Chapter 21:

"What do you think about this one?"

Jacob groaned and threw his head back, closing his eyes. "It looks beautiful, Ness." They'd been at Bendel's for almost two hours, and spent four hours at Bergdorf's before that! Renesmee must have tried on a hundred dresses at this point, but none of them met her impossible standards.

"You've said that about them all, Jacob!" Nessie whined, crossing her arms over the pink taffeta she was currently wearing.

"And they were all beautiful," Jacob replied without looking.

Nessie huffed and stomped back into the dressing room. Jacob peeked out of one eye at the door. A minute later, Nessie was storming out of the room, dressed in her everyday attire and quickly making her way towards the entrance of the store, her Chanel purse flying as she flung it onto her shoulder in her haste.

Jacob jumped up to follow. "Ness!" he called. "Renesmee!"

When he finally caught up to her, he grasped her arm tightly, turning her to look at him. "Where are you going?"

"Home," Nessie answered, pulling her arm out of his grasp.

"That's ridiculous, babe. We flew all the way out to New York, we should at least find your dress before we go home."

"I don't need a dress, because I'm not going to Homecoming!" she yelled back, already walking away. "Are you coming, or would you prefer to run home?"

Nessie didn't talk to him the whole taxi ride to the private airport, nor the whole flight home. She had already stormed into the house and up the stairs, and was slamming her bedroom door by the time Jacob made it into the living room.

Edward looked at him with a humorous smirk, while Jacob slumped down onto the couch. "Shut up, bloodsucker."

An hour later, Jacob stood at Nessie's bedroom door, trying to talk a bit of sense into her through the wood. He knew, of course, that he could've just torn the locked door off of its hinges, or perhaps just ran through it, but he knew that it would only anger Nessie further.

"We'll skip school tomorrow, Ness," Jacob promised, "fly back to New York and spend all day in stores looking for your dress."

Finally, the door opened, but Nessie wasn't any happier. "I don't need a dress for Homecoming, because I have an asshole for a boyfriend, and won't be attending!" she shouted, slamming the door shortly afterwards.

Jacob groaned. "I'm sorry, babe!" She still didn't reply. With a sigh, Jacob sat down, back against the wall as he closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "All I can do is apologize, Renesmee. I've done that. There's nothing else I can do to make you change your mind. Ball's in your court now, love."

After a few moments, Nessie's door opened slowly, and Jacob watched as she shuffled through it, arms crossed and eyes glued to the floor. She'd changed since they'd been home; make up washed from her face, chestnut curls piled into a bun on the top of her head, Soffee shorts and oversized sweatshirt in place. "Promise to give your actual opinions on the dresses?" she mumbled as he stood.

"Promise, babe."

She smiled smally, and Jacob opened his arms. "I'm sorry," she breathed, collapsing against his chest.

Jacob pressed his lips to her head. "Me too, Ness."

The following day, Nessie and Jacob trekked back through the city to some of the stores they hadn't been to yet. Just like before, Jacob sat in the tan leather chairs before the changing rooms and awaited Nessie's miniature fashion show.

The first dress was a horrid puke green color, and was quickly vetoed. The second – too long. The third had a zippered backing, which Nessie didn't want, but Jacob argued was more practical than the corset backings of the ones she liked better. Jacob soon lost count of the dresses, but kept adding his imput, doing his best to sound somewhat intelligent about their design.

They'd been in the store for around an hour and Jacob felt terrible for the woman who was helping Nessie zip and tie up her dresses. "Jake," Nessie called, sounding almost timid.

"Yeah, babe?"

"I think I found it."

Jacob did his best not to roll his eyes, because she'd already said this three times today. She'd talked herself out of each one of those dresses.

"Well come out then!"

Nessie pushed the curtain back and walked into the tiny circle of mirrors, leaving Jacob breathless. Her dress was strapless, with what he'd heard her call a 'sweetheart neckline.' Hot pink tulle made up the skirt, falling about midway down her thigh, while jewel beading made up the bodice.

He was so busy staring at the dress, and at her legs in the dress, that he hadn't noticed the expression on her face. When he finally did look up, however, his smile dropped and he took hold of her hands in his as he stood. "Babe, what's wrong?"

Nessie's face was crumpled, and she bit her lip whilst knitting her eyebrows. "Your face; that's what I was hoping for all day yesterday. That face, that 'wow she looks amazing' face."

Jacob raised an eyebrow. "Then why are you upset?"

"Because I love this dress," Nessie started, pulling her hands away from his to fiddle with the tulle. "And you love this dress, and Daddy won't let me get it."

"Why not, love?"

"It's four hundred over the budget he set for me, and I've still got to buy shoes and jewelry."

Jacob sighed and pulled Nessie into his arms. "Is that all? Babe, we've convinced your dad to spend far more." He pulled her cell phone from his back pocket, where she'd pushed it before going into the dressing room for safe keeping. "Call your father."

Biting her lip, Nessie took the phone and dialed the number, mumbling a quick apology over her shoulder to her dressing attendant. Edward picked up on the third ring.

"Renesmee," he answered simply.

"Hey, Daddy!"

"How's shopping?"

"Great. I, uh, I found a dress!"

"Good. When will you be home?" He knew something was up. Nessie could tell by the tone of his voice.

"There's a bit of a problem, dad. My, uh, my dress... it's a little over the budget."

"How much over the budget?"

Nessie paused, looking up at Jacob, who nodded once to encourage her. "Four hundred."

"Renesmee Carlie Cullen!" Nessie winced. "I'm sorry sweetheart, but you'll have to find another dress."

"But Daddy!" Jacob could already hear the tears getting ready to fall. "Daddy it's so pretty and I'm in love with it, and so is Jake, and really this is the only homecoming I'm going to get to go to with Jake and I want it to be special!"

"No, Darling. You've still got shoes, and jewelry and your nails and I'm sure your aunts are going to make me pay for a spa visit. No."

Nessie's lower lip trembled minutely and Jacob's hand whipped out through the air, palm up in front of her. When she looked at it skeptically, he waved his fingers. "Let me talk to him."

"Um, Daddy, Jacob wants to talk."

Edward sighed on the other end, but agreed. Jacob leaned forward and kissed Nessie's forehead, and then, holding the phone in a way that Edward was sure to hear what he was saying, he turned to the attendant and said, "We'll be taking this one, please. Go get dressed, Ness. I'll be there in a sec."

Her father growled when Jacob finally answered. "Listen man, you don't see her right now," Jacob started before Edward even had a chance. "It's four hundred over. You fork out three hundred. I'll fork out three hundred from my savings. That should cover the dress and her shoes, and I'll get her to agree to wearing the jewelry she already has. I don't know how you expected her to get her jewelry alone on the budget you set. Can we agree to that?"

"No, Jacob," Edward replied with forced calmness. "She's got to learn that she can't have every single thing she wants!"

"But she can, Edward. She can. She deserves the world, and we're all lucky enough to be able to give it to her. You can send her to the best schools, and let her cheer her heart out, and buy her the best cars, purses and diamonds, and all of that means the world to her. It does. We treat her like our princess. But this dress is for one night of the rest of the world treating her that way, too."

Edward sighed, but Jacob could tell he was winning him over. "I'll add four hundred more to her budget for the dress. You're covering shoes and her nails. If Alice wants her to go to the spa, she'll be covering that. She'll be using her own jewelry!"

Jacob smiled. "Thanks, Edward. You won't regret it when you see how happy she is."

"Shut up and get my daughter on the plane back home as soon as possible. I don't like her so far away from us."

Biting back a retort that he could take care of her just fine, Jacob agreed and ended the call just in time to see Nessie coming back out of the dressing room. "So?" she asked.

Jacob rolled his eyes. "Like you weren't listening in. He's paying for your dress, I'm covering your shoes, and you're wearing your Tiffanys."

Nessie squealed happily and threw her arms around Jacob's neck, having wrapping her legs around his waist in order to reach. Jacob laughed and held her against him, swatting her bum. "Go pay so we can go find your shoes, babe." Nessie pulled away slightly, pressing a kiss to Jacob's lips, before unwrapping her legs and letting Jacob set her on the ground.