A/N: *sniff* Hi, guys. Welcome to the last chapter of Give Me a Sign. Oh, this has been such a wonderful journey writing this story, and I am so grateful to everyone who shared it with me. I hope you got as much enjoyment out of it as I have.

*big Jacob hugs* If I felt I could thank each and every one of my reviewers without missing someone, I'd do it, but I don't. I know I'd miss someone, then I'd feel terrible. So just know that I appreciate every single person. You're all amazing!

In this chapter, Jacob recites a lot of lyrics. I didn't do that just to put lyrics in the story. Just so ya know. And there's a little something for my h00rs :)

Enjoy!


Give Me a Sign

Chapter Fifty

Peace

We've seen our share of ups and downs
Oh how quickly life can turn around
In an instant
It feels so good to reunite
Within yourself and within your mind
Let's find peace there

When you are with me, I'm free
I'm careless, I believe
Above all the others we'll fly
This brings tears to my eyes

-My Sacrifice – Creed


Jacob

I changed my mind about the foreman position five times before I talked to Harry and officially accepted on Friday. Ness kept telling me she was proud of me and felt that I deserved the promotion. I didn't really consider it a promotion, although I guess in a way it was. It was more responsibilities and an actual team to run, which meant I couldn't do the same things I'd always done on the site and stick mostly to myself. I had to be a people person.

Harry was pleased to hear the news but confused when I told him Ness had declined his offer. Although I wasn't sure I agreed with her decision, I was proud of her for doing what she felt was best despite me telling her to do it. Like I'd told Harry, it wasn't mine to make, and I would stand behind Ness in whatever she chose to do. We worked out my schedule, and he gave me a rough list of the people he expected to show up on Monday. I recognized a few of the names; some of them I'd worked with on the last job. Most people were smart and started looking a few weeks before a job was done so they wouldn't have to face the possibility of being out of work. I was surprised to see Seth Colton on the list, though.

"Since when did Seth get into construction?" I asked. Last I'd heard he was in college studying to be a teacher.

Harry shrugged. "I couldn't tell you. He wanted in and mentioned that both you and Leah got in without schooling, so I thought I'd give him a chance and see what he's got."

"I got in because I had a mentor, and Leah got in because she's your daughter. Seth's . . . I don't see how he'll last very long, but I guess we'll see." I could just see the more experienced men putting him in his place.

"Maybe you could take him under your wing. Show him the ropes."

I scoffed. "I'm not a teacher, Harry." I already knew I'd be watching over him regardless. He might be like Leah's little brother, but I kind of liked him, too.

"Either way; better he starts out with me than someone who doesn't know him."

I smiled to myself. Harry had a soft spot for Seth as well. I scanned the rest of the list and furrowed my brow when I caught Jack's name.

"Not this guy." I pointed him out. "Jack Milburn. Fire him."

Harry looked confused. "Why?"

"Because he'll end up buried in the foundation if you don't. I'm not working with him again if I can't kill him."

"Don't like him, huh?"

I laughed without humor. "It goes way beyond that. I'm not getting into it, but if you want me, you'll get rid of him."

He nodded. "You got it. Consider him gone."

I narrowed my eyes. "You better not be fucking with me."

He smiled. "I'm not that stupid, Jake." He took the list from me and crossed the name off. "He's gone. I'll make the call as soon as you leave."

"Good. See you Monday." I left so Harry could do his thing. It actually felt good to know I had some sort of control over my working conditions.

I went home that day and told Ness about my new schedule. I'd have Fridays and Saturdays off and work my regular ten hours the other five days. She thought it was nice that Seth would be working with me. She said I needed a friend with me. It still felt weird to think that Leah wouldn't be there.

"What should we do with our last few free days?" I asked Ness.

We were in the kitchen cleaning up after dinner. She turned to me and shrugged.

"I don't know." She looked down at her hands clasped in front of her and took a deep breath. I smiled to myself and went up to her, my arms on either side of her to pin her against the counter. She looked up at me through her lashes. "I want to try something."

I nodded. "What is it?"

She put her hands on my chest and licked her lips. "I'm nervous about it, though. I mean, my dad and I used to bake cookies at least twice a month, sometimes more. He said that my mom would make them every week. She has so many recipes in her book. I want to try to make the chocolate chip ones."

I hugged her tightly and kissed her head. "Of course we can do that, baby."

Her whole body seemed to tremble as she pressed her face into my neck and took a deep breath. "You'll help me?"

I wasn't sure if she was asking more for emotional support or if she thought she'd actually need me to help her bake, but it didn't really matter. I'd be there for her either way. "You know I will, Ness."

She nodded. "Tomorrow, though. I want to try to get ready for it."

"That's a good idea." Anything to make it easier for her. "What should we do tonight?"

She looked up at me with a smile. "Anything we want, I guess."

I bent to kiss her lips. I had an idea, but I wasn't sure how to talk her into it. We made our way to the living room where I put on some music and pulled her close to dance with her. She smiled and held on to my shoulders.

I hadn't changed yet; I was still in my t-shirt and jeans. She was wearing a white tank top with her gray sweats. I was eager to see if she'd let me strip her. As we moved together, I let my thumbs slip under the bottom hem of her shirt. She looked up at me and smiled.

"I love you, Ness," I said as I moved my hands higher.

She stepped a little closer. "I love you, too." She licked her lips and stared at my chest for a moment.

I kind of wished I had put a little more effort into choosing our music. It was weird enough trying to be romantic with Falling in the Ocean by Blue October playing; it wasn't really strip-tease music either. I cleared my throat and pulled back. She looked at me strangely.

"I need better music," I told her.

She nodded. "Okay."

It didn't take me long to decide what I wanted. I found the CD and put it in on repeat, then I got up and pulled Nessie close to me. She raised her eyebrow when the music started.

"What is this?"

"This is my sexy music. This song is Bloodhound Gang's The Bad Touch. Come on, dance with me."

She laughed nervously and moved away from me. "I don't know, Jake. I don't think you want to dance like we usually do."

I nodded. "You're right." I pulled her close again. "I want you to strip for me."

Her eyes widened. "No."

I pouted. "Please?" I knew she'd need some coaxing.

She licked her lips and looked down. "Jake, I don't know how to do that. I'm not . . . I feel so stupid even thinking about it."

I made her look at me again. "Ness, you are not stupid. I want to show you how. Please, baby? Try for me?"

She sighed and hesitated for a second. While she was thinking about it, I started to move a little bit and leaned down to repeat the words from the song into her ear.

"You and me, baby, ain't nothin' but mammals, so let's do it like they do on the discovery channel." I raised my eyebrows and smiled.

She laughed, and her cheeks turned red. "Jake . . ."

"You are very sexy, Ness. Even just standing there. You should dance with me so I don't look like an idiot."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She stepped closer to me, though, and did start to move. I held her hips and helped her ease into it a little more. The song changed, and she smiled up at me. "I think this was written for you. You brought sexy back."

I laughed and pulled her in tighter. "You see these shackles? Baby, I'm your slave." I slipped my hands under her shirt and started to ease it up.

She tensed up and put her hand on my wrist.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded, but didn't move her hand. After a deep breath, she stopped moving at all and put her forehead on my chest. "I'm sorry, Jake. I can't do this."

As much as I had hoped I'd be able to talk her into it, I wasn't going to push it when she was obviously serious about it. I hugged her tightly and kissed her head.

"It's okay, baby. Will you dance with me the normal way?"

She nodded again and reached up to hold my shoulders. When she looked up at me, I saw the tears in her eyes.

"What's wrong?"

She sighed. "This is so stupid. I should be able to do this. I would have no problem taking off my shirt right now, or even getting completely naked, but the thought of doing that while dancing with you is unbearable. I don't get it. I don't understand why I can't just let it go and do what you want me to do."

"I don't know either, Ness, but I'm not going to let you beat yourself up over it. It really is okay if you're not comfortable stripping for me like that." I held her hips and started to move again. "Just calm down and have fun with this." She took a deep breath and let me guide some of her movements. "Do you think you could do something else for me?" I asked.

She looked at me skeptically. "Depends on what it is."

"Let me fuck you doggy style?"

She relaxed and smiled. "I think so. It's not much different from the way we've made love in the shower, is it?"

I shook my head. "No, not much. On the couch?"

She furrowed her brow. "The couch?"

I nodded. "Yep."

She took a deep breath. "I guess if I can make love with you on the kitchen table, I can try doggy style on the couch."

"That's my girl. I love you, Ness."

She stood on her toes and kissed my jaw. "I love you, too. Will you tell me something?"

I nodded. "Sure."

"What in the world are we listening to?"

I chuckled. "You don't like it?"

She raised an eyebrow. "I don't know. I can't understand anything he's saying."

"I don't think it's meant to be understood. It's Sean Paul. I like the beat."

She smiled. "Oh, I got that part; he said 'I wanna be keepin' you warm' and something about sheltering from the storm."

"Girl, I got the right tactics to turn you on." I reached down and squeezed her ass.

"You sure do." She giggled.

I tried to lift her shirt again, and she tensed up. She looked at me apologetically, but I wasn't about to let it slow me down. "Would it be easier if I took mine off first?"

She pulled back from me and ran her fingers through her hair. "I can take my shirt off, Jake; that's not the problem—"

I made her look at me. "I know, Ness. It's the dancing. I know." I kissed her. "Let's get things started, shall we?"

She smiled and let me lift her shirt over her head. I twirled it around before I threw it somewhere in the vicinity of the hallway. She laughed and lifted up on mine. I put my hands over hers and shook my head. I was going to have a little fun with this.

"Why?" she asked.

"It's not called a strip-tease for nothing." I went slowly, inching the fabric up over my stomach as I sashayed my hips. Nessie was cracking up by the time I reached my pecs.

"Jacob, just take it off," she said through her laughter.

I shook my head again and tried to give her a serious look. I couldn't stop smiling. "You got it, babe." I still took my time, but soon enough my shirt was flung in the same direction hers had gone. I pulled her close and kissed her as I palmed her tits. "Are you turned on yet?"

She laughed. "I think I'm more amused than anything. You're silly."

"Mm. Well, we're only half done." I hooked my thumbs in the waistband of her sweats and pushed them down. On my way, I kissed her nipples. Her hands gripped my hair to hold her steady as she stepped out of the pants. I kissed a path up her chest and throat back to her mouth, making a pit stop at her ear. "How about now?" I asked.

She met my eyes nodded. "Yes." I loved her breathy voice.

"Good." I didn't make a show of getting rid of my pants. I just wanted to fuck her. I kicked them off and led her to the couch. She looked up at me curiously like she was just waiting for instruction. There was nothing hotter than that look. I kissed her one more time and gently pushed her back. "Now get on your knees and rest your elbows on the back of the couch."

She nodded and did what I told her to do. "Like this?" She glanced back at me, and I just nodded as I looked her over. Her hair nearly reached her hips thanks to the curve of her back, and her ass stuck out like it was begging to be smacked. I reached out and squeezed it tightly, then smacked it. She moaned. I smirked; someone liked it. I did it again and got on my knees on the floor behind her so I could lick her pussy. The sounds she made only got me harder, especially when I made her cum. I kissed her ass cheek and stood up.

"Are you ready?" I asked. I went over to the entertainment center where we'd stashed a few condoms for the times we fucked out here. It was too much of a hassle to run back to the bedroom for one.

"I'm very ready," she purred.

She wanted to help me put the condom on, so I let her. She looked up at me through her lashes and licked her lips in a really fucking sensual way before she got back into position. I had a feeling that the more I got her out of her shell, the more of a wildcat she'd become. I was okay with that.

I put my left foot on the couch by her leg, took hold of her hip, and pushed in. She moaned again and put her forehead against the cushions. I helped her shift a little bit to make it more comfortable for both of us, then set a rhythm.

"Do you like this?" I asked. Like I really needed to; she was gripping the back of the couch hard as she whimpered with each thrust.

"Uh-huh." It was a sort of half-whimper followed by a loud moan. "God, yes."

"Me too."

I gathered her hair up and smoothed it down her back, then I took her shoulder and leaned over to kiss her ear. "You are so fucking sexy, Ness."

She turned her head and kissed me. "You too, Jake . . ." She gasped. "God . . . fuck me."

I kissed her shoulder and moved back again to make damn sure she was satisfied. I slapped her ass again, which earned me a little growl. When I felt the familiar tingle in my balls, I leaned over again and rested my weight on my arm, my hand next to hers. I pushed her hair out of the way, then I wrapped my other arm around her tightly and kissed her neck.

"Cum again for me, Ness," I said roughly. "Are you close?"

She whined. "I don't know . . . Maybe. Fuck, just don't stop, Jake."

I smiled against her skin and moved harder against her. I loved it when she swore for me. She must have been closer that I thought, because only a minute later she arched her back. She sucked in a quick breath and held it for a second before her pussy tightened around me. Her body shook as she gasped out the fucking sexiest moans. I buried my face in her neck and growled as the sensation overtook me. When it ended, I kissed her shoulder then her cheek, then I stood up and went to throw the condom away. When I came back, she was sitting on the couch with her hands overlapping each other on her stomach. Her chest heaved with her breaths, and she was looking at me with the most beautiful smile.

"That was fun," she said softly.

I sat beside her. "Yeah it was. I'm tired now; you wore me out."

"Then lay down."

I shifted to lay down on my back with my head on her lap. My legs hung over the side of the couch. She leaned down to kiss me and started to play with my hair.

"That isn't exactly what I meant, but this works."

I touched her tits. "Of course it works. I have the best view right now."

She laughed. "I love you."

I reached up to touch her cheek. "I love you, too."

Her brow furrowed. "But . . . you listen to some weird stuff. What is this song?"

"Living Dead Girl by Rob Zombie, of course."

"I thought this was your sexy music?"

I shrugged. "I like the beat."

"Okay. It kind of sucks."

I poked her side. Before I could say anything back, she reached out and did the same thing to me. I squirmed and grabbed her wrist.

"Hey. None of that, woman."

She giggled. "Are you ticklish?"

I tightened my hold on her. "No," I lied.

"Yes, you are! Oh, my God, Jake, you are." She leaned over and got me with her other hand. I tried to grab her, but she was too fast. I couldn't sit up thanks to her all but pinning my head between her tits and her legs. We were both laughing when I pushed her back up enough to slip out of her hold and onto the floor. I got up as quickly as I could, expecting her to follow me. She didn't. She just sat back and crossed her legs, looking up at me with a very satisfied grin.

"What?" I asked.

She shrugged. "Nothing. I just like knowing that I'm not defenseless against you tickling me now."

I groaned. "You were never defenseless." I sat back down.

She leaned forward and kissed my shoulder. "No, but now I know I'm not the only one. It's nice."

She sat back. I chuckled as I laid down again and kissed her stomach. "Glad I could help."

She started to play with my hair again, and I closed my eyes to enjoy the peace.

"Is she singing in Spanish?" Ness asked a few minutes later.

I didn't open my eyes as I nodded. "Yep."

"This is not like that other one at all. Or any of the other ones I was capable of paying attention to."

I smirked. "Nancy made me put it on."

"Who?"

Shit. I opened my eyes and sighed. "Nancy. My ex."

She nodded. "Why did she make you put it on?" She asked the question like talking about my ex-girlfriend didn't bother her. It sure as hell bothered me.

I sat up and shrugged. "Something about romance."

Ness scooted up close to me. "You know, this doesn't upset me, Jake. So you have ex-girlfriends. You're with me now."

I turned my head and kissed her. "Yeah, but I know how I'd feel if you started talking about your ex-boyfriends."

"What ex-boyfriends? If you're talking about Greg, I never had time to consider him a boyfriend, so he doesn't count."

"That's not the point."

She pushed me back against the couch and crawled on my lap. I held her hips lightly and tried to ignore the feel of her still-damp pussy against my leg. "Jake, I know how you feel about me. There have been many times that I doubted it or didn't understand it, and I can't say I get it even now, but I know you love me. I'm not saying that I'm happy to know that other women have had this part of you, but it really doesn't bug me that badly. It used to, but I got over it. It's a part of your past and who you are. Tell me honestly; if I did have ex-boyfriends to talk about, wouldn't you be happy to know that you are the one I ended up with?"

I nodded. "Yes, I would. Then I'd beat the shit out of them for hurting you."

She snorted. "You're completely missing the point. I know you're mine, Jake. It's pointless to try to hide the fact that you were with other women before me. If you really don't want to talk about them, then we won't, but I want you to know that I'm not going to get mad or upset or hurt if you tell me you were in love with someone else once upon a time."

What she said made sense in a way, but I had to correct her. "I never was in love with anyone else, Ness. I thought I was a time or two, but I didn't know what it was until I met you." I didn't care how corny it sounded; it was the truth.

She smiled the kind of smile that told me I'd just impressed her with my charm. "See? Who cares about those other girls? You're mine."

"I most certainly am." I kissed her. "And you're mine."

She nodded. "Yep." She kissed me again then sat back. "So can we talk about it a little bit?"

I sighed. "What do you want to know?"

"Why did she want you to put that Spanish song on the CD?"

I thought back to the day I'd made the CD. "It was only supposed to be something we'd play for sex, so I picked out songs I liked. She didn't like half the songs I wanted, not because she actually didn't like them, but because she thought they weren't romantic enough. She wanted me to put Yanni and shit on there. I finally let her put that one on because I could stand to listen to it when I f—" I cringed. "I'm sorry, Ness, this is too weird. I can't talk about fucking another girl."

She smiled sweetly and put her hands on my face. "That's okay. I think I understand anyway. Thank you." She kissed me. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

Her grin got wider. "I bet you'd listen to Yanni while you made love to me."

I squeezed her hips. "For you, I'd do pretty much anything."

She licked her lips and looked down for a second. "Do you think we could make our own sexy music CD?"

"I'd like that a lot. You won't make me put Yanni on it, will you?"

She laughed. "I don't know; that depends on if you want that Zombie crap on it."

I wrapped one arm around her back and pushed up to turn us over. She gasped and held on to me tightly as I laid her on her back and hovered over her. "Let's go find out."

She nodded, and we got up.


The next day we had to go to the store to get shit she needed to make her cookies. She took her time walking down the aisles and picking out the ingredients. It probably shouldn't have surprised me that she'd need a lot of stuff. We didn't usually have much of a need for brown sugar, vanilla, or chocolate chips. I talked Ness into getting some peanut butter pieces, too, because I liked them.

When we got back to the house, she stalled for a while and asked me to run through the safety plan with her. We laid side by side on the living room floor for a good hour before she decided she was ready.

"What do we do first?" I asked. I rubbed my hands together as she opened the cookbook.

She took a deep breath and traced her fingers over the page she needed. "First we turn on the oven."

She told me the temperature, and I reached over to set it. We took it one step at a time, and I had to figure out the new mixer she'd gotten, but eventually we had the cookie dough ready to go. I took a scoop with my fingers and ate it. Ness gave me a look like she thought I'd gone mad.

"What?" I asked through a mouthful.

"That's raw cookie dough, Jake." She grimaced. "It's got raw eggs in it."

I shrugged. "Really? I had no idea."

She pushed my arm. "I'm serious; that's gross."

I shook my head and got another scoop. "No, Ness. Pizza and ranch is gross. Or fries and ice cream. Besides, I thought girls were supposed to like this shit. Have you ever tasted it?" I held some out for her.

She pushed my hand away. "No, I haven't. My dad said it could make me sick, so I never wanted to, either."

I leaned down with my elbow on the counter and met her eyes. "All right, I'll make you a deal. You try this, just once, and if you like it, I win. If you don't like it, we'll go get fries and ice cream, and I'll let you feed me."

She smiled wickedly and nodded. "Okay."

I held it out for her again, and she sucked it off my fingers. She met my eyes and purposely teased me with her tongue. I swallowed.

"Verdict?"

She sighed dejectedly. "It was pretty good."

"Ha, ha! I win."

"I'm not eating any more, though."

I kissed her. "That's okay. Let's get these in the oven."

We spooned the dough onto the cookie sheet, then I put it in the oven. She told me the time, and we used her timer to set it.

"Now what?" she asked.

I shrugged. "Quickie?"

She snorted. "Thanks, but no thanks. Not right now."

I rubbed her back. "I had to try. How are you?"

She shrugged and looked up at me. Her eyes were troubled, but she didn't look like it was too much for her.

"I think I'm doing okay. I'm nervous that they won't turn out right."

I pulled her close to me and kissed her. "They'll be fine, Ness. You did a good job, and I'm proud of you."

She smiled. "Thank you."

A few minutes later, the timer went off, and Ness got the pot holders to pull the cookie sheet out. They were obviously not done yet; the middle was still gooey. She put them back in and set the timer again.

"Poo," she said with a sigh. "I hate waiting."

I chuckled. "Me, too. I want some damn cookies." I got some more dough.

She smiled and leaned against the counter as she scooped some out and licked it off her finger. I smirked at her. She started to get antsy, but finally the timer went off again. This time she groaned when she pulled the sheet out.

"That was premature congratulations, Jake," she said seriously. "These cookies are charcoal."

They were pretty black. I hadn't checked the time she set the second time, but it wouldn't have surprised me if she set it for the full amount. I poked a few of them with the spatula. "They're not charcoal; they're just . . ." I hit the very edge of one, and it crumbled. "Really burnt."

She groaned again. "I just . . . you saw them, Jake, they weren't done before! What did I do?"

I took a deep breath and cleared my throat. I wasn't sure how to tell her what went wrong without making it sound like it was her fault. I didn't know how her and her dad did their baking. If he was the one that did all the timing, she probably just didn't know any better.

"Well," I started. "How long were they in the second time?"

Her eyes went wide, and she looked up at me with a heartbreaking expression. "Oh, God, I did another ten minutes."

"It's not that big of a deal, Ness. We'll just—"

She turned away and sniffled. "It might not be that big of a deal to you, Jake, but this is really damn important to me."

I sighed and dropped the spatula on the stove top. I went to her and pulled her into a hug. "I know it's important, Nessie. I'm not trying to say it's not. I'm just saying that there's a lot more dough left; we can try again."

She didn't say anything for a few minutes. She just held on to me and cried quiet tears. Finally she pulled back and wiped her eyes. "Let's try again."

We threw away the charred ones and got the next batch ready. I suggested that we just add two minutes to the original time and see how that worked. She agreed, and we waited again. That time, they actually turned out perfect. We had the third batch in before she let me try one.

"These are awesome, Ness."

She got one for herself and frowned at it. "Not really."

I gave her a look. "I know good cookies when I taste them. Don't undermine my expertise."

She smiled, but it wasn't very convincing. "They're not as good as they used to be."

I hugged her tightly and kissed her head. "It'll get better, baby."

She shrugged as much as she could in my arms. "Maybe."

"No, not maybe. It will. It has before."

She looked up at me. "You're right; it has."

I kissed her lips. "Just trust me, okay?"

"I'll do my best."

We finished up the rest of the cookies then cleaned everything up. I had an ancient cookie jar that hadn't been used in over a decade, and Nessie washed it to put the cookies in.

"It's cute," she said, stepping back to look at it on the counter. It was ceramic and shaped like a small picnic basket.

"It was my mom's." I smiled. "I remember her smacking my hand when I'd try to reach in there when I wasn't supposed to."

She laughed. "We had one that made noise. It was a cow. I learned how to open it without it making any sound, though, so I could be stealthy when I stole the cookies before dinner." She took a deep breath and adjusted the jar a half a centimeter.

I called Dr Furst's office a little bit later to get our appointments changed to Fridays since I'd be working every Tuesday from then one.

Sunday was a lazy day. Ness and I just stayed inside and watched movies all day. I was in the mood for something action or even remotely exciting, but she picked out Beaches.

"Please?" she asked.

I sighed. "Ness, it's all . . . girly and stuff. No guy in their right mind would watch this shit."

"Then why do you have it?" she challenged.

Good question. I couldn't remember where the hell it'd come from. "I have no idea. Now would be a good time throw it away."

She stepped away from me and hid it behind her back. "Come on, Jake, don't be like that. Just this one and I promise I'll watch whatever you want after it. Even that Die Hard or whatever it is."

"You'll have to do better than that if you want me stay conscious."

She licked her lips and thought for a second. When she looked at me, I could see in her eyes that she'd had a brilliant idea.

"Okay. How about this: If you watch this movie with me and stay awake through it, I will give you a blow job."

I think my jaw dropped. "Really?"

She nodded. "Really. A full one."

There wasn't much thinking needed for this deal. "You got it, babe."

The movie was torture. Ness curled up against me and cried a little toward the end. I really fought to stay awake; I wanted my prize. It took forever, but eventually the movie was over. I gave her a few minutes to recover from the apparent sadness of the film.

She looked up at me and kissed my jaw. "You did it."

I nodded and rubbed her back. "Surprised?"

"No, not surprised. Impressed, maybe. And happy. Thank you." She got on her knees beside me and kissed me again. "I love you."

"Love you, too. When do I get my reward?"

She laughed and pulled back. "Down, boy. Do I need anything?"

"Nope, just your mouth and my dick."

She blushed and looked down. "Okay. I guess you get it now then."

I had her put one of the cushions under her knees when she got down onto the floor. She got started on her own, but after a few minutes she seemed to get nervous. I held her hair and told her she was doing an amazing job. It felt like fucking heaven. I realized a little too late that I should have told her to grab a towel or something. When I started to feel like I was going to cum, I pulled back on her hair enough to get her to stop.

"What?" She looked up at me with a worried look on her face.

I put my hand over hers and helped her keep up the motion. "Don't stop yet, babe. I just don't want to cum in your mouth."

She nodded. "Okay."

I helped her give me what I needed until my release hit. My cum landed on her shirt and even a little on her cheek.

"Sorry, babe."

She smiled. "Don't be."

"You're not mad?"

"No. Why would I be? This isn't the first time I've had your cum on me."

"Yeah, I know, but I guess I wasn't sure how you'd feel about it on your face."

She leaned forward and kissed my stomach. "I really don't mind. I'm just grateful you didn't do it in my mouth." She carefully pulled her shirt over her head and cleaned herself off with it. "I'll be right back."

I pulled my pants back up while I waited for her. By the time she got back, I had Die Hard ready to go. She laughed and sat next to me.


Harry and his ground crew had already started to get the lot prepped for the foundation when I got to work Monday morning. I met Harry in the office and went over some basic details and plans. Once we had everything down, he left to let me do my job. Six of the ten guys on my team already knew me from the previous project, so it wasn't a huge ordeal getting myself settled as foreman. It still felt weird to call myself the boss.

"This is exciting," Seth said when he showed up.

"You're late."

He cleared his throat. "Yeah, I'm sorry. My alarm didn't go off."

I nodded. "Listen, Seth, I get that you're here because Harry wants to give you a chance. I just want you to know that I'm not going to go easy on you just because I like you. You're here to work, and you damn well better get here on time and do your share."

He straightened up and nodded. "Yes, sir. I won't let you down, Jake."

I patted his shoulder. "I know you won't."

The first few days of a job were always the most challenging when the guys found their places with each other and the site. I had to break up a few fights that day. I really hated it; I would rather let them go at it until they settled it themselves, but that wasn't what a good foreman did. I told them all if anyone was going to beat someone up, it would be me and I'd be kicking their asses.

I was exhausted by the time I made it home that day. Ness had made dinner, then we took a shower together and just relaxed the rest of the day.

Seth was having a hard time getting settled into the grind. By Wednesday, he'd had over half of the guys threaten to kick his ass if he didn't stay out of their way. He came up to me several times in the span of just a few hours with the most inane questions. I tried hard to be patient with him, but it wasn't working well.

Wednesday when he came back from his lunch break, I pulled him into the office. He swallowed and acted like he was afraid I was going to fire him.

"You're not going anywhere, Seth; I don't have authority to fire anyone."

He chuckled nervously. "I guess that's good."

I sat down and sighed. "So what's going on?"

He shrugged. "I don't really know what I'm doing. I guess I thought I'd be able to figure it out, but it's not as easy as I'd hoped."

I shook my head. "No, it's not easy."

"But Leah . . . and you . . ."

"Seth, Leah grew up around it all. She visited sites when she was a kid and learned how to do basic shit before she turned ten. I had a good mentor, and I've been in it for damn near eight years. It's not something you can just learn overnight."

His face brightened. "Could you teach me? Be my mentor?"

I sat back with a groan. "Aw, fuck, Seth, I'm not a goddamned tutor."

"But you're good, and I could learn a lot from you."

I stood up. "Harry told me to watch over you, and I'm doing my best. I'm not a fucking tutor, though. Either get with it and pay attention or get the fuck off my site."

I walked out and went back to work. Not even a few hours had passed before I started to feel bad about what I'd said. It might not have been my idea to get into construction in the first place, but if Adam hadn't shown me what to do, I wouldn't be where I was today. It had given me an outlet that I had really needed at that time. Still needed, in fact. I remembered how he'd literally guided my hand when he taught me something new or challenging. I knew I wouldn't have the patience Adam did, but I also knew I couldn't just leave Seth to it and hope he didn't get himself killed. With a sigh, I walked over to him standing near the northeast survey point.

"Don't expect me to show you mercy," I said. "You want to learn, you better be prepared to do it."

He smiled his trademark goofy grin and nodded. "I told you before I won't let you down."

"We'll see." I slapped his back, and we got to work.


"So the party is next Friday at two o'clock, right?" Ness asked. My birthday was coming up, and I'd been told by several people I couldn't skip it.

"Yep. I told Leah we could do it at her place so she wouldn't have to go anywhere, but she said it'd be less stress if she didn't have to deal with everything there." Leah was getting more used to the idea of being pregnant and fragile. She still wasn't thrilled about it, but at least she wasn't complaining every five seconds.

"How many people will be there?"

I shrugged. "Leah and Sam, Seth . . . I think Izak and Paul said they wanted to crash the party. Harry and Sue, probably. A few, I guess."

She nodded and licked her lips. "Will there be lunch, or is it just your basic birthday party with cake and presents?"

"I don't know; why?"

She looked up at me like she was startled for a second, then she overcompensated and tried too hard to be nonchalant. "Oh, I don't know. It's nothing, really." She peeked at me, and I knew something was up.

"What's wrong?"

She started to pick at her fingernails. "It's stupid."

I smirked. "You know, when you say that, it really means it's important and bugging you, so I'm just going to push harder until you tell me." I pulled her onto my lap on the couch and kissed her. "So just get it over with. Do you not want to have a crowd here?"

She sighed. "It's not that. It's the opposite of that, in fact." She hesitated for a second before she met my eyes. "I'm excited."

I wasn't expecting that. "Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, I've never been a hostess before. Well, I've never had people over to entertain before. I know it's not going to be that kind of party, but I'm still eager to do it. Is that silly?"

"So, let me make sure I understand this. You're excited to have a bunch of people over here to make a mess and have to clean up after them?" She made no sense sometimes.

She laughed quietly. "Yes, I am. I know you're not a people person, Jake, and that you'd probably rather have something really small with just me and Leah, but you've been to parties and had to clean up after friends. I haven't. The closest I've ever come to having this kind of thing is when my dad and I would visit my Grandpa Charlie. I didn't have friends to come over for birthdays or just to hang out."

When she put it that way, I really did get it. I smiled and kissed her again. "In that case, Nessie, I'm glad we're having it here. I'll let you do all the mingling and everything, okay?"

She smiled and rested against me. "Okay." She nuzzled against my neck for a moment. "So what do you want for your birthday?"

I shook my head. "You can't get me anything."

I felt her frown. "Why not?"

I shrugged and tightened my arm around her. "You wouldn't let me get you anything for your birthday, remember?"

She sat back, pulling away from me. "That's not fair. Letting you do anything at all was a really big stretch for me."

"I know, Ness, but I'm serious. You don't need to get me anything for my birthday. I have you."

She raised an eyebrow. "You being sweet isn't going to change my mind. If you don't give me any ideas, I'll come up with something on my own."

Dammit. I knew she would, but I really wished she wouldn't worry about it. It didn't feel right to expect her to do anything special even though I knew how she felt. Then I thought of something.

"All right. If you really want to do something, you can bake me some brownies."

She scrunched her nose. "You saw how well the cookies turned out."

"They turned out perfectly. Besides, cookies and brownies aren't the same thing." I pulled her close again and kissed her head. "Will you try? It's what I'm asking from you for my birthday." I pouted as best as I could.

She stared at me for a second before she sighed. "I'll try."

I smiled. "Thanks, babe."

"I really wish you would let me get you something else, though, like an actual present." She leaned into me again and kissed my jaw. The way she looked at me with her big brown eyes and full lips stirred something deep inside me. She tilted her head down a little but kept eye contact with me. "Please?"

Whatever the fuck she was doing, she knew how to do it. "Why?"

She started to play with my hair at the back of my head as she leaned in a little more. "Because I love you and it's your birthday. I think I understand now why mine meant so much to you. Brownies alone can't tell you how happy I am to have you in my life."

When she put it like that . . . "Nothing big, baby."

She kissed me. "Thank you. I promise it won't be anything big. I don't have a lot of money, so I couldn't really do much anyway." She shrugged and sat back.

"Tell me how much you think you'll need." I knew she'd been trying to keep our expenses separated even when I'd been doing everything I could to mix them together. What was mine was hers.

Her brow furrowed. "No; I'm not going to make you pay for your own present. That totally defeats the purpose."

I had a feeling things were about to get very tricky. I sighed and squeezed her hip. "Ness, listen to me. You live here, and we're sharing everything else anyway. I'm not trying to pay for my own thing, okay? I just want to make sure you have enough to get whatever it is you want to get for me. I'm just taking care of you."

She nodded and started to pick at the shoulders of my shirt. "I know, Jake. I do, but I want to do it myself. I have the money from the flower arrangement still, and I want to use that. It would make me feel better to know that I can do things like that."

She did the thing with her eyes again, and as much as I wanted to argue with her, I wanted to make that look go away even more. At the end of it all, I really just wanted her to be happy. If she wanted to get whatever for me using her own money, then I wouldn't complain. I leaned in and kissed her lips.

"Okay."

She smiled. "Thank you."

"But, you have to promise me something." She nodded. "If you need something or want something special and don't have the money for it, ask me. Please."

She took a deep breath and nodded again. "Okay. I promise. What if it's something that I don't want you to know about, though, like a surprise?"

"Then tell me I can't know what it is. I trust you, Ness. I know you're not going to ask for a bunch of money and go gamble it or spend it all on something like an outrageously expensive pair of shoes."

She laughed and shook her head. "You're right; I wouldn't do that. I love you, and I'm glad you trust me. I couldn't take advantage of you."

"I know, babe."


Friday we had therapy. We did separate sessions like we had done before. Ness was crying again when she came out, but she said she was okay. It was just the emotional things they'd talked about. I hated that I didn't know if any lines had been crossed or if I needed to kick the good doctor's ass. I brought it up in my hour, and Dr. Furst just smiled.

"You need to trust her, Jacob."

"I do trust her. It's you I don't trust."

He nodded. "I understand. Talk with her about it, then. I can promise her session with me is just as professional as yours is."

He could promise all he wanted, but I would wait to hear it from her. We talked about the new job and taking Seth on as an unofficial apprentice. He thought it would be good for me.

As we were getting ready to leave, Dr. Furst's secretary told us he'd be out of town the next Friday and asked us if we wanted to reschedule. We decided to skip a week and go back to it after he came back.

When Ness and I went back home, we talked a little bit about therapy. I told her I didn't like the idea of her being away from me during her session. She told me that was part of the reason it was so important. Not just for her, but me as well. It was what Dr. Furst had explained before, but I didn't like to hear it. She said he had been nothing but professional when he talked to her. I wasn't concerned about physical advances, although when I got to thinking about it, I did make her promise to tell me if he did anything like that. I was more concerned with him pushing her talk about something she didn't want to or asking questions specifically to spark a painful memory. None of that happened, she said.

I did feel a little better about it all after our talk. She got on the computer for a little while to check up on her forums. It had been a few days since she had. While she did that, I found something to watch on TV.

"Jake?" Ness called a little while later.

"Yeah?"

"Come here?"

I got up and went to see what she wanted. "What's up?"

She was sitting on the side of the bed with my journal in her hands. "Can I read this?" she asked.

I raised my eyebrow. "Are you serious?" I didn't care if she did; it just surprised me that she wanted to. I had figured girls thought it was some kind of depraved violation to read someone else's journal or diary or whatever.

She crawled across the bed and leaned over to dig something out from under her side. I took the few seconds she was bent to admire her ass. When she sat back up, she held out a small blue book with the word "Diary" on the front. "Yeah. I'll let you read mine."

I'd known about that little book for a long while, ever since she moved in with me. For the first time in my memory, I'd been a good boy and left it alone, though. I respected her enough to keep my nose out of it. Given the opportunity, I really couldn't pass it up. I nodded and sat next to her.

"Really? Okay."

She handed it to me, then leaned back to get mine from the other side of the bed. She scooted back and sat against the headboard, not wasting a single second as she opened the book and started to read. She smirked and glanced at me after reading the first entry. I figured if we were doing this now, I might as well dig in to hers. I got up and sat beside her, then cracked open her diary.

There had been a bunch of pages—almost half of them—ripped out. The first few pages left were blank, so I flipped through them until I came to one with writing. It was dated February fifth, and the only thing written was, I don't know. We'll see.

I furrowed my brow and turned to the next one. It was dated February twelfth. It was a little longer, but not by much.

He didn't abandon me. I guess I can say he's still a kind of a friend. Maybe.

I flipped ahead a few pages. There wasn't a date, but the entry was longer.

I love him. I, the lonely freak with daddy issues, have fallen in love with Jacob Black. I wish I could be happy about it. He's mad at me. I can feel it. I want him here so badly, but I'm so scared. I know he'll leave if he finds out because he gets so upset just being near me. I don't know what I've done. I don't even care what I've done. It doesn't matter because he doesn't love me regardless. I miss him.

I looked over at her. She was studying the things I'd written like she thought there might be a test on it later. I smiled and reached over to touch her shoulder. I really wished she would have said something when she started to fall in love with me. It didn't matter much now; there wasn't anything we could do about it. We were together now, and that was all that mattered. It still didn't feel very good to know that she'd suffered more pain than was necessary on account of me. She looked up and smiled at me briefly, then turned back to my journal. I flipped ahead again in hers.

The handwriting was terrible, and again there was no date, but the subject gave the timing away anyway. It was when she'd been hurt and I was staying with her.

He kissed me. Me. Of all the people he could choose, he kissed me. My lips are still tingling. If only I could forget all that happened afterward and just recall the feel of his lips on mine. But I can't. He got upset like I knew he would. My heart hurts because I just want him to . . . I don't know. Love me back. Want my kiss like I want his. I don't want to be some pity crusade. I don't want or need his pity. I want and need him. All of him. God, I just . . . I love him.

I remembered that day vividly. She'd taken a bath, then we talked about things before I did what I had thought had turned out to be a mistake. If I'd been smarter about all of it, I would have talked to her instead of assuming she was freaked out. I remembered that look she'd give me that I had thought meant she wanted a kiss. I knew now that was exactly what she wanted, but back then I'd been stupid.

Ness sniffled, and I looked over at her again. She wiped her nose on her arm and turned the page. Then she made a noise like she was offended by something.

"Jacob . . . you stopped."

I smirked. "Yeah, I can't write in it all the time."

She put it down and got on her knees. "Are you done?" She gestured to the book in my hands.

I shrugged. "I don't know. I'm just getting to the good stuff now like how you actually did want me to kiss you the day before your birthday."

She blushed and nodded. "Yeah."

"And you let me believe that you were upset about it." I clicked my tongue. "Ness, you're a tease."

She scoffed. "I was surprised. It's not every day a really hot guy like you . . . well, okay, you do kiss me every day now, but then, it was really shocking for me."

I leaned over and kissed her just because I could. "I love you."

"I love you, too. Why did you tell me you weren't afraid to have kids?"

Here we go. I put her diary down and pulled her onto my lap. She straddled me and held my shoulders. "Because I didn't think I was."

She nodded. "Can we talk about this a little bit? I want to say something about it."

"Yeah." I lightly combed my fingers through her hair and waited while she decided on what to say.

"You mentioned in there that you wouldn't ever want to put someone else through the things you've gone through. Do you mean like passing the bipolar stuff to your kid?" She picked at my shirt as she spoke.

I cleared my throat. "Yeah, pretty much. I know what a bitch it is, Ness. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. An episode or two for people who really piss me off, sure, but not the whole thing. I can honestly say it's come close to ruining my life more than once."

She put her hands on my face and kissed my lips. "I understand, Jake. I really, truly do. I inherited photosensitivity from my mother, and there is a really good chance that any kid I have will get it, too. I know it's not as well-known or as . . . threatening, I guess, as being bipolar is, but it really sucks. I hate my skin so badly all the time because I can't do things like normal people. The thought that I could give it to someone else does scare me. So, yeah, I get what you mean."

She started to pull away from me, but I held her close. "But you'd do it to have a baby?" I asked. I wondered why; it didn't seem worth it.

She nodded. "Yeah, I would. Because I've learned how to deal with it. I've made mistakes, and I could teach him or her to avoid them. Just like you could. You could teach your child how to live a better life while still having those afflictions."

"I'm not a very good teacher, Ness. Seth's going to learn that the hard way."

"I disagree with you, Jake. You've taught me how to be okay with myself. I don't think anyone else could have done that."

What she said surprised me. "I didn't teach you anything."

She smiled and leaned in a little closer. "Yes, you did. You taught me how to trust and how to love. You showed me that it's okay to be happy. You never gave up on me."

I wasn't even sure what we were talking about anymore. I didn't know if she was talking about herself, Seth, or a kid. I swallowed and shifted under her. "That's not the same thing."

"I know, but it proves that you're not as terrible as you think you are."

I wrapped my arms around her tightly. I wasn't sure what to say to that, so I just kept my mouth shut. She kissed my neck. We stayed that way on the bed for a while. It felt good to just hold her and not worry about other shit. After a while, she started to talk about some of the things that had been going on in the forums. Her friend Angel had gotten engaged, and some other girl had had a bad breakdown. We finally got up when we were hungry and went to make something for dinner.

The next day, Nessie wanted to try to make some brownies.

"The party's not for a week, Ness," I told her.

"I know, but I want to make sure I actually can make them before I ruin your birthday."

I snorted. "You couldn't ruin my birthday if you tried." I kissed her. "You want some help with the baking?"

She pursed her lips. "Maybe. I don't know. I want to be able to do it by myself because you can't help me make the ones for Friday."

"Why not?"

She put her hands on her hips. "Because it's your birthday, and you are not allowed to make your own brownies." She said it like it was an indisputable law.

I held my hands up. "Okay. How about you let me know if you need my help?"

"Okay." She stood on her toes to kiss me. "Go write in your journal or something."

I chuckled. "I'm not letting you in that anymore." I was just joking; I didn't care if she poked around in it.

She pouted. "Well, fine. Then I won't let you in on all my juicy secrets."

I pinned her against the counter. "Since when do you have juicy secrets that you keep from me?"

She put her hands on my chest and looked up at me through her lashes. She'd been doing that more often lately. I wondered if she knew just how sexy it was.

"Since you started to show me that there are more options than just the bed when it comes to making love."

And now I was in trouble. "So you're telling me that you think about fucking me in new ways?"

She smiled coyly. "Maybe."

"Like what?"

"Nuh-uh. I told you I wouldn't let you in on my secrets."

That had to be the most diabolical thing she'd ever done to me. I narrowed my eyes. "You're evil."

She laughed and kissed my chest. "I am not."

Two could play at that game. I kissed her lips. "Okay, well, you keep your secrets as long as you can. I'll have you begging me in no time."

She blushed deeply and put her forehead between her hands. I heard her mumble something, but I couldn't make out the words. I made her look up at me.

"What was that?"

She licked her lips. "I said I know you will."

It seemed she was looking forward to the game. In that case, I'd let her play it. I kissed her one more time and pulled back. "You get to baking and let me know if you need me."

She cleared her throat and nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

She did end up asking me to test the batter before she put it in the oven. I told her it was perfect, and she sent me away again. She asked me to come back and test them when the timer went off to make sure they were done. The toothpick I'd put in came out clean, so I declared them brownies. We had to wait a little while for them to cool before we cut into them, and in the meantime, I teased Ness as much as I thought I could get away with. I kissed her, touched her, got close and damn near made out with her, but I always stopped before it got heavy. I really was going to make her beg for it.

"Let's check them now," she said after I pulled back from another kiss.

I nodded and got a knife out for her. She looked at me excitedly for a second before she cut into them. The crunching sound they made wasn't a good sign. The first one she pulled out was hard as a rock. She sighed dejectedly.

"It's official, Jake; I can't bake anything."

I rubbed her back. "Nothing's official, and this is only your second time trying. First time with these. Don't give up, Ness."

"What did I do wrong?"

I didn't have any ideas, so I just shrugged. She put the knife down and pushed herself against me. I held her tightly for a few minutes.

"Promise me something, Ness."

She looked up at me. "What?"

"You need to try again. It doesn't have to be right away, but I want you to give it another shot soon."

She hesitated for a moment before she nodded. "Okay."

I kissed her lips. "That's my girl."

I helped her clean everything up, then we played some board games for a while.


The next week at work was a little trying, but things were starting to smooth out more each day. With Seth as my apprentice, I was able to get into the work more, which I liked. If I was being honest with myself, it did feel good to be able to teach Seth what I knew. I gave him techniques I'd learned over the years that no trade school would think about. What I liked the most, though, was that look on his face that told me he understood what I was saying. Some things took him a while, and others he got right away. He was smart, too, and challenged me when he thought he could do it better. He was even right once or twice.

Ness and I continued to talk about things and work through our issues. I was so happy we were getting better. I don't think either of us liked to bring up the fight we'd had, but it was always nice when the conversation was over and I felt even closer to her than before. I had her begging to fuck on the couch again by Tuesday. After she gave in, I let her back into my journal. She got me to tell her about my ex-girlfriends. Why she wanted to know, I would never understand, but she did. She seemed a little surprised when I told her that Nancy was my next-door neighbor for years until she moved away sometime in January. Even though Nessie'd said it didn't bug her, I still felt uneasy when I told her about Kaitlyn and Linda, the two girls I'd dated a few years before I met Leah. They weren't simultaneous, but they both had a pretty big hand in my decision to swear off girls and relationships, which led to my decision to be with Leah the way I was at first. Kaitlyn was the first, and it was around the time my dad had first gotten sick. She didn't think it was that serious and wanted me to pay more attention to her than him. I called it bullshit and broke up with her. Linda seemed different at first, but in the end she got jealous when my dad, who was starting to have problems with his eyes and his feet, got more of my time than she did. After Linda, I decided I was done with women of any kind; my dad was more important than a convenient pussy.

Friday seemed to creep up on me too quickly. Nessie woke me up with a surprise birthday blowjob.

"Good morning," she said with a grin when I'd finished. She was prepared with a washcloth to clean herself up, then she laid down beside me.

I kissed her lips. "Morning. Thank you."

She smiled. "You're welcome. Happy birthday."

I grimaced. "Don't remind me."

"The proper response is, 'Yes it is, thank you.'"

I turned on my side and lifted up on my arms to hover over her. She laughed and put her hands on my shoulders like she really thought that would keep me from doing whatever I wanted. "The proper response is whatever the fuck I want to say. It's my day, remember?"

Her smile grew wider. "You're right. I'm sorry."

I kissed her again and got up. "I'm hungry. What's for breakfast?"

She smiled and crawled off the bed. "Pancakes with bacon and coffee."

I pulled my shorts on and walked with her down the hall. I noticed the sweet smell of syrup. "Damn, Ness, you didn't really have to cook for me. How long have you been up?"

She shrugged. "A few hours, I guess. You've been working so hard, and I don't think you've been getting enough sleep, so I made sure I didn't wake you up earlier."

I checked the clock on the microwave and was a little shocked to find it almost noon. "Wow."

She handed me a plate. "I figured since we're not doing a lunch, I'd make a big breakfast thing so you won't be hungry when the other people get here."

I took it and went to the table. She followed me with a cup of coffee. "I don't even know what to say. This is perfect, Ness, thank you."

She kissed me and sat down beside me. "Don't thank me until you try it. If it's not any good, don't feel like you have to choke it down, okay?"

I smirked. "Hush and let me eat, woman."

She laughed, but I could tell she was tense. Of course everything was great. The pancakes were a little on the dry side, but the syrup helped that, and there really wasn't a way she could have gone wrong with the bacon. She relaxed after I told her everything was good.

"Aren't you going to eat?" I asked.

She shook her head. "I already did."

After I talked her into letting me help clean up the kitchen from breakfast, she kicked me out and said I wasn't allowed back in until she was finished baking her brownies. I went to the living room and found a package sitting on the entertainment center. It was roughly the size of a VHS tape and wrapped in some blue paper. The tag was made of a smaller piece of wrapping paper folded in half and taped to the front. It said, "Happy birthday, Jacob. Love, Renesmee."

I smiled and set it back down before I turned on the TV to veg for a while. Ness came in and laid down next to me—pretty much on top of me—on the couch. Her second attempt at brownies had turned out much more successful, she said. I was excited to try them later.

Leah and Sam were the first ones to show up at one thirty. Leah handed me a standard-sized gift box. I already knew what it was, and I smirked as I took it. "Thanks."

She smiled and hugged me. "Just keeping up with tradition."

I smirked and set the box on the entertainment center with Nessie's. "I figured you would."

Nessie looked confused. "What?"

"My dad started something when I turned sixteen. Every year, he'd get me a shirt with something stupid or funny on it for my birthday. That's why I have so many. After I met Leah, she started to do the same thing."

She nodded. "Oh, I see." She stood on her toes to kiss me. "Are you going to wear one?"

"I'm dressed enough."

She raised her eyebrow at my bare chest. "You're not dressed at all."

I scoffed and picked at my shorts. "What do you call this?"

"I call that laziness," Leah chipped in.

"Hush. It's my birthday; I'll be lazy if I want."

I did eventually give in and went back to the bedroom with Nessie to get dressed before anyone showed up. I let Nessie pick out a shirt for me and smiled when she handed me a gray one with the word "stud" and a picture of a muffin on it.

"That one's too small, Ness. I got that one when I was eighteen, I think. Nineteen, maybe."

She raised her eyebrows. "And you still have it?"

"Sure. I've never gotten rid of any of them."

She quirked her lips. "So . . . can I wear it?"

I kissed her. "Absolutely."

While she got it on, I found the one Leah'd given me the year before with a candle on it. It said, "It's my birthday; blow me."

Nessie laughed when she saw it. "I like it."

I admired her in my old shirt. It was still big on her, but it looked damn good. Leah got out her camera when we went back to the living room. Ness surprised me by ducking behind me.

"No, you can't hide from this," I told her. "If I have to suffer through pictures, then so do you."

She grumbled. "But I hate getting my picture taken."

I sat down on the couch and pulled her onto my lap.

"Just a few," Leah begged. "Please?" She pouted.

Nessie sighed. "Fine." She sat up straighter and turned so her back was against my chest. I wrapped my arms around her stomach, and she put her hands over mine. We both smiled. Leah took three of them and showed Nessie how to work the camera to see what she'd gotten.

Nessie cooed and brought it over to show me. "I actually really like this one."

It was pretty good. She looked sexy, and there really wasn't any denying that we looked good together. I kissed her cheek. "And you said you hated it."

She blushed. "Whatever." She took the camera back to Leah.

Harry and Sue along with Seth and his brothers all got there at two, and after them, Paul showed up. Izak was a little later, but his wife, Melanie, and their one-year-old son, Matthew, came with him. It was definitely a full house. Nessie seemed to be doing okay. She sat beside me and smiled while she talked to Melanie. She even got to hold Matthew for a little while. She looked happy at first but Matthew didn't want anyone but his mother.

Someone decided it was time for brownies, so Nessie went to get them and came back with one of the sparkling candles I'd given to her in the middle. I smirked and held the pan on my lap while everyone sang. I blew out the candle, and Ness leaned over to whisper in my ear.

"Congratulations, Jake; you're really twenty-six now."

I smiled and kissed her lips. "Thanks, babe."

Nessie thought the brownies were still a little dry, but I couldn't find anything wrong with them. They were delicious. Everyone else thought so, too.

After that, it was time to do the presents. Someone gave me a new tool belt, which I actually did need, and I also got a damn nice drill. Leah and Sam gave me a red shirt with Cookie Monster on it. I winked at Ness, and she blushed. Hers was the last one I opened.

It was a book. Or, rather, a journal. I looked at her sideways as I read the front of it out loud. "'My dysfunctions: A journal for chronicling my immeasurably fascinating dysfunctions, neuroses, emotions, inner children, moments of shame and doubt, projection, self-loathing, misanthropy, and completely normal insanity, because the only difference between me and the rest of the population is that I acknowledge how crazy I am and they're all in mind-numbing denial.'" I laughed. "Very nice. Thanks, Ness."

She beamed and kissed me. "You're welcome."

Everyone stayed for a little while longer until Leah had to go home. I gave her a hug and told her to take it easy. After everyone was gone, I helped Nessie clean up.

"You don't have to do this, Jake. There's not much."

"I know, but I don't want you to have to do it all."

We did the dishes, then went back to the bedroom to lay down together. I put my new journal with my notebook.

Ness rolled on her side and kissed my shoulder. "When I got that, I kind of thought you might like a place to write things that you don't want me to read. I don't want you to feel like you have to share everything with me. Some things are only meant for you."

I pulled her on top of me. "Thank you, baby. I really do like it."

She smiled and kissed me. "Good."

"So what should we do now?" I asked. I trailed my hands down her back and held onto her hips.

"I don't know." She looked up like she was thinking really hard, but as she did, she ground her hips against me. I chuckled and kissed her chest.

We still had a long way to go. Things weren't perfect yet, and it was likely that they wouldn't ever really get that way. But, they were so much better than they ever had been before. With a little patience and effort, I knew we'd only get closer.


A/N: Thank you all so very much for reading. There will be an epilogue, and hopefully I can get it up quickly.

There are some pictures from this chapter up on my profile, including the journal Ness got for Jake and his t-shirts. Also, the playlist for Jake's sexy music is up on the playlist site, givemeasignplaylist . weebly . com; the link is also on my profile.

A few notes about my writing plans: There will be a sequel to Give Me a Sign. I've picked out a title and started working on the playlist, but I don't know yet when I will be able to begin posting. I plan to make Blood Moon my main focus and the sequel a sort of a side project for now.

Some people have asked me if I intend to leave the fandom after my long stories are finished. My answer to that is a resounding "hell no." I love Jake and Ness, and writing them, too much to do that. I don't have any other multi-chap fics planned after Blood Moon, but that could change easily. I also intend to write many more oneshots and catch up on my reading! :)

I'm on Twitter: sheewolf85. I give writing updates and teasers, and I follow my ff and wolf girls back, so come join me!