AN: Surprise surprise! OK OK. I'll admit. This is the one last chapter.
A few months later . . . Christmas Eve, 11:52PM
"I thought I said no gifts." I huffed as Charlie handed me a rectangular box.
"I'm sorry." He said sarcastically, not sounding sorry at all. "Come on, Bells. You get one shot at life. You only get one Christmas a year. Let's not waste it."
Charlie's wearing a knitted sweater, the one that Renee made in an attempt to create something useful. It's badly done, the sweater was the first one that she ever made. That would explain the wrong stitches.
Charlie's got a puppy dog face on and I feel like laughing at his expression.
"OK, OK. I'll open it if it makes you happy." I grabbed the gift from him and opened it carefully—the accident at the Cullens was playing in my mind.
When I opened it, I realized that I was holding a recipe book, an Italian recipe book.
"Wow, Italian." I said with mock sarcasm and looked at Charlie, who was standing beside Jacob.
"It's to spice things up in this house. I wanna see how good you really are with dishes." Charlie looked at Jacob and winked at him.
"Here, Bella. You've still got a few gifts under the tree." Jacob handed me one and gestured to the humongous pile of wrapped presents under the tree. He called it few.
"Jacob," I whined. "I didn't want any gifts. Especially not from you—"
"Relax. This isn't from me." I grabbed the box that was resting lazily on his hand and looked at the tag. It was from Alice and Jasper.
"But you did get one for me." I accused as I started unwrapping the gift. I looked up at Jacob and saw him standing there, expressionless. I rolled my eyes at him and he chuckled.
I moaned as I saw Alice's gift. It was a necklace. It was made of silver and black satin, there was a lion in the middle and an Italian engraving right below. There was a note in the box.
Bella,
I know you would kill me if I gave you a really nice blouse so I thought that maybe a crest would do. It's the crest of the family. I just wanted to let you know that you will always be part of the Cullens. I hope you like it.
Alice and Jasper
P.S. I couldn't rein Alice in. Sorry, Bella. Merry Christmas. .
Jasper
I looked up at Jacob and he just smiled at me. There was some sort of message on his face that I couldn't read.
The rest of the gifts were from the Cullens. Carlisle gave me a box of medicine which was for my inhaler, Esme's was a set of kitchen tools that I don't even have any idea of, and Emmett and Rosalie's gift was a pair of Ray-Ban wayfarers.
I wanted to laugh. Emmett and Rosalie's gift was kind of unnecessary considering the fact that the sun never shone bright enough to be able to wear sunglasses.
There weren't any tags on the gifts that claimed it was from Edward. It was all right. I didn't care.
Billy gave me a book about the Quileute legends. He made sure that the book didn't have a name that made Charlie suspicious about it. I flipped the book open and just sat there, getting carried away by the book in my hands.
. . . werewolves . .
. . . all the way to the third wife who . . .
. . . the cold ones . . .
"Bella," Someone cleared his throat. I looked up to see Charlie hovering over me. "Getting carried away by Billy's gift?"
I looked up from the book and got up to hug Billy.
"Thank you, Billy." I whispered in his ear. "This is wonderful."
"Take care of it, Bella. The book is part of the first batches distributed; all the way back to the 1910s when it was first printed. Although I think you might want to know some of the details from Jacob." He whispered the last sentence and then looked at Jacob.
"Can we eat? I'm starved." Jacob said a little too loud, avoiding my gaze.
"Sure, sure." I raced to the kitchen and placed the plates of food on the dining table. When I was done I called them. "Food's ready!"
Jacob came rushing inside the room first, obviously starving. Charlie and Billy came in last with the latter being pushed by Charlie. Jacob got a big plate in the dishwasher and instantly filled his plate.
"Jake! Leave some for them." I mumbled as I hugged him from behind.
"I can't stop. I've been running patrol the whole Christmas Eve." He explained, spooning a load of food on his plate at once. "Please?"
I let go and looked at him from the right. "It's a good thing that I learned how to cook in large batches. And it's good that the corn muffins that I made over there are going to fill you instantly, leaving no space for you to eat more. It might come in handy one day."
Jacob froze. "What are you saying?"
"N-nothing!" I stuttered, feeling my cheeks inflame. "It's not like with marriage or anything . . ."
"Ah," he chuckled and held my hand with his free hand. "Don't think of that."
"I know you'll meet your object of imprint one day, Jake." I laughed along with him but he was still frozen in place.
"No," he said harshly. "Never. All I see is you." He whispered in a soft voice. Jacob brushed his hand against my cheek, making blood rush in even harder. "Nice blush."
"Thanks." I smiled at him.
Charlie cleared his throat. "Bella, you gotta eat."
"No thanks," I patted my belly. "I'm quite full, what with tasting all the food."
He groaned. "Eat. I'm sure you're tired and—"
"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" I heard a bundle of voices at the door. I almost jumped a mile with fright. Jacob laughed loudly.
Quileute boys.
They walked into the dining room, each of them half-naked. I hope they have a nice explanation for Charlie.
"Nice sweater, bro." Quil mentioned to Jacob as he grabbed one large corn muffin.
Jacob was wearing a Christmas sweater which Billy bought. They wore the same sweaters but Jacob looked better in it. It hugged Jacob's body, showing his sculpted muscles.
"Hah," Jacob snorted. "At least I still look good."
"Whatever," Paul chortled. "You still look like a funny little kid."
"I think he looks good in it." Emily said, appearing out of the blue. She held Sam's hand. "Don't you think so, Sam?"
Sam looked like he was slapped as he stared at Jacob's sweater. Embry waved a hand in front of him and suddenly, Sam laughed.
"Yeah, really good." Sam laughed boisterously.
"I think it's great. It looks good on him." I hugged Jacob from behind and whispered, "Don't worry, I'm not lying. You look really good."
"Thank you, Bells." He kissed the top of my head and inhaled deeply.
"OK! So help yourselves, guys." I motioned towards the table, which was overloaded with food. "I had a feeling that you guys would drop by."
"Alright!" They hooted and grabbed a plate. I got myself a corn muffin and nibbled on it, staring at the boys.
This was what it felt like to be one of the wolf girls. It felt really homey and happy. It wasn't empty and sad, it was like family.
"You throw a great party, do you know that?" Charlie waved a hand in front of me. "Cooking in large batches was a great idea."
Charlie looked suspicious of the half-naked boys. I had to speak soon before he could throw a question about it. I didn't have any excuses right now.
"Yeah, I did think that they were coming. They always follow Jake and Billy around." I said while I was staring at Jacob and nibbling on my muffin.
"Nice muffins by the way." Charlie commented and went back to sit with Billy. They were watching a game. "Aren't any of you freezing?" He turned his attention towards the bickering boys.
". . . hey! Get your own food!"
"Shut up and. . ."
". . . leave some for me . . ."
"Boys!" Emily's voice stood out. "Share!"
"Boys?" Billy spoke. As soon as they heard his voice, they quieted down. "Chief Swan wants to know why you guys are half-naked."
I could feel the tension in his voice. He would talk to the boys later about dressing codes. Or dressing in front of people who aren't aware of what they are.
"We actually brought clothes . . ." Sam said warily. I wound together my fingers behind my back, hoping that Charlie wouldn't pry.
"I was kidding!" Charlie suddenly laughed boisterously. The tension in the air suddenly disappeared. "Go on. Go back to eating."
Every one of the Quileute boys laughed weakly, Emily and I included. The coast is clear.
I realized that it was a bit crowded ever since the boys started bickering again so I decided to clear the gifts in the living room. They were scattered all over the floor, the torn gift wrapper in shreds. I threw the paper in the garbage can.
I grabbed all my gifts and went upstairs to keep them. I opened the door easily and placed it on the floor beside my bed. I would do the keeping later. I had a 'party' to attend to.
As I was leaving the room, I glanced around it again on impulse. As I was searching, a sort of sparkle caught me as my eyes fell on my bed. I instantly half-ran to my bed, almost stumbling in haste.
First, I was awestruck. I didn't know what I was for. I didn't even know how it got here. Who sent it here? I don't remember opening a gift that contained this gem. I also swore to myself that this was the first time I've visited my room since this afternoon.
It was a small, diamond heart. As light shone on the diamond, it reflected an array of colors. I took it from the bed and held it.
The heart was a sort of pendant. It was hard and cold. For a moment, Edward entered my mind. The heart was like Edward. He was hard as stone and cold—colder than ice, even.
A light, silky thread brushed my hand. My fingers caught the thread, there was a note.
I'm sorry, Bella. Merry Christmas, the familiar handwriting read.
Edward.
How . . .? Why . . .?
How did he get here? I thought he was traveling to the different clans?
My knees buckled and my feet failed to support me. I collapsed onto the floor, fresh drops of tears landing on the wooden floor.
The memory of Edward that I have kept away had suddenly sprung to life like a jack in a box. I knew myself better. I wasn't going to break down. But how could I not?
When I have kept myself intact and secure, Edward leaves a remainder of himself with me? I thought I had everything in control. What about the promise I've sworn to myself? Do I or should I forget it now?
More tears fell down my cheeks, soaking the diamond in liquid. I've got to keep it before anyone sees it.
Suddenly, realization hit me. He's been here just now. The diamond still had his scent (but I think it would since it could have been Edward's for such a long time. Maybe.) When Jacob froze, was it because Edward had entered my room?
"Bella?" I heard Charlie's voice at the door. Crap.
I quickly slid the diamond heart into the nearest drawer. I wiped my tears away and cleared my voice. I wasn't ready to face him with bloodshot eyes. My body stayed put.
"What are you doing over there?" He asked.
"I was fixing some of the gifts, Dad." I lied.
"Put that aside for the night, Bella. It's Christmas. Call your mother, kiss under the mistletoe with . . ." I felt the smile in his voice. I turned around, instantly glaring at him.
"I was kidding. Now come on, Jake's been looking for you downstairs." He heaved me off the floor and towed me towards the downstairs.
I would think about the diamond later. Right now, the people downstairs were important. They were important in a way that made me think that they were family. I mean, yes, they are my friends. I'm bound to them for life.
"Bella!" Jacob called out and carried me into his arms as he took me from Charlie. He sat me down on the couch while he sat down on the floor and rested his head on my leg.
Everyone watched the baseball game excluding me. I didn't want to watch some game on Christmas day.
Instead, I toyed with Jacob's hair with my free hand. My left hand was dangling by his shoulder, his fingers playing with it. He twisted and turned the ring on my finger.
I kicked his thigh. "Jacob, are you even watching?"
"Does my touching it irritate you?" He asked, referring to the ring.
"Just don't touch it. It's very precious to me now." I whispered in his ear, avoiding the shushing of the boys.
"Alright." He kissed my left hand.
The minutes droned on and on as everyone watched the game. The boys howled as their favorite teams were leading but I sat here silently, praying that something interesting would happen this day. Emily was probably feeling the same way. She is seated beside me and I could see from my peripherals that she yawns every now and then.
A sudden thought hit me. I forgot to call mom.
Automatically, I stood from my seat, making Jacob's head land on the couch's hard railing. He winced in pain as I ran towards the phone to call her.
"Sorry!" I shouted from the dining room.
I dialed mom's number and waited until the third ring before she picked up the phone.
"Merry Christmas, Mom!" I wailed over the telephone, making Renee laugh.
"Merry Christmas, honey." She replied back. "Having a nice time over there?"
"Yes. Jacob and his friends are here. It's really fun. How are you and Phil?"
"Glad to hear that. Oh, Phil and I are with his parents. We're celebrating Christmas here. They're really nice and welcoming. Bella, I'm sorry that I'm not there. I'm really sorry . . ."
I had to say something before she'd start babbling. "Mom, I haven't gotten all night but I promise that I will call you really really soon. I sent you a gift. I hope you like it."
"It hasn't arrived yet, I'll keep an eye open for it. Thanks, honey. You shouldn't have. Mine hasn't arrived yet, has it?"
"No, Mom. What is it? And why is Charlie's gift earlier?" I asked and sighed. No one clearly listened to me this year.
"You'll find out soon. Charlie's earlier because I started making it two months ago and finished when December came in."
"That would explain the size."
"Oh is it too small? Too large? I've got to—"
"Good bye, Mom. Have a nice Christmas day. I'll call you later in the afternoon when all the bickering boys are gone."
"Bye sweetie. I love you."
"Love you, Mom." And then the line went dead.
"Bella," a voice whispered in my ear. I felt my body tense. "Relax, it's only me."
I turned around and saw Jacob. His face was inches from mine and I saw that his sweater was gone; it was replaced by a white button-down shirt.
"Why'd you change?" I asked.
"Emily's glass slipped from her hand and the drink spoiled my sweater. She fell asleep." He explained.
"You're thankful?"
"A bit." He exhaled, like he was thinking of something gravely.
"What is it?" My fingers brushed his hot cheek. He reached for my hand and held it there. "Do I get my gift now?" I jokingly looked behind him to see if he was holding something.
"Bella," He whispered into my ear.
"Hmm?" I said, closing my eyes. Jacob let go of my hand.
"Bella, open your eyes." I did what I was told. "Your gift," He took something from his pocket and retrieved a square box.
My heart suddenly raced. I've seen it all in the movies. It was always a square box that contained . . . that contained . . .
I could be wrong. It could be a necklace or a bracelet.
Jacob displayed the box in front of me. I could hear the crowd entering the dining room, gazing at the commotion that Jacob and I shared.
They were all silent. I looked at Charlie and he was smiling. He looked like he was going to burst into tears. What was his part in this?
"Bella, don't jump to conclusions yet." I heard Jacob say. His voice was far away in my mind. I can't focus.
"Isabella Marie Swan, I love you with all of my heart." His voice echoed. "You are the only one that my eyes see and no one can replace the one I love. I know you don't expect this at the moment but it's no rush."
"I've asked Charlie and he gave me his blessings. Billy has agreed. All that's left to ask is Renee and your stepfather." He seemed nervous. "Bella?" he called. My heart felt like it was going to explode.
"Y-y-yes?" I stuttered. I looked around, avoiding Jacob's gaze. All of them were silent and attentive. They didn't look like they were going to interrupt. My eyes burned into Jacob's once again.
"I have all eternity to wait," I could hear the double meaning in his words. "There is no rush. I can wait for five years, ten, fifteen, as long as you want. But I have one request—one that will change us both."
My heart wanted to tear itself out of my chest; it dared to create a hole soon. I didn't know if I should cry or wail or laugh but this was Jacob. Why would I be afraid of him?
I love him. My love for him is what my heart beats for. Nothing else matters rather than Jacob.
Jacob kneeled on the ground, my eyes following his gaze. Now I really want to cry.
Tears welled up in my eyes. I tried pushing them back but couldn't. Fighting them back meant more. More would pour down if I stopped them. My mind was a haze. I don't know if this is reality or merely a dream but I wouldn't put this out as a dream. It was reality.
"Jacob," I whispered. He was smiling at me; his smile was different in a good way.
"Just one. One answer to one question and then forever. I'm yours forever. My pledge of lifetime servitude."
My heart raced and I could feel the pulse of fake adrenaline rush through my veins. My head is pounding, like my head suddenly had a plethora of blood in it.
Jacob opened the box and there lay the most beautiful ring I've ever seen.
It was a simple but beautiful ring. It was made of silver, with diamonds embedded on it. There was an array of colors on the ring—topaz, limestone, and pink and blue diamonds. It was perfect. The stones were distant from one another, in a way. Three bands of silver held the pieces of stone together. I never imagined such a beautiful ring in my life before.
The pieces finally clicked into its rightful place as my world suddenly turned around, positioning itself on the right angle. Peace and anxiety coursed through me.
My head spun as Jacob spoke.
"Will you marry me, Bella?"
AN: OKAY! Surprise, surprise. That is really the end. Do you want me to post the picture of the ring? It's hard to describe the ring, actually. So I'd rather you guys see it. So, shall I post it?
Big thanks to everyone. Thanks for those who read and reviewed the story. I appreciate every effort you've made, big and small. Of course, as I've mentioned in most chapters, my readers and reviewers have made a very big impact in continuing this story. You've inspired me to finish.
I do hope you like it. If you do, you're going to want to wait for a few days. An installment is coming up. Promise you'll wait? OK? :)
THE END