to be much, much worse than what had already happened. She had tried to tell this to Jacob and the pack, but they just kept reassuring her that nothing was going to happen. She had been gone for almost a year, and they doubted she would even come back. They figured she was over it.

"You know I love you Isabella Swan," Jacob said casually as they made their way down the well-worn path toward the beach.

"I know," Bella said, smiling. She smiled a lot when she was with Jake, but it was a different smile than the one she had before he left. She had perfected this new smile, however. While it looked happy on the outside, there wasn't much to it on the inside. "I love you too, Jake."

"I'm going to miss you while you're gone at school," he said softly. They had made their way to the beach by this time. They stopped at the edge of the sand and looked out over the water, still holding hands.

"I know. I don't want to go back," she said, trying not to cry. She rarely cried, but just thinking about having to leave the one person who actually understood her was difficult. "You're going to come on Thursday though, right?"

"Yeah, I thought maybe we could go to a movie or something. I'll even take you to a fancy dinner."

"I'd like that," she said as she leaned her head against his shoulder. "Oh, and I forgot to tell you!" she exclaimed. He looked down at the girl next to him and was surprised to see her face actually light up at the statement. He thought she had never looked so beautiful. "My mom is pregnant! She's due in the spring, so I'm going to go down for Spring Break and see her."

"Oh, that's great Bells!" Jake said as he pulled her into a giant bear hug. "You'll have to tell her congrats for me."

"I will," she said, still smiling. They stood there for a few moments, both lost in being so close to one another.

"That kid is lucky to have you as a big sister, you know," he said. She wasn't so sure.

"When I said I love you before," Bella said, her eyes closed and her head still against his chest. "I really meant it."

"I know you meant it," he said, confused.

"No," she said, pulling herself away from the hug. "I'm ready. I love you Jacob Black."

He stared at her for a moment, wondering if she was actually saying what he thought she was saying. "What? I thought you said you weren't ready to love anyone else."

"It doesn't really matter if I'm ready or not, because I'm in love with you. It just took me a while to figure it out."

"I'm in love with you too, Bella."

"I know," she said as she pulled her face closer to his. They kissed, their first real kiss, for only a few seconds before turning back toward the ocean. They watched the waves crash for what felt like an eternity, standing close to each other.

She left the next day for school.