Hey folks. This chapter has a song involved. If you'd like to hear it, Youtube River Pheonix - Until Now. I hope you enjoy the chapter. Please review XO As always, I own nothing.
(JPOV)
With three of their main stressors now out of their lives, Bella's anxiety and stress issues had improved dramatically. She still had nightmares but not nearly as often. The ones about Renee had stopped altogether, which was both a blessing and a relief. Though Renee had promised to visit again, they had yet to hear from her.
September and October had passed quickly. Bella was still under orders to keep her stress levels as low as possible. Despite that, she had insisted on beginning cooking for everyone again. She claimed it brought her peace, which would be even better for helping her cope with her anxiety. Her next doctor appointment would have to either prove or disprove that. In the meantime, she stubbornly got her way.
Embry had brought Angela over to see the new house right after Jacob and Bella had moved in. Though he still currently lived with his mother, he was searching for his own place. The two were in a monogamous relationship, but Embry had yet to have the courage to tell Angela about the wolves or the Cullens. Bella worried about her friendship with Angela and how the eventual revelation would affect it. Jacob also hoped that there would not be negative repercussions. He was fond of Angela, and she trusted him.
The Cullens had generously offered to help out all of The Pack, though all but Paul were wary of taking on loans they were unsure they could pay. Paul, surprisingly, was desperate to prove himself to both Billy and Rachel. He and Jared had begun rehabbing an old oceanside restaurant in La Push for his bar. Paul had requested special permission for some of the Cullens to work on the plans with him. The project would require those who participated to be escorted across Quileute lands. Carlisle was the only one Billy and Old Quil had grown to have any trust in. Billy believed bringing the Cullens onto the reservation was only increasing the risks. Outside of Carlisle, he did not particularly want them there. Old Quil was the only one old enough to have memories of the last shifters, though he had been a small child at the time. He was even warier of the Cullen family presence but generally went along with whatever Billy had to say.
The fact that Jacob could actually hug Emmett now had shown Jacob that physical tolerance could indeed be gained, as well as genuine trust. After some research into the original treaty, Sam had found an agreement stating that Rose had been allowed to be on the reservation to locate the previous pack. She had previously been the only Vampire granted such leniency because of her friendship with Ephriam. The Pack saw no threat in Rosalie Hale. With her particular brand of snark and sarcasm, it did not take long for many of the pack to make comparisons to Rose and Jacob's personalities. Her occasional tales about meeting Ephriam, Quil, and Levi intrigued them most of all. Her perfect vampire recall allowed her to describe them in incredible detail. Many of the things she mentioned about Ephriam had left Jacob wondering how close the two friends had actually been. Some things Billy could confirm for him but not all. Billy had yet to meet Rose, and while her tales intrigued him, they also made him uneasy.
Jacob's main worry these days was finances. The Garage was open, but business was slow to start. After a few weeks of some advertisements being placed, the list of customers began to grow. Eventually, they had to start booking appointments. Despite the influx in customers, it would still be a couple of months before Jacob and Bella would be able to begin making their payments back to the Cullens. Bella was still using Alice's debit card to supply food for the pack. She had attempted to give it back once the house was finished, but Alice informed her that the card had been a gift and not a loan.
"Keep feeding them. Those guys all keep you safe, right? You're my sister. Feed your wolves," Alice had insisted, refusing any further discussion on the matter.
With Rose teaching Bella how to keep track of finances and payroll, she was often privy to both employee and customer schedules. She surprised the hell out of Embry, Sam, and Quil the first time she showed up in coveralls and her hair tied back. Rose had thrown open the windows so they could all tolerate each other for the day, pat Jacob on the shoulder affectionately, and got to work.
Rose knocked out four of their ten repairs that day by herself. She later left covered in grease and grinning from ear to ear.
"She actually enjoys this shit, doesn't she?" Sam had asked Jacob.
"She loves it. She wants to put a new engine in Bella's truck, but Bells won't let her do it," Jacob laughed. Sam chuckled, shaking his head.
"Fucking supermodel vampire that prefers to spend her time with shapeshifters, cars, and grease," he said. "I've fucking seen everything."
Jacob had walked into his house later to find Rose out of her coveralls and her face still dirty as she sat in the kitchen with Bella. Again, the windows were open, a steaming hot mug of coffee between Rose's hands.
"Thanks for hopping in like that today," Jacob told her before he bent down to give Bella a quick kiss. He bent lower to kiss Bella's baby bump.
"No problem. It was okay, wasn't it? I don't want to step on anyone's paws," she said, grinning.
"Honestly, it was great. The guys were impressed," Jacob grinned back at her. "What's with the coffee?"
"Cold hands," Rose grumbled. "One of the things I hate about being a vampire. I'm always cold."
Curious about what would happen, Jacob sat next to Rose at the table, surprising both her and Bella.
"Give me your hands," he said, holding out his own. Hesitantly, Rose held her hands out to him. Jacob enveloped both of her icy hands in his own. Though the cold of her hands was sharp, he held on anyway, warming them. Rose gave Bella a bright smile.
"Eph used to do this," She said.
"Eph? Ephriam?" Bella asked.
"Yeah," Rose said, pulling her hands from Jacobs and flexing them. "He didn't give a damn that I was cold. God that feels so much better." Jacob laughed.
"Any time." Jacob got up to head for the shower as Bella stared after him. He knew that look on her face. Pregnancy had been hell on her hormones already. Every time he did something that made her feel remotely proud or happy, she damn near hunted him down to jump his bones. Her need to relax and her raised sex drive was something Jacob was more than happy to take care of, though he was extra cautious now about being too rough with her.
Jacob had moved most of his possessions out of the house and old garage at Billy's. Though he should have tossed it, he left the old couch behind. To his knowledge, Quil was still sneaking out there with whomever his mystery girl was. Quil had been incredibly discreet, and as far as Jacob could tell, he was the only one who knew Quil was seeing someone at all. Jacob had finally asked Quil about who it was, though his friend had refused to say.
"She's a friend, not my girlfriend," Quil had said, though Jacob could hear the disappointment behind his words. "She's not my imprint, so it doesn't matter. She knows it's not serious. It can't be." Jacob felt for his friend, though he could not fathom how he would have coped if Bella had not turned out to be his imprint. To love someone you knew you could not have was hell on earth. That much, at least, Jacob understood all too well.
The month of November passed smoothly, and the annual Fuck Thanksgiving had been enthusiastically embraced. With the ample space and benefit of a large, well-placed fireplace, Bella, Emily, and Kim had decided everyone should celebrate together at Jake and Bella's. They had cooked for days, creating the biggest feast Jacob had ever seen. There was a mixture of game foods, traditional thanksgiving dishes, and more pies than even the pack could make a solid dent in. Charlie and Sue came, along with Billy and his bottle of Wild Turkey. Jacob had stolen the flat screen off the waiting room wall in the garage for the day so that they could watch football in the living room. Despite Sam, Emily, and Leah all being stuck in the same place for a few hours, there were surprisingly no incidents or even salty comments made.
Quil and Embry had brought their guitars. As soon as football was forgotten, music took its place. It had been a wonderful, fun-filled evening with all of Jacob's loved ones at peace. For that, he could not have been more thankful.
As the evening was winding to a close, a surprisingly mostly-sober Charlie had approached Jacob with a request he could not refuse. Jacob regathered everyone in the living room and grabbed his guitar.
"We have a song request before everyone heads home, guys," Jacob explained. Bella narrowed her eyes at him skeptically. He winked at her and asked Quil and Embry to give him a hand.
Embry whispered, "Dude, what's going on?"
Jacob leaned in toward them and whispered, "Remember Sue's favorite movie? The one we got stuck watching all the time with Leah when Sue would babysit?"
"God, yes," Quil laughed.
Yeah, you liked that song a lot for a minute," Quil teased, nudging Embry.
"It's a decent country song," Embry said.
"It's not a country song," Quil argued, laughing.
"It's a movie about Country music singers, dumbass," Embry said, laughing.
"Guys," Jacob said, chuckling. "Can we just play the song? Em can sing it, he's the one that remembers it best."
Embry also started strumming first, making Quil crack up again. It took a minute for them to get it together to sing, though Sue had recognized the tune right off. She was sitting next to Charlie, grinning.
Until now I've been blind
Until now, I've been wasting time
Charlie grabbed a hold of Sue's hand with one of his hands and began lighting stroking her fingers with this other hand, being careful to watch the boys playing instead of looking at Sue.
I've been lost on streets of plenty
I've been tossed on icy seas
Jacob watched Bella's eyes lit up with glee as everyone but Sue seemed to notice Charlie slip something onto her hand.
All I've crossed ain't worth a quarter.
It's muddy water
Until now
Jacob watched Bella look over at Leah, who was silently weeping and trying to keep Sue from noticing. Both young women smiled at each other, mouthing, "I love you" to the other. Emily was crying with her face hidden behind Sam's shoulder as well.
There's a light
That shines forever
There's a light
That shines for me
Charlie turned to Sue, brushing the hair away from her face.
There's a light
My footstep's guiding
For I've been hiding
Until now.
Sue turned to smile at Charlie, who lifted her hand to his lips. Sue's eyes went straight toward the ring she hadn't even realized he'd put on her hand.
Until now, I've been blind
Until now, I've been wasting time.
Sue stared at her hand, speechless. All was silent as the rest of the room waited anxiously for her response. Sue looked over at their openly weeping daughters and then searched for Seth. He was grinning, nodding happily at his mom.
Sue finally turned to look at Charlie, wearing the most lovesick smile Jacob thought he'd ever seen in his life.
"Yes," she said and leaned in to kiss Charlie in front of them all.
The room erupted in cheers for the happy couple.
"Congrats, Pops," Jacob said as he stood to hug Charlie.
Charlie laughed. "You hear that, Billy? I'm Pops now."
"Yeah, yeah," Billy laughed at him. "So, Pops, you gonna be my neighbor now, or what?"
"Yeah, Dad, you could rent out your house in Forks," Bella said, winking at Embry. "And you guys could come here for dinner more often. Everyone is here all the time now anyway." There was a collective chuckle. Despite the comfort of not having Charlie or Billy hearing their activities, they did not have much privacy these days.
"You missing me, Kiddo?" Charlie grinned at her.
"A little bit," she admitted, chuckling.
"Wait 'til my grandbaby gets here. You'll get sick of me," he teased.
"Sue, are you sure you wanna Marry Charlie? He'll probably be shacking up with Billy in the spare room when Sarah gets here," Bella said sarcastically.
"That's fine," Sue said. "Leave them here and bring Sarah to my house."
"Deal," Bella said, laughing.
Leftovers were sent with those who wanted them. Bella and Emily got busy wrapping up what was left that could be frozen or used for lunches for the guys later. Jacob cleaned up the living room, planning to put the TV back in the waiting room in the morning. He headed into the master bathroom and began to fill the tub.
Bella was saying goodbye to Emily and Sam as they were the last to leave. Jacob leaned in the kitchen doorway, raising his hand in a silent goodbye. She shut the door behind them and walked over to Jacob, wrapping her arms around his waist.
Jacob kissed the top of her head and threaded his fingers through hers. He silently led her toward their bedroom, flipped on his radio, and pulled her into the master bathroom. She raised an eyebrow at him, grinning.
"Taking a bath, are you?" She said, leaning against the counter. Jacob reached over to adjust the water before walking over to kiss her.
"We are," he said, grinning against her lips.
"Are we?" She asked playfully. Jacob began to pull her sweater up and she raised her arms for him to pull it off.
"Mmmhmm," Jacob smirked at her. "We're going to relax in this …" Jacob laughed, gesturing, "giant ass tub you wanted."
"It's a nice tub," she said, standing on tiptoe to kiss him as he unclasped her bra. Jacob stepped away to turn off the water as she shimmied out of her jeans. He stripped as she slowly stepped out of her underwear, obviously hoping to entice him further.
Jacob chuckled to himself, wondering if she would still be ready to go this often after Sarah was born. He reached for her hand and carefully stepped into the tub. He sunk down into the hot water, carefully guiding her to lean back against his chest. She sighed deeply as the hot water reached her shoulders. Jacob slid his arms around her, peppering quick soft kisses behind her ear to make her laugh.
"Best Fuck Thanksgiving Ever," Bella said and sighed again.
"It was pretty great," Jacob said. "I thought the one the year you moved back was the best. I would never have dreamed then that we would be here right now."
"Were you sad you couldn't tackle me in the yard this year?" she laughed, cupping her baby bump. Jacob lowered his hands to cover hers.
"Nope. We will just have to make up for it next year," he joked. "Sarah should start walking around then. Maybe I'll teach her to tackle mommy."
"She might not be walking by then, Jake. Every kid is different," Bella said.
"You're right. Considering she'll probably never get put down, it's a moot point," Jacob said.
"Yeah, by you, no doubt," Bella laughed. Jacob still went to bed at least three nights a week or so with his ear laying over his baby's heartbeat.
"I'm pretty sure my dad is just gonna put her in his lap and roll her around everywhere," Jacob said, chucking.
"I'm happy for Charlie and Sue," Bella said.
"Me, too. I wish Embry had brought Angela tonight," Jacob said. "He's going to have to tell her the truth eventually. She's missing out on a lot of good times lately."
"I just hope she is not too angry with us when everything comes to light," Bella said.
"So do I," Jacob said.
The sound of thunder rumbled overhead, and Bella shivered as the rain began to pound against the bathroom window.
Jacob asked, "Wouldn't be a Fuck Thanksgiving without rain, would it?"
"Still the best one ever."
Jacob and Bella were sound asleep in bed when they were awakened by pounding at their kitchen door. Jacob sat up and rubbed his eyes before glancing toward the clock. It was three am. Who the hell?
He barely registered Bella rising from the bed beside him as he groggily walked to the kitchen. Reaching it first, Bella swung open the door and gasped.
"I know it's really late, but can I stay here?" The female voice was rough as she sobbed on their doorstep. Jacob flipped on the light, and she rushed into the house.
"Hey, Angie, Angie, it's okay," Jacob soothed as she clung to him, crying.
"Embry won't answer the phone. My Dad threw me out," Angela sobbed. "I think he's mad because I didn't come to Thanksgiving."
"Your dad?" Bella asked.
"No, Embry. It was here, right? I hoped he was here still since he didn't answer at home," Angela admitted.
"Yeah, we'd hoped you would be here," Bella said. She walked over to the sink and began putting together a pot of coffee. Jacob shot her a grateful glance. He had patrol at four. There was no point in going back to bed for him now.
"Why the hell would your dad throw you out, Ange," Jacob asked, leading her to sit at the table.
"Guys, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have come here," she said.
"Angie," Jacob said, "just tell us what happened, sweetie."
"I can't. I need to talk to Embry first. This is all a mess," Angela said.
"Well, if you aren't ready to talk, we should probably at least get you into something dry," Bella suggested. Angela was shivering, nearly soaked from the rain still pouring outside.
"Actually, if I could use your bathroom, that would be great," Angela said.
"Would you like to take take a shower and get warmed up?" Bella asked her. Angela smiled gratefully and nodded. "I'll go grab you something to wear," Bella said and reminded Angela where the bathroom was. Jacob got up to add some wood to the fireplace. Afterward, he set some spare blankets and a pillow on the arm of one of the couches.
Bella came into the living room whispering, "Is Embry on Patrol?"
"Yeah, I replace him at four," Jacob said and sighed.
"Well, get his ass over here," Bella said sadly, pulling Jacob to her for a kiss.
"Don't worry, Bells. I'm on it.
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