Chapter 28:

Jacob POV:

I opened my eyes and squinted. The sun was up already . . . morning came too soon. I stretched out in the middle of the big bed. Man, this feels good. I was laying there naked, which also felt pretty good! But, I noticed, I was alone. Where's Bella?

I got up, slipped my basketball shorts on, and went across the hall to use the bathroom. I came out into the hall and smelled coffee. Follow the coffee smell, you find Bella. I headed through the living room and walked into the kitchen. Bella was standing at the sink, wearing one of my black t-shirts with her back to me. I walked up behind her and put my arms around her and chuckled as I felt her jump. She must not have heard me! I moved her hair to the side, then wrapped my arm back around her waist and began kissing her neck.

She leaned back against me. "Mmm, good morning, Jake," she sighed.

"Good morning." I turned her to face me and said, "I woke up in the middle of my big bed, naked, and no wife beside me. Let's don't make that a habit, OK?" I leaned down and kissed her.

"I'm so sorry, husband," she said with a smile. "I woke up starving, so I came out and ate a bowl of cereal. I guess this baby is like his Daddy, and needs to be fed pretty regularly," she said as she put her hands on her belly.

"His Daddy? Have you decided it's a boy now?" I asked her.

She looked at me with surprise. I guess she didn't realize that she had said his. "I don't know . . . I guess I have," she laughed.

I let her go and grabbed a cup and poured some coffee in it. I set it on the table and grabbed a bowl and spoon, then sat down and poured some of the cereal that Bella left on the table into my bowl. I added milk, and dug in.

Bella poured another cup of coffee and sat down beside me. "I guess I should buy de-caf the next time I shop. I'm not supposed to have caffeine. Not good for the baby," she said with a frown. "I guess that means caffeine-free pop, too. How am I supposed to stay awake?" I wondered out loud.

"What else is not good for the baby? Maybe we should get some baby books or something. I guess I don't really know much about babies," I said as I poured my second bowl of cereal.

"Did you even chew that, or do you just swallow it whole?" Bella asked with a smile.

I pointed my spoon at her and said, "Hey, you like this body. Just remember that when you make fun of how much I eat."

"Mmmm, you do have a point. I do like your body," she said while running her fingers along my arm.

I smiled at her as I shoved another spoonful in my mouth and chewed loudly so she could see that I was chewing my food.

She laughed then said, "I'm sure Emily has some baby books. I'll ask her if she has some we can borrow. I think we are going to need all the help we can get."

We spent the day just doing whatever we felt like doing. It was one of the best days I ever had. We lounged on the couch and watched an old movie on TV. We ate when we were hungry, we napped when we felt sleepy. And we made love . . . on the couch, in the bed, and my favorite, in the shower. I asked Bella if we could replay that fantasy from when she first came home from the hospital, and she was more than accommodating.

We slept that night wrapped around each other in our big bed, and when I woke up the next morning, Bella was still there. This is how life should always be.

It was Sunday, the last day of our "weekend honeymoon." I wanted to do something special, so I decided that we should take a picnic up to the spot where I proposed to Bella. I decided that since my mom did that with us, I would do that with my family, too. It was actually a beautiful day, so I decided we had better take advantage of it.

Bella thought that was a great idea, too, so, I was in the kitchen making sandwiches for the picnic. Bella walked in wearing her favorite pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. She plopped down at the kitchen table and propped her head with her hands under her chin.

"Hey Bells. I know I should know this, but do you want cheese on your sandwich, or no cheese?" I asked. I heard her mumble something. I looked over at her and said, "What?"

"No cheese," she mumbled again.

I stopped what I was doing and sat down at the table beside her. "Bella? What's wrong? You look pretty mopey. You feeling OK?"

She smiled a small smile, and put her hands down on the table. "Yes. I just feel bad because I don't have any pants that fit. I have to wear these sweatpants today because I can't get any of my jeans on." Tears were rolling down her cheeks.

I put my arms around her and she laid her head on my bare chest. "Oh honey, it's OK. You're having a baby, Bella. Our baby! This is a good thing," I said to her.

She sat back up, wiped her tears with the back of her hand and smiled. "I know, I know. But here you are being all romantic and wanting to take me on a picnic, and I have to go wearing sweatpants. It's just not right." She put her head back down on my chest.

I laughed. "Well, you know Bella, you could go wearing nothing at all. I mean, that's how I like you best," I told her.

She sat up and gave me a look. Then she smacked me on the chest. "Would you be serious for one second." Then she found herself laughing. "Alright, I know I'm being stupid. It's probably just the hormones or something," she sniffed. I handed her a napkin and she blew her nose.

I stood up and finished making the sandwiches. "Look Bella. I don't care if you wear sweatpants, pajamas, a ball gown or an overcoat. We are going on this picnic, damnit, and you are going to enjoy it. Got it?" I looked over my shoulder and smiled at her.

"Yes sir. I got it."

"Good. Let's get going," I said as I put the last sandwich in the big back pack we were using as a picnic basket.

Bella POV:

Jake drove the truck down the little lane that led to the path and parked it. He opened the door and turned back to grab the blanket and the rather large backpack that was loaded with our food. I opened the door and got out of the truck. Jake met me there and bent down and kissed me. "Smile, Bella. Your husband is being romantic. Most wives would kill for this, you know." I gave him my biggest, cheesiest smile. "That's better, wom . . . sweetheart."

I gave him a look. "Good catch."

He put the blanket under his arm and threw the back pack on his back. He reached down and took my hand and we started walking up the path that would take us to our picnic spot. Then he stopped and looked at me with a frown.

"What?" I asked. "What did I do? We have only walked 20 feet."

"I didn't think about the walk uphill. It's pretty far and going uphill over all those tree roots. I don't think we should take the chance of you falling and hurting yourself and the baby," he said.

"Jacob, seriously, I know I'm a klutz, but I'll take it slow. It'll be OK," I said.

"Nope. Not taking the chance," he said as he dropped the blanket and back pack. He pulled off his shoes and whipped off his boxers and shorts then rolled them up.

"Jake! I can walk. You don't have to do this," I said as he was tying his shorts to his leg with the cord he kept there.

"Come on, Bells. It'll be fun!" He smiled at me then turned around and jogged a small distance.

Fun? For him, maybe.

As always, I was thoroughly amazed watching him phase into wolf form. I had only seen that a couple of times, but it never got old. He padded over to me and bumped me with his head. He truly was as beautiful as a wolf as he was in human form. His fur was a rich russet color, and his eyes . . . well, they were Jake's eyes. I smiled at him and ran my hand along the side of his body.

I quickly tied his shoes together and then pushed them through the strap of the back pack. He was laying there waiting for me to climb on, so I threw the blanket over him and put the back pack on then I slid onto him on top of the blanket, and grabbed a handful of his fur in each hand. "You know this isn't my favorite mode of transportation, so please take it easy, OK?" He nodded and stood up.

He took off at a trot up the path, but picked up a little more speed as we got closer and I hung on for dear life. We finally made it to our picnic spot at the top, and he stopped and laid down. I slid down his back, taking the blanket with me. I shrugged out of the back pack as Jake trotted a few steps away. I watched in amazement as he phased back into human form. He reached down and untied the shorts from his ankle, and slipped them on. I smiled at him as he walked over to me and took me in his arms. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"No. It wasn't," I admitted.

"I didn't freak you out by phasing in front of you, did I?" he asked.

I smiled and said, "Well at first, a little, but, Jake, it's so amazing. You know, when you first came over to me as a wolf, I realized that you are just as beautiful as a wolf as you are as a man. I am a lucky woman, Jacob Black."

He grinned at that. "Yes you are, Mrs. Black. And so am I." He brought his lips down on mine and kissed me until I was breathless. Then he let go and said, "I'm hungry! How about you?" as he picked up the back pack with the food.

I found myself spouting one of Jake and Embry's favorite sayings, "Are you fucking kidding me?"

He laughed hard at that one. "I'm sorry, Bells, is there a problem?"

I went over wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him down to me. "You don't kiss me like that then toss me aside for food, got it?" I pushed him down onto the blanket to straddle him and assault his lips.

"Really? What are you going to do about it?" he asked with a grin.

So, I proceeded to show him what happens when you start something and don't finish it. I think he enjoyed it a little too much for it to be a punishment. But then, so did I. Sex with Jake was always good . . . very good.

We finally pulled our clothes back on and I picked up the back pack and put it on the blanket. He opened it and took the food out and spread it in front of us. As we enjoyed our lunch, he told me a little more about his mom. I remembered her just a little, but I didn't visit much until I was older, so I really didn't know her, but I enjoyed hearing Jake talk about her.

"She made these cookies . . . I don't know what they were called, but man, I loved them," he told me.

"Maybe Rach or Becca might have the recipe?" I suggested. "I could ask Rach."

"Yeah, that would be great. I'd like to share them our baby," he said with a soft smile. Then he chuckled and said, "God, Embry's right. I'm turning into such a chick! Why do babies do that to you?"

I rolled my eyes at that. "You're not a chick. You are just sensitive and loving. There's nothing wrong with that."

"Yeah, that's guy code for: 'You're a turning into a fucking chick!' " I laughed. Finally Bella joined me. "I don't know, maybe Embry's right. I need to man up, you know? Belch, fart, get drunk, swear up a storm . . ."

"Yeah, cause that's so attractive to women. No wonder Embry's still single."

I really laughed at that. "Oh, I can't wait to tell Embry that one!"

We finished eating, and packed all of the trash into the back pack. I was leaning against the log where Jake proposed to me and Jake laid his head in my lap and smiled up at me. I found myself running my hand through his hair, over and over while I looked out at the gorgeous view. Before long, his eyes closed and he was sleeping. I smiled down at him and thought how happy I was. I never could have imagined this a year ago, sitting here feeling so relaxed. I was so ready to make the wrong choice for the wrong reasons. Thank God, I woke up in time or I would have missed out on all of this.

I went back to admiring the beautiful view. The bright blue sky was reflected onto the water and the sun was warm and felt so good on my skin. I felt so relaxed just sitting there watching the waves wash against the rocks. I started thinking about bringing the baby here someday, which started me thinking about the baby. I gently reached into my pocket and took out the ultrasound picture. I know it was silly, but I had picked up the habit of carrying it around with me. I liked to take it out and look at it through the day. I looked down at it and thought, "Are you a boy or a girl?" If the baby was a girl, we had already decided on Sarah Renee as her name. If it was a boy, I was actually thinking about William Charles after our dads. But I would call him Will. I'll have to ask Jake about that. I continued thinking about the baby, and was contemplating what color to paint the baby's room when, all of sudden, Jake opened his eyes and jumped up into a crouch.

"Jake?" He shot me a look that told me I had better stay quiet. He stood there looking around. He turned to his left as he heard something.

I heard a stick snap and I tensed for the worst. Thankfully, it was Sam, in wolf form. Jake looked at me as he stripped his shorts off and I nodded. He took a few steps and phased. I was afraid to move, so I sat there waiting as Sam stood watch then Jake came trotting back to stand by him. I knew they were "talking" to each other. I turned one way then the other to look into the woods to see what had them spooked, but of course, I saw nothing, but that didn't mean there wasn't a vampire out there somewhere. And I knew because of the treaty, it wasn't a Cullen.

Sam took off and Jake trotted over and nudged me with his huge head. I stood up and started to gather up the blanket. He nudged me again, harder this time.

"OK, I guess that means to leave it," I muttered and he nodded.

He turned and laid down, so I climbed on and grabbed a hold of his fur. We flew down the path, and right past the truck. He didn't stop running until he got to Sam and Emily's house. Seth was there, in human form, sitting on the porch, waiting. Jake stopped and I slid off of his back. He turned to go then he turned and trotted back to me to rub his head against me. I reached over and put head next to his furry neck and leaned into him. "Be careful," I whispered. I stepped back to see him he nod then take off at a run into the woods.

I could hear Seth step up behind me. I turned to him and said, "What's going on, Seth?"

"Just a little while ago, Jared and I were finishing our patrol when we picked up a bloodsucker scent. One we've never had here before. It's fresh. So Jared stayed on the trail, and I ran to your house to get Jake. But you weren't there, so I came here to get Sam. I told him what we found, and he told me to stay here with Emily and Lily, and he took off. I guess he found you guys," he finished.

"We were up on the hill having a picnic," I said softly. I felt horrible. The pack needed Jake, as the Alpha. And he was with me – on a picnic.

"Sam alerted the rest of the pack. He and Jake will take care of it, Bella," Seth assured me.

We walked inside the house and Emily was in the kitchen, as usual. Lily was in her high chair, picking up Cheerios from her tray and putting them in her mouth. She smiled at Seth when he walked toward her. "Hey, baby girl," he said softly to her when he reached the high chair. He sat down on a chair beside her, and she reached out with her cute little baby hand and fed him a Cheerio. I smiled at him, loving how gentle he was with her.

"Hey Bella," Emily said as she came over to me. She pulled out a chair and gently pushed me down then sat down beside me. "You OK?"

I looked at her and gave her a small smile. "Yes. I just feel bad that Jake wasn't there when Seth came to get him. I know he will be upset about that."

"Don't go there, Bella," Emily warned me. "You two deserve to have a life, OK? Sam and I have been down that road many times. You can't sit at home all the time waiting for something to happen. Sam was here, and he found you, so everything is fine."

I looked at her. She was right, I knew. But I still couldn't help feeling bad for Jake. As the Alpha, it was his responsibility to be there for the pack.

Lily started to fuss, so Emily went over and washed her hands and face. Seth unhooked the tray from the high chair and lifted Lily out. She laid her head down on his shoulder and popped her thumb in her mouth. It was so sweet!

"I think she's ready for her nap," Emily said. She reached out to take Lily.

Seth stopped her by saying, "It's OK, Emily. I'll take her back and lay her down." He smiled and headed down the hall.

She looked over at me and said with a smile, "That boy will be a great father someday. He has a heart of gold."

I nodded. "Yes, he does." Suddenly, I felt the need to look at my ultrasound picture again. I reached into my pocket . . . it was gone! I frantically reached into the other pocket.

"Bella? What's wrong?" Emily asked me, her voice filled with concern.

"My ultrasound picture. It was in my pocket, now it's gone!" I said fearfully.

She smiled and put her hand on mine. "When did you put it in your pocket? Maybe you didn't push it in all the way and it fell out."

I thought back to the picnic, right before Jake had jumped up. I told her that.

"Well, then, when Jake goes back there to get your things, he'll probably find it. Don't worry," she said. "Hey, I went through the closet yesterday and pulled out some maternity clothes I thought you might want to borrow. Come on. Let's go back to my bedroom and you can look through what I have, OK?"

I nodded and followed her down the hall. We walked by Lily's room on the way, and there was Seth, sitting in the rocking chair with his eyes closed, holding a sleeping Lily. "Awww, isn't that the sweetest thing you've ever seen? This big, bad werewolf holding my beautiful little angel," Emily said. I nodded with a smile. It made me excited to see Jake as a daddy.

We spent time going through the maternity clothes. I found a pair of jeans that I tried on and they fit perfect. I left them on and stuck the sweatpants in the bag with the rest of the clothes. I took the bag and set it on the floor by the front door while Emily went to check on Seth and Lily.

Emily came back into the kitchen and told me she was making us some tea. She set out a plate of cookies on the table, so I sat down and helped myself to one.

Emily made our tea, brought it to the table then she pulled out a chair, and we sat there and did what all good werewolf wives do: we waited.