Chapter Ten

Nessie's POV

(Eight Years Later)

I listen to the waves lap against the shore, and then Will screams again.

"Mommy! Izzy's throwing shells again!" he says, running up the beach to me. The four-year-old runs up to me, fuming. It's funny, because he looks just like Jacob, except smaller and angrier. His twin sister, who we named Isabella after my mother, comes running up behind him.

"No, I wasn't, Will's just being a baby," she says, and she has a fistful of seashells in her hand. She liked to be called Izzy, so that's what we called her to her face, but in my head she was always Bella. I couldn't think of it any other way. Jake and I got married four years ago right after I found out I was pregnant.

We then decided to move to Florida and right back into my old house. So far, Will and Izzy were completely normal except for the fact that they could drink blood and Will could probably phase, he just hadn't yet. I lean over the porch railing to look them in the eyes. "Izzy, don't throw things at your brother. Will, don't tell on her. You need to go get ready anyways, Grandpa will be here in an hour," I say. Izzy lets the pile of shells drop.

"Fine," she says, and walks inside, trailing water and sand with her. Will follows her, doubling the water-sand trail. I sigh, grabbing one of the towels that always hangs on the back porch to clean it up. We don't go out much, because both Jake and I still look like teenagers, and having two four-year-old kids isn't the greatest image. Jake had gone to the store about an hour ago, and I let them outside to the beach. It was the only place I didn't really mind being out with them, because my mom had never cared either if anyone saw that I grew really fast or that she was really young, either.

I follow them in, mopping up the water all the way up the stairs. Izzy comes running out of her room, wearing a pretty sundress but with her hair a complete mess. I catch her by the arm. "Let me do your hair," I say, as she squirms in my grip.

"No! My hair's fine," she says, but I manage to pin her down long enough to pull her messy dark hair back into a braid. Will comes out of his room a minute later with his shirt on backwards, so I have to help him fix it just as Jake walks in the garage door.

"Daddy!" says Izzy, running down the stairs. "Did you buy me anything?" she asks. Jake gives her a funny look.

"No, I didn't buy you anything," he says, picking her up.

"Did you buy me anything?" asks Will, and Jake just shakes his head and sets Izzy down next to her brother.

"When will your dad be here?" he asks.

"Half an hour or so," I say, but then there is a knock at the garage door.

"Grandpa!" squeals Izzy. She can actually read minds, so of course she'd know who was at the door. Will follows her to the door and they pull it open.

Sure enough, Dad is standing there. "Hi, Grandpa!" says Izzy, hugging him.

"Izzy, let him get in the door," I say, pulling her back with Will. Dad just laughs.

"Hi, Isabella," he says. She frowns. Isabella is all that he will call her, and she's just had to learn to deal with it.

"Hi, Grandpa," says Will.

"Will," he says, and that makes Izzy even angrier because Will's full name is William and everybody calls him Will.

Izzy squirms out of my grip and runs to the back door. "Will and I put stuff by Grandma's grave, do you want to see it?" she says. Will nods and follows her to the door.

"Yeah, we worked all morning," he says. Dad and I follow them outside.

"Are you okay?" he asks. I watch Izzy tell Will that she'll race him, but then trip him after she says go. He scrambles to his feet and runs after her, brushing sand off his shorts.

"Yeah, I'm really good," I say. "You?"

"I'm good. Everybody misses you and the twins," he says. "You didn't have to leave, you know?" he says.

"Well, I just like it better here. It's...more familiar. Izzy and Will love it here, and you guys don't need us there all the time. We'll visit soon," I say, as we reach Mom's grave.

"We get to go to Washington?" asks Izzy, grabbing my hand and pulling me with her. "C'mon, Mommy, come see it," she says.

I realize they've covered it in strung up seashells and flowers they found in the garden by the house that I told them not to take flowers out of, but it still looks nice.

"It's really pretty, guys," I say, putting my arms around both of their shoulders. "She would've liked it."

Izzy smiles proudly like this is the crowning achievement of her life. "What was Grandma like?" she asks. Will puts his big green eyes on me, and I can tell he wants to know as well.

"She was...an incredible person," I say, looking over at dad. "She brought a lot of people together, and she was funny, and smart, and...I loved her very much. And she would have loved you guys very much," I say.

"I bet so," says Izzy, and Will nods along with her.

"I wish she was here," says Will. "I wanna meet her."

I stare down at both of them. "I know. I wish you could have met her as well. But I think...it'll be okay without her. For once."

Later, I stand with Dad on the porch watching the twins try to build a sandcastle together: Izzy keeps throwing water on it and claiming they need to start over.

"You were right, you know," he says.

"About what?" I say.

"I think we will be okay. Without her. For once."

"Yeah, I think so," I say, putting my head on his shoulder.

The End:)

Thank you guys for all of the reads and followers and the great reviews! I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I did writing it. I had to go back to school this week, so I don't know when I'll post a new story, but I do have some ideas so I hope I'll be able to write one soon. Thank you again for all your support:)