Author's Note: Sorry for the delay in posting. I typed this chapter three times. It was erased twice. It's been a very difficult chapter to write, so it wasn't fun.

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns it all, except for EJ and Abby.

Chapter Thirty-Seven: "Territorial" Edward's POV

My doorbell rang at eight AM, jarring me awake. It was a Saturday, the anniversary of the day that Edward Jacob and Abigail Hope had entered the world. Bella, Alice, and Mom had planned a birthday party, but it wasn't until five PM. I contemplated letting my guest stand out there until he or she left, but another thought came to me: What if it's Bella? So of course I pulled some pants on and went to my front door. But it wasn't my angel; it was my little sister.

"Good morning, sunshine!" she said brightly. "I need your help."

"It's too early," I said blankly. "And the party is on the beach. How can you start preparing at eight o'clock? It's not like you have to clean."

"Rosalie is sick this morning," she replied. "I need your help with a few things."

I crossed my arms grumpily. "Why should I help you?"

"Because you love Bella, and EJ and Abby are practically your children. You want to give them the best birthday possible."

I groaned, knowing I couldn't deny that. "That birthday cake better be damn good," I sighed, turning to go to the bathroom.

"Mom is baking it. Of course it will be. I'll make you some oatmeal while you take a shower."

"Oatmeal?"

"It's all I can cook…except for cereal. Why do you think I need your help in cooking?"

I snorted. "Give me ten minutes."

True to her word, Alice had a steaming hot bowl of cinnamon oatmeal on the table. "Thanks, little sis," I told her as I sat down.

"No problem," she replied. "We're roasting hot dogs in the bonfire, but I thought we could make some nicer side dishes."

"Sounds good," I yawned.

She frowned at me. "You don't look so good."

I shook my head. "I'm tired. Didn't sleep much last night..."

Alice sighed. "Thinking about Bella?"

Why was my family so damn perceptive? They knew me all too well. "Maybe," I said lamely.

"Edward," she said quietly, coming to sit beside me. "You haven't lost her yet."

I shook my head. "She's married, Alice. And she seems to love him passionately."

"She misses you."

"I was just the guy who made her dinner and changed her kids' diapers," I replied. "I was a good Band-Aid for a while, but eventually she had to rip me off. Jacob seems to be healthier for
her. Their relationship isn't frowned upon. Abby and EJ finally know their father. And she has the man she pined over for a year."

"You know that Jacob Black is not healthy in any way," Alice growled.

"I know," I replied, surprised at my little sister's sudden ferocity. "But try telling Bella that! She thinks she knows what is good for her. She's an adult, Alice, a married adult. It would be wrong for me to try to change her mind."

"But Bella isn't happy-"

"Yeah, well, who is in this entire situation? Jacob is miserable here in the states, Abby is calling me Daddy, Bella is stuck with a mental patient for a husband, I'm in love with her, and my family is being increasingly nosy about my own mental health. It's pretty fucked up, if you'll pardon my language."

"Aha!" Alice said triumphantly. "You just practically admitted that Bella isn't happy. You're not the Band-Aid, Edward. I think Jacob is the...cast for a broken leg. He's supposedly helping Bella, but he's just weighing her down and slowing her life down."

"The cast lasts longer than the Band-Aid," I muttered, taking my bowl to the sink to rinse it out.

"You. Are. Not. The. Band-Aid."

I exhaled impatiently. "Okay, Miss Clairvoyant. If you know everything, why don't you tell me what I should do?"

"Fight for her," Alice said simply.

I rolled my eyes, remembering when a drunk Bella threw herself at me. "I've heard that one before. It didn't work. If it did, I would be with her right now."

"Edward, you are so damn cynical."

"No, I'm a realist. Do you know how many prenups, divorces, and custody and property disputes I've handled? Love isn't the driving force in marriages anymore. Bella and Jacob married for love, but as you've said, they're both unhappy. Even though they love each other somewhat, they're not staying together because they love each other. It's something more shallow-social expectations, marriage vows, the opportunity for the twins to know their father. Bella may love me somewhat, and I love her to the ends of the earth, but it won't be enough."

"Edward, you're making no sense," Alice said patiently. "Earlier you said you know she loves him passionately; now you're saying she may love him somewhat. Which is it, Cullen?"

I groaned, knowing I was contradicting myself. "I don't know, Alice. I don't know what I'm talking about. But I do know that for some reason, she has chosen to not be with me. And that hurts like hell..."

Alice suddenly wrapped her little arms around me in a tight hug. "It will all work out, Edward. I'm here for you."

"I know, little sis." I kissed the top of her head.

She held me for a minute or so before pulling away. "Bella is a fool to give you up."

"Maybe I'm the fool to let her give me up," I mumbled.

"Maybe you are," she agreed. "Or maybe you're being the loving gentleman in this situation by letting her choose."

"Eh. I think I'm the fool."

"I don't know," she said thoughtfully. "You know that Bible story Emmett loved in Sunday school? The one where the two women claimed the same baby?"

"Sort of," I said slowly, trying to remember the story and why Emmett loved it.

"And King Solomon offered to cut the baby in half?"

So that explained why Emmett fancied it. "Yeah, what's your point?"

Alice gave me an encouraging smile. "And the one woman agreed to it, but the other woman was going to give up the baby so it wouldn't be killed. And the compassionate woman was the real mother..."

"Alice, I'm not following."

"You're the one who is standing back," Alice said. "You aren't being a jerk about it, you haven't punched Jacob in the face, you aren't throwing yourself at her. Meanwhile, Jacob is being a jerk to her..."

"So you're saying I love her more," I stated. "Because I'm not...cutting her. Metaphorically, of course."

"Exactly," she smiled. "Jacob is definitely cutting her."

My eyes widened. "Is he hurting her?"

"No," she said quickly. "Not physically. He would never lay a hand on her. But he rarely speaks to her, and when he does, he's criticizing her. He doesn't help with the kids or the house...and he won't go to counseling."

I let out a long breath. "Well...those are all her problems. When he 'died,' I helped her with everything. It's not my place to help anymore."

Alice's face matched my mood. We were both mournful.

"Let's get started," I told her. "I don't want to think anymore."

"Okay," she sighed. "Mom is at Bella's right now. They're baking. Can I use your kitchen?"

"Of course," I said.

"Thanks," she smiled. "I'll go get the groceries out of my car."

I helped her cook for a few hours-well actually I cooked while she cracked eggs and mixed-but we were interrupted by Emmett, Jasper...and Jacob. It felt strange, having my love's husband in my house. It made me feel...territorial.

"Edward, come with us," Emmett begged. "We have to decorate the beach using Alice's sketches."

I turned and narrowed my eyes at Alice. "Decorate the beach? How? And you have sketches?"

She shrugged. "I want it to look a certain way, but I have to get EJ and Abby ready for the party, and I have to wrap presents. I'm the best gift wrapper I know."

"Oh, that reminds me," I said. "I have some gifts in my closet. Do you mind wrapping them?"

"Of course not," she said. "Now go make sure First Beach looks presentable."

"Yes, ma'am."

I followed the men outside to Emmett's Jeep, which had a trunkful of lawn chairs, tiki torches, balloons, and a helium tank. Jasper helped Jacob, who was still on crutches, into the front passenger seat.

"So Alice really has sketches?" I asked Jasper as he sat next to me in the backseat.

"She really does," he said in disbelief. "We have to build a bonfire and tie balloons to chairs and make a circle and I don't know what all."

With four men, we managed to construct the scene quickly. We didn't really talk much, just hung out.

But of course Jasper, my kind, compassionate future brother-in-law, had to check in on the man he had secretly been observing. "How's physical therapy going, Jake?" he asked in a friendly tone.

"Fine, I guess," Jacob shrugged. "Can't wait to get out of this cast and start working again."

"Who are you going to work for?" Emmett asked, his voice impossibly high from the helium he had just sucked from the balloon tank.

Jacob snorted. "You haven't grown up one bit, have you? I'm hoping to do another tour. Maybe in Germany or something."

Jasper choked on his water. "The Army wants you back?" he asked after a lot of coughing.

Jacob shrugged. "They haven't said anything, but I've already decided that civilian life isn't for me."

Emmett gave me a funny look before blowing the helium out of his lungs. When his voice was back to normal, he said, "Jake, you're crazy. If I were married to Bella, I would want to be with her all the time."

Smart guy, I thought.

Jacob shrugged. "I do, but I also have to support her financially."

"You can do that here," Jasper reminded him. "You can repair a car like nobody's business."

Jacob shook his head. "Naw. I don't really belong here. Bella has her own thing going...raising the kids..."

"You should raise your kids with her," Jasper told him.

Jacob shrugged. "I'm not cut out to raise kids."

I literally wanted to hit him. Here he was, with Bella, EJ, and Abby—the three people I loved most-to call family, and he wanted to throw it away?

"Bella can't do it by herself," Emmett mused. "She's strong, but she's not as strong as you may think."

Jacob shrugged dismissively and turned to me, a strange hardness in his face. "What about you, Edward? What do you do for a living?"

"I'm an attorney," I replied coldly.

"Yeah? So you must make a lot of money."

I coughed uncomfortably. I didn't like to discuss this with anyone. "It's hard to find cases in Forks and La Push, but it's okay. I don't have a family to take care of, so the money lasts longer."

"Ah," he said, clearly not interested. Still, he pressed me further, for some reason. "Wouldn't it make more sense to open a practice in a bigger place like Port Angeles or Seattle?"

"I had a firm in Chicago, but I missed being close to my family," I said quietly. "And I love the Forks-La Push area." A sudden surge of boldness shot through me. "And the people who live here."

He raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, but more money equals more women. Good thing I don't make a ton of money, because Bella doesn't need a lot."

I knew right then that he knew. He knew I was in love with Bella, and he was playing with me. Dangling her in front of me, acting as if he didn't need her...yet he still had her.

And he knew that it was so much more than what I had.

What else does he know? I wondered, noticing the way Jasper and Emmett glared at him. They knew he knew, too.

But what all did he know?

He knew that I loved his wife. Well...I had to admit: that piece of information was probably quite obvious. Unsurprising. But did he know that she loved me, too? Did he know that we had a relationship and that we had made love?

I suddenly needed to talk to Bella. I glanced around our setup, looking for an excuse to go back into town. "Emmett," I said, "did you pick up skewers for the hot dogs?"

"No," he replied, sounding agitated as he stared at Jacob. "Rose said to use old wire hangers. In between her puking in the toilet."

"What's wrong with her?" Jacob asked Emmett.

He shrugged. "While we were cooking breakfast, she just started vomiting."

"I know what that sounds like," I murmured, remembering Bella's pregnancy. She was lucky enough to not have much morning sickness, though.

Emmett winced. "Don't say that. Mom will freak. It's a possibility, though..."

"What is?" Jacob asked, as if he had just entered the conversation.

Jasper snorted. "If you have knocked up my little sister, Cullen..."

"You'll love me for it because you adore EJ and Abby and you want another nephew," Emmett finished for him, making me laugh in spite of myself.

"Probably so," Jasper admitted.

"I have to run to my house and pick up some wire hangers," I said. "Bella uses plastic ones, and they won't work."

"How do you know that?" Jacob asked me.

"I kept your house clean while she was on bedrest," I said quickly.

He only stared at me.

Emmett noticed and tossed his keys to me. "Take my Jeep."

I sped toward my house. I needed to talk to Bella and find out what she had told him about me. About us. I was sick of playing the cool cucumber, especially if he was going to rub her in my face.

"Edward!" Mom complained as I ran into Bella's kitchen. "We don't have room in the kitchen for you!"

"I need to talk to her," I stammered. "Where is she?"

Rosalie, dressed to the nines with perfect hair and makeup, smirked at me. Oh, yeah, she felt better. Someone just had morning sickness.

"She's changing EJ's diaper," Rose told me. "You look like crap."

"To be honest, I feel like crap," I replied. Then, checking to make sure my mother wasn't watching, I made a show of motioning toward my stomach, making a balloon shape in front of it.

Her glare was positively acidic.

I laughed, grateful that I could ruffle somebody's feathers, and kissed the top of her head. "Love you, sister."

She threw a potato at me.

I ducked and ran into the nursery, surprised to hear Bella singing quietly. I froze and listened, an involuntary smile spreading across my face.

"And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon,
The little boy blue and the man in the moon..."

She stopped singing to laugh at something. "EJ, you are such a cutie. Mommy isn't going to let you ever have a girlfriend because I'm going to be so jealous."

I smiled and stepped in, hoping I wasn't interrupting a special moment. She was hovering over EJ as he laid on the changing table, playing with his toes. They were both giggling.

"Daddy!" Abby shrieked, and I cringed. She ran to me-yes, ran to me-and wrapped herself around my leg.

"Uncle," I reminded her, scooping her up and kissing her chubby cheeks.

"Oh, Edward," Bella said, surprised. "You kind of confused me..."

She looked divine as she faced me. She wore a blue and white sundress with flat sandals. Her hair hung in loose curls down her back. She was makeupless, which was lovely.

"Wow," I breathed. "You look...beautiful."

She gave me a small smile. "Thank you. Did you get the beach set up?"

I nodded as she set EJ on his feet. He ran to me and reached for me. Picking him up with my free arm, I said, "It's full with balloons and there is going to be an awesome fire."

Her smile broadened. "Good. It's going to be fun."

I sighed. "Bella, I have to talk to you."

She raised an eyebrow. "Um...okay..."

"What have you told Jacob about us?" I whispered.

She blanched. "Nothing, Edward. I haven't told him anything."

"He knows," I mumbled.

"He knows what?" she gasped.

"He knows that I love you...I can tell by the way he acts around me..."

She sighed and covered her face with her hands. "I know. He told me he knows. I think...I mean, I hope...he doesn't suspect that we...you know."

"You have to tell him," I decided. "What if it accidentally slips out of Alice's or Emmett's mouth? What if he starts to notice?"

She nodded slowly. "I know. I haven't found the right time, though. When should I?"

"Not today," I said. "Don't ruin it for the kids. Look, Bella, I'm trusting you. You'll know when the right time is. I'm not pressuring you or anything..."

She nodded slowly. "I know. It has to be exactly the right time. When he seems to be sane..."

"Bella," I said firmly. "Are you scared of him?"

She shook her head. "No, Edward. I'm...scared for him. This...man...who lives with me is not my husband. Jacob used to be loving and vibrant and happy and...special. The man I live with is an empty shell, a weak echo of who he used to be."

I closed my eyes. I couldn't bear to look at her. We-Bella and me-used to be loving and vibrant and happy and special…

"You love him," I stated.

Her answer was immediate. "But I love you, too."

"I know," I whispered.

"Let me figure this out," she whispered back. "Have faith in me."

"Of course I do," I assured her, opening my eyes and pressing my face in her thick mahogany hair. "You're the only thing I have faith in."

She let out a dry sob as I softly kissed her hair. "Edward..."

"I know," I replied, pulling away. "You're busy, you're married, I need to go."

She sniffled and nodded. "But I still love you."

"And I, you," I whispered.

We stared at each other for a few seconds before I knew I had to break the trance. "Um," I said, "can I help you with anything?"

She chewed her lip and looked at the bugs wistfully.

I gave her a smile. "Do you need a babysitter?"

"You don't have to-"

I shifted Abby to the crook of my arm and put a finger on Bella's mouth. "Bella, sweetie, hush. I'll take them to the beach. Emmett will entertain them with the helium tank," I winked.

She giggled. "Thank you, Edward."

Bella and I gathered a beach bag with towels, juice boxes, and spray-on sunscreen for the bugs. I could tell she was overwhelmed by all of the cooking and preparing—and by the conversation we had just had—so I didn't mind taking EJ and Abby off her hands at all. Actually, I loved taking them off their hands. I missed my daily role in their lives. I was no longer invited to read stories to them or sing lullabies to them. I was excited to play with them on the beach—especially now that they were walking and running. We would have fun.

While Bella dressed them in swimsuits and those little swim diapers, I moved their car seats to Emmett's Jeep and ran to my house to grab some wire hangers. After I had buckled the bugs in, I drove carefully to the beach.

"Uncle Edward has sure missed you guys," I told them, smiling at them in the rearview mirror.

Luckily, they didn't call me Daddy. I said a little prayer that they would leave that word out of their vocabularies today. I know I should have prayed that they would call Jacob that, but I didn't want to. I liked being called Daddy. Like my mom had said so long ago, I wanted a family.

"Hey!" Emmett exclaimed animatedly as I parked the Jeep and opened the backdoor. "It's my bugs!"

"Yeah, they were getting under the ladies' feet," I said, unbuckling EJ and setting him down on the sand. He immediately ran to Emmett, who picked him up and tossed him into the air. I cringed even though I knew that Emmett would never let EJ get hurt.

"Come on, Abby," I told her as I pulled her out of the car. She preferred to stay in my arms—big surprise there. Abby was very much an Edward's girl.

"Did you bring the wire hangers?" Jacob asked me.

"Yup," I replied, pulling them out of the Jeep. "Abby, sweetie, go play with Uncle Emmett." I put her down and she ran toward her brother, eager for a game of airplane.

"They're such great kids," Jasper remarked to Jacob as he started to straighten the hangers.

"Thank you," Jacob shrugged dismissively.

I tried to busy myself by straightening hangers, but my heart wasn't in it. I looked up and saw Emmett sucking on the helium tank. The twins giggled as his voice was distorted; I was actually surprised that they weren't scared. I definitely would have been terrified to see my six foot five brother talking like Alvin the chipmunk.

I couldn't resist going and playing with them. I kicked my shoes off, grabbed the spray-on sunscreen, and ran to them before taking them both under my arms. Emmett covered their eyes while I sprayed them down, and then he chased us to the ocean. I set the bugs down at the edge of the waves. They tentatively stepped into the flowing water and giggled at it.

"I'm going to get you," Emmett growled to EJ, who shrieked and ran through the wet sand. Emmett pursued him while I swept Abby onto my shoulders and went deeper in the water. Who cared if my swim trunks got wet before the party? I went deeper where the waves were more gentle and held onto Abby's tummy as she paddled in the water.

"You, sweetheart, are going to be a swimmer," I diagnosed.

Emmett and EJ soon joined us while Jasper and Jacob worked on the fire and straightened the hangers into skewers. "What the hell is his problem?" Emmett muttered to me.

"He knows," I said simply, confident that Emmett would understand. "And he's territorial."

"He's a pussy. How the hell is he just going to leave Bella? Is he dumb?"

"Yes," I replied shortly. "And watch the language, Uncle Em."

"Sorry," he said. "Hey, Abby! Come see me!"

We traded kids. I played with EJ, letting him "ride" the waves. Even though he was the spitting image of Jacob at birth, I was starting to see some Bella come out in his face.

"Your mommy's face suits you," I whispered in his ear.

He dropped a noisy kiss on my face. I laughed and kissed him before dunking him in the water (only to his chest, of course). Emmett watched us carefully for a few minutes, Abby happily resting on his broad shoulders.

"That girl better choose you, Edward," Emmett said, his mouth open. "She's dumb if she doesn't. And Bella Black is as quick as a whip."

"Why are you so openly gaping?" I asked him, ignoring his comment. "Are my abs that good?"

Emmett pointed to EJ.

The little boy was tugging at his hair, trying to make it stand up like mine was undoubtedly demonstrating. He was frustrated that his thick Native American hair wasn't behaving-it just kept falling in his eyes. They were only a year old, but both of the twins had a lot of hair.

"EJ!" I laughed, pulling hin out of the water and blowing a raspberry on his throat. "I think you need some hair gel...and you're kind of young for that."

"You don't find that amazing?" Emmett asked me.

"What?"

"The fact that he wants to look like you? The fact that he's imitating you? And not GI Joe over there?"

My throat suddenly felt thick. "I...he's just playing around, Emmett." I pulled the boy I thought of as my son to my chest. His arms wrapped around my neck.

"Yeah, right," my brother rolled his eyes. "Like I said, she better choose you."

I sighed quietly and kissed EJ's face. "Emmett, there isn't a choice anymore."

The party turned out to be a great success, with a huge bonfire, delicious food, happy guests, and lots of gifts. As usual, EJ and Abby were the only kids present, but I had a feeling that Rose and Emmett were about to change that!

My family, Charlie, Billy, and the Uleys were the only guests. Bella was busy with Jacob, who only talked to Sam and Emily, and my family mingled with Charlie. That really didn't leave me many people to talk to, since my family members only gave me sympathetic glances. So I stayed with the children, letting them sit in my lap while I roasted their hot dogs, and I even played with them in the sand and the water. Bella would ocassionally join us, but Jacob kept her busy. She was constantly waiting on him hand and foot, refilling his soda and
bringing him food. Sometimes he would pull her into his lap, but she was too busy playing hostess. She would always find an excuse to get up and make herself busy. Still, she completely revolved around him.

It reminded me a little of when she was on bedrest and I was her caretaker. She waited on him almost religiously, like she was programmed to do it. I had a feeling that he never helped her out with cleaning or cooking or the bugs.

Finally, the time came for cake and singing. Bella sat the bugs at the picnic table and put the cake in front of them, one lit candle blazing. We sang the Happy Birthday song and she demonstrated how to blow out the candle. Jacob stayed in the back of the circle that had formed.

The twins, a little overwhelmed, simply eyed the candle in awe. "Fire, Momma," EJ pointed out, just a wee bit confused. We had been warning them about the bonfire and to stay away from it.

"Blow it out, sweetie!" Bella encouraged him, coming to stand by me. I looked down at her and realized she had sparkling tears in her eyes.

"Are you okay?" I whispered to her.

She nodded. "They're...not babies anymore. It makes me sad..."

I casually put an arm around her shoulders and squeezed her into a half-hug. "Hey, now. You're not supposed to cry until their first day of school!"

She snorted. "I can't believe they're a year old already! It's a mommy thing, I guess..."

"No, I understand," I told her. "It's been a very short year, but it's been full of blessings. The two greatest little blessings I've ever seen."

She nodded, smiling. "You are correct, love."

I winced a little at her term of endearment, and she blushed scarlet.

Scarlett.

This all came so naturally to us. It was painfully natural.

"Ahem," my father said from behind us. My face flushing, I dropped my arm and put my hands in my pockets. "Bella, you've done so well for the first year of their lives," he added, even though I knew he had only meant to capture my attention.

"Thank you, Carlisle," she smiled at him. "That really means so much."

Emmett finally grew tired of the bugs' aversion to the candle, so he blew it out for them. Rosalie and Alice both smacked him, but EJ and Abby giggled, clapped their hands, and cheered for their silly uncle.

A few hours later, we were cleaning up the beach. Jasper and Jacob put the fire out. Mom and Rosalie were packing up food while Alice took the decorations down. Emmett, Dad, and I picked any stray litter off the beach.

Bella had blown air into a couple of balloons for EJ and Abby to play with. She tried to clean up, but the bugs would grab at her skirt and hand her the balloons for her to toss. They would then chase the balloons and try to catch them before they touched the ground. It was amazingly adorable to watch.

"How are you holding up, sweetie?" Mom asked me as she suddenly put her arms around me.

I kissed the top of her head. "I'm fine, Mother."

She gave me a little swat. "I'm just concerned for you. You have circles under your eyes..."

I shrugged. "I'm alright."

"You know," she whispered, "Jacob hasn't been actively participating in his children's first birthday. That makes me really angry."

I opened my mouth to agree, but I was interrupted by Jacob calling to his wife across the beach. "Bella! Don't wind the kids up-they need to sleep tonight!"

"They can play!" Bella yelled back. "I've got them under my thumb, hun!"

Jacob picked up his crutches and hobbled to her. For some reason, the hair on the back of my neck stood up, as if I knew something was going to happen. Feeling rather territorial myself, I extricated myself from my mother's hug and wandered to the fire pit, where I could hear them.

Jacob spoke first. "You're going to wind them up and they'll be hyper all night long. Make them sit still."

"EJ and Abby don't do that," Bella disagreed. "They're not overly hyper children. If they run around, it will wear them out and they'll sleep better."

"No," Jacob said firmly. "They won't go to bed at their normal time."

Bella's voice lowered, but I could still hear her. I found a garbage bag and made it look like I was picking up while they argued. "Jacob, do you even know when their 'normal time' is? I'm always the one to rock them both to sleep and if they wake up during the night, I'm always the one to check on them. So it doesn't even affect you. Let them play."

"Isabella," he growled. "Make them lay down and rest."

"I'm not going to make them lay down in sand!" she replied, raising her voice. "It could irritate their skin, especially if it got in their diapers, and I would be the one who would have to wash it out of their hair! That's not easy! They're having fun playing with the balloons, and they're occupied while we clean up. Leave them be."

She turned away and went back to stacking the gifts up. He sighed, crossing his arms, and glared at her.

Suddenly, there was a loud pop, and EJ started to cry. Alarmed, Bella immediately ran to him. He had obviously squeezed the balloon too hard...

But Jacob reacted...differently from his wife. He let out a shout and grabbed her arm, twisting it so she would look at him. "Ow, Jake!" she exclaimed. "My god, let me go!"

I wasn't even thinking as I crossed the sand to them. I was vaguely aware that Emmett and Jasper were flanking me as I went and grasped his wrist. "Let her go," I told him in a furious tone. "You're hurting her."

Pure hate darkened his eyes as he turned and faced me...and then his free fist connected with my nose, making the cartilage crack.

Sorry if it sounded all Eclipse-ish. I borrowed the King Solomon analogy and a few of the lines.

The next chapter will be Bella's POV of Jacob's fist-happy moment.

I would love to hear what you guys think! I actually really liked this chapter for some reason...