Chapter 3

"That Paul dude was weird," Tyler said as he and Bella walked to his car.

"Yeah, serious lack of people skills," Bella chuckled.

"I hated how he stared at you," Tyler said, pinning her against his car and nuzzling her neck. "Why the hell did he keep staring at you like you were a piece of meat?"

Bella wouldn't say it like that, but the guy had been pretty intense, and it was rude to stare at her while Angela sat next to him. Bella couldn't understand how he could be so inconsiderate. But then maybe it was how he was. Although Angela had said, she didn't know what had gotten into him.

Bella found it hard to shake that stare off her mind, though.

Tyler moved to kiss her lips and pushed his thigh between her legs. "I want you, Bella," he whispered and kissed her again, deepening the kiss.

Bella moaned, feeling his hard erection against her abdomen. She snaked her hands under his t-shirt, roaming her hands at his back, feeling the hard muscles that quivered under her touch.

"What do you say," Tyler said and kissed her neck, "we could drive to that deserted road that starts behind the bookshop, and I could fuck you in the back seat. Like we were all teenagers again."

"Excuse me. I wasn't one for fucking in the backseats when a teenager, thank you very much," Bella giggled.

"Then more of the reason to do it. Think of steamy windows, and you could scream my name. No one would hear, " Tyler continued to grind his hard-on against her rapidly moisturizing center.

Bella was supposed to go home to Charlie and get ready for Aunt Molly's visit, but a romp in the backseat sounded pretty damn good.

"Hmm, I like the sound of that..." she started, but her phone started to ring. "Shit."

"Don't answer," Tyler said, kissing her neck.

"Sorry, it might be my dad. I don't want to keep him waiting. It's him I'm here to spend some time with after all," Bella said, pecking Tyler on the tip of his nose, and he sighed, moving a little so Bella could get her phone from her back pocket.

It was Charlie.

"What's up, dad?" Bella answered the phone.

"Would you get more flour and come home soon, please? You know what your aunt is like. I want everything ready before she comes."

"Sure, dad, you want self-raising or..."

"Self-raising, thanks, kiddo. See you soon."

Charlie rang off.

Bella chuckled. She still couldn't believe that Charlie had turned into some weird domestic wizard. Baking and making food, not to mention cleaning the house. Bella had yet to discover if there was a woman behind all this. But whatever the reason, Bella loved seeing her father change and taking care of himself. She didn't need to worry about him so much. Maybe that was the reason; he wanted her to be able to concentrate on her studies. Oh, how she loved her father.

"Sorry, Tyler, I need to go to the Outfitters to get some flour and take it to my dad."

Tyler looked disappointed.

"But before we go, you have to tell me what it is that you've been dying to say but haven't got the balls to do, hmm?"

Tyler blushed, his beautiful skin getting a reddish undertone. Bella loved when Tyler blushed. He was so cute when he got embarrassed.

"Um.. " Tyler laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "You should give a guy some warning, Bella."

"Well, spit it. I don't have all day," Bella smiled, trying to ease his apparent anxiety. She hadn't meant to make Tyler feel uncomfortable.

"I... I've been thinking weshouldmoveintogether," Tyler blurted out.

Bella was stunned. Not because Tyler wanted to move together but because he asked. They had talked about this before quite recently, in fact, and agreed that the right moment for that would be after she'd started med school at the earliest.

Bella sighed. "Tyler, we've talked about this..."

"I know, Bella, but why wait?" he asked, widening his stance so he was on the same eye level as her. "I love you, and I know you care about me more than you let yourself think you do."

Did she? Bella wasn't so sure about that. Her studies came first. She hadn't given too much thought about how she felt about Tyler other than the obvious; she liked being with him and what they had now was, in her opinion, a perfect situation.

"Tyler, I want to be with you, but I don't want to move in with you while I'm still in college. My apartment is perfect in every way. I like living with Mary and Chloe and what we two have is so good, right the way it is. All are in good balance. You know all this."

Tyler sighed. He did know, but it hadn't kept him from asking, and Bella did feel a bit bad. Still, she would not change her plans, carefully mastered stepping stones to her future, where she would hopefully be practicing as a pediatrician before she turned 30. No man would come in her way of getting what she wanted, had wanted for as long as she could remember.

"I know, Bella. But please don't feel bad. I know I'm trying to push here, and I can't promise I won't do it again because you are absolutely everything I want, and I'm ready to wait, but I'll check in now and then. Hmm?" Tyler said and kissed her.

No pressure there, Bella thought. But she was used to Tyler saying things like this. And she'd known that Tyler had been in love with her for a long time, already when they were in High school. And had more expectations from their relationship than she had. Sometimes it unnerved her a bit. They were still so young. No need to plan too long ahead, right?

Not knowing what to say, she just nodded. Tyler pressed his forehead against hers, and they stayed like that for a while.

"Are you sure we don't have time for a quick fuck?" he asked.

"Ask me again tomorrow?" she whispered and nipped his jaw.

"You're a tease, Bella," he groaned.

"Maybe. Now, can you give me a lift to the store and then leave me at my dad's."

"Sure, thing, babe," Tyler said, already smiling. One thing Bella loved about Tyler was that he didn't wallow. He knew where she stood in this and didn't press more than he felt he needed for his own sake, and he respected her boundaries. She couldn't blame him for asking, but he needed to understand why she wouldn't agree with him. She needed to stay focused, and everything was perfect now.

They hopped into his car, and Tyler drove her home after a quick visit to Outfitters.

"Thanks, honey," Bella said, kissing Tyler softly on the lips. "Aunt Molly leaves tomorrow by noon. I'll let you know what the plan is after that, okay."

Tyler pulled her closer and sucked her tongue into his mouth, kissing her silly. After many minutes he finally let her go, and she left the car feeling lightheaded and went inside.

"Bells, did you bring the flour?" Her father quipped from the kitchen.

"Here," Bella went to see what her father had been up to and was impressed by her dad's newly found kitchen skills. There were two batches of bread rolls and cinnamon rolls, some casserole was baking in the oven, and the salad was ready-made and waiting on the countertop.

"What are you making, dad? Isn't there already enough of everything?" Bella laughed

"Well, there was this new recipe I wanted to try," Charlie said sheepishly and added some of the flour Bella brought into the dough.

"What it is that you're making?"

"A cake. Blueberry muffin cake."

"That's a good idea to make one cake instead of many muffins," Bella chuckled.

"It sure is," her dad grinned and puffed some hair off his eyes.

He should wear a baking cap. Bella would bring him those next time she came to visit.

"But honestly, who is eating all this stuff?"

"Didn't I tell you? I invited Billy and Jacob. Molly had been asking about them, and I thought, why not ask them to join us."

"Oh, that's a great idea. It's good to see Jacob again. It's been almost a year since we last hung out. Yeah, it was about a year ago. I didn't catch up with him last summer. First, he was sick and then gone the rest of my break."

"You'll be surprised when you see him. He's grown. I don't know what they feed those guys on the reservation. They are all huge. I promise you all this is gone by the time he stops eating."

"Yeah? He sounds different, too. His voice is so much deeper than before. We talk on the phone pretty often." Jacob was her only friend from Forks and La Push she talked to regularly. Others hung out on Snap, but she wasn't on social media.

"Hey, dad, do you know Paul Lahote from La Push?" Bella asked.

"The number one trouble-maker gone all softy," Charlies said. "Why?"

"Oh? Um.. I just met him. He was with Angela Weber, and they are dating. It just feels odd they're together."

"Yeah. That's what I meant by "gone all softy". When Billy told me that Lahote-boy was dating Reverend Weber's daughter, I didn't believe him at first. But then I saw him once in the shop with that girl and her brothers, and what you just said, so I guess it's true."

Bella nodded and grabbed one cinnamon roll from the baking tray.

"What do you know about him?" Bella asked, not entirely understanding why she even cared. Angela was a big girl and could take care of herself. The guy had been rude and made her uncomfortable, but it didn't matter if Angela liked him and thought he was okay.

"He'd gone through some rough patches in his life. He's a good kid, but the circumstances had been poor. It was great to see him with that girl instead on the back of my patrol car."

"He'd been there often? Bella chuckled, raising her brows.

"Too often for my liking. But maybe he's changed his ways," Charlie offered, scratching his cheek, leaving it white.

Bella giggled and moved to wipe Charlies' cheek.

"I hope so. I don't want Angela to get her heart broken."

"Let's give him the benefit of the doubt, eh? He might turn out to be just a great guy."

"Yeah, you're right. I hope they will be happy together."

Bella and Charlie worked together in the kitchen, and when everything was ready, Bella headed to the shower. She was feeling a bit antsy, not knowing exactly why. Seeing Angela with such an unlike boyfriend caused a weird feeling that she just couldn't put a name on and couldn't shake off.

Was it how he'd been behaving? Or was it that he was awfully good-looking, and she would be lying if she said she wasn't affected by his bad boy looks? By those dark brown eyes that seemed to drill into her soul. Whoa. That was just plain wrong. Get a grip, Isabella Swan.

Bella got dressed and went downstairs. Her aunt had arrived, and she was her usual nosy and noisy self. Bella loved her silly and goofy aunt.

"My dear Bella, I'm so happy that my eyesight is still good enough so I can see you. You have become a very beautiful young woman. Just like me when I was young," she tittered and continued, "nothing like Renée or your dad. Now tell me everything."

Bella told her about her studies and living in Seattle and Tyler.

"When we hear wedding bells?"

"I'm only 21, not ready to get married, aunty dear," she replied.

"I was 18 when I got married, and it was just the perfect age..." Aunt Molly said. The doorbell saved Bella.

"I'll get it." Bella got up from the couch and left Charlie to handle his aunt.

Behind the door stood a tall, muscular man who Bella didn't recognize and Billy. She turned her eyes back on the mammoth on the door, and Billy chuckled, wheeling in.

"Oh my God, Jacob?! What had happened to you?!" Bella shouted once her slow-working brains worked out who the man was.

She jumped into his arms and hugged him. He was hot.

"Are you sick, Jacob? You're burning," Bella gasped.

"No Bells," Jacob chuckled and gave her his signature bear hug.

"But..."

"No, I'm good. Our Quileute blood runs a bit higher, is all," Jacob said, grinning.

Bella looked at Jacob, knowing that he knew she knew that he was lying.

"Okay... you don't have to tell me what is going on, but I know Quileute blood runs just the same temperature as the rest of us. The future doctor here, remember?"

"So, how are you?" Jacob asked, changing the subject. Bella let it slide for now.

"I'm good. Things are going well. No complaints."

"Bells," Jacob hugged her again. "It's so good to see you."

"You too," Bella mumbled against his chest. It really felt like his skin was burning.

They went in, and after excellent lunch with good laughs, Jacob and Bella went to the back porch to sit on a swing.

"So, Jake, what's up with you and all this..." Bella motioned her hands in front of Jacob's massive frame.

"A bit of growth spurt and started to go to the gym a lot."

"You mean you live there, right?"

"Pretty much," Jacob said, grinning, his dark eyes sparkling.

Oh, how she'd missed him. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

"I just feel there is something that you're not telling me. I mean, I know that guys can change quite quickly when the testosterone really hits in, but this is something else for sure. You're not on steroids!?"

"No Bells. I'm as surprised as you are how much I've changed, but it is just how it is. Can't explain it."

"Pfft," Bella crossed her arms, giving him a dirty look.

Jacob just laughed and grabbed her under his arm. They swung back and forth for a while in silence. It was so comfortable to be with Jacob. It has always been.

"So, you and Amanda still going strong?"

"Yep."

"I'm happy for you. I hope I can meet her maybe next time I visit."

"Why not while you're still here?"

"I'm leaving on Sunday already. I don't know if I have time to come to rez."

"Okay. Maybe in the summer, then. Amanda is away for a few days. She'll be back on Sunday."

"Hey, I saw Angela, my old school friend, today with Paul Lahote. Do you know anything about that? It feels odd that a guy who was a total asshole to Rachel is now dating sweet, kind, and above all innocent Angela," Bella asked. She just couldn't seem to be able to let go. She wondered what was wrong with her. Surely it wasn't a big deal. If Angela wanted to date the resident bad boy, it was her choice. It just felt that something was missing from the picture.

"He's changed quite a bit since he was a dick to Rachel," Jacob told her, "doesn't get into fights anymore and doesn't drink. But I must say that I can't understand what the man whore of the rez sees in a girl as meek as Angela."

"Hey, she's not meek. Just a bit shy. She's actually very funny and smart when you get to know her. And she is beautiful."

"Whatever. But not at all like the women Lahote usually is with."

"Maybe that's the point," Bella wondered.

"Maybe."

Angela was confused. Why had Paul behaved so strangely in the café? She'd seen how affected he was by Bella, which made her feel insecure and inconsequential all over again like she'd felt all her life. Only recently had Paul helped her feel something more; she'd felt beautiful, more confident, loved, and even sexy.

But what had happened today?

Bella didn't seem to think much about Paul; considering how he had behaved, that was not a wonder. He'd been almost rude to Bella and Tyler. Angela couldn't understand that either.

Why had Paul kept staring at Bella? Yes, she was gorgeous and sexy, but she'd been there with her boyfriend. Paul could not possibly want Bella, could he? Just today, he'd said he loved her.

"God," Angela groaned out loud.

One thing was sure; she would die if she lost Paul. Paul was everything she had ever dreamed of and more. She could have never dreamed of having someone as handsome and sexy. Someone who oozed confidence and was smart and so funny. Everything she wasn't. On some level, she knew that she wasn't enough for a man like Paul. Why he wanted to date her was still a mystery to her.

She would never forget the moment Paul saved her from those two drunken men. She had been in Port Angeles going to her car parked behind the charity shelter she'd been helping that night when two men had tried to rape her.

One man had grabbed her from behind, and another tried to pull her shirt off when Paul appeared out of nowhere. He had pulled the men off her and given them a beating of a lifetime. The men had run away, and Paul had taken her home. Her father had thanked him and insisted on him coming to have dinner with them the following week. They went to the police, and the police found the men the next day. Eventually, they were sentenced to jail; it turned out that Angela hadn't been the only one they'd attacked. She'd been lucky not to be raped by them, and it was all because of Paul. He saved her. And under the lucky stars, he'd become her boyfriend.

But after what happened in the café today, she wasn't sure if he still wanted her. She needed him to want her, but what if he didn't? Angela's inner monologue was turning into a full-blown panic attack when her phone buzzed. It was a text from Paul. A smile spread across Angela's face, and her heart rate steadied. She sighed heavily, letting out the angst she'd felt.

Are you still up for lunch at my place?

AN:

I love your comments. Thank you!

Yes, Jacob and Bella are good friends in this story. They haven't been in my other stories, but Bella needs him in this one. And even though I can't stand Jacob as her boyfriend/mate/imprint, he's perfect friend material. :)

Tell me your thoughts.