A/N: There are still a lot of unknowns about Renesmee's development. Some people have said that Renesmee develops on a curve, but I couldn't find that anywhere in the books or in the illustrated guide. So, I went off this: she's fully grown after seven years and a full-grown adult (both physically and mentally) is someone who is about 25 years old. So, to make things easy for this story, every human year equals about three and a half years of aging for Renesmee.

The next two chapters are pretty long. I had a little too much fun writing flashback scenes and didn't want to cut any of them!

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

"long story short" by Taylor Swift
Fatefully
I tried to pick my battles 'til the battle picked me

RPOV

I settled into my window seat on the plane. This flight to Panama was going to be a little over eight hours. I pulled out my headphones and a book from my backpack before shoving it under the seat in front of me. I turned my phone on Airplane Mode then scrolled through my downloaded music to find a playlist to listen to. My dad recently put a new one together for me that I hadn't listened to yet.

"You've got good taste," I heard someone say next to me. I looked up and to the right. I must have looked a little confused because the man continued, "The book – Little Women – it's a classic."

I smiled half-heartedly at him. He was probably in his mid-twenties like me and seemed friendly. "Yeah, I'm kind of an old soul, I guess."

He held his hand out to me once he sat down in the aisle seat after putting his bag in the storage overhead. "I'm Steven."

I shook his hand. "Nessie."

"Nice to meet you," he smiled. "You're heading to Panama City, too?"

Even though this guy seemed nice enough, I hoped he would be quiet soon. I wasn't feeling especially chatty right now, but I also didn't want to be rude. "Yes. I'm staying the night there before going to Asunción."

"For business? Pleasure?"

"Pleasure. I'm meeting up with some old friends. What about you?"

He smiled. "I have family in Panama that I am going to visit."

"I'm sure you'll have a great time." I said with a small nod, hoping the conversation could now be over.

I put my headphones on, shuffled the playlist, and leaned my head back against the uncomfortable seat.

Soon, I was in that place between being awake and unconscious. Every time I was in that state, Jacob filled my mind. It was as if my brain was giving me the most peaceful, dreamy thing it could imagine before allowing sleep to overtake me. This time was no different – it was as if my favorite highlights of our relationship were playing like a movie…

7 Years Old

"Nessie, what's wrong?" Jacob asked, jogging over to me quickly.

I reached up and wiped a tear from my cheek with one hand and touched Jacob's face with the other. I showed him how I dropped the seashell I'd found in the water and couldn't find it now. It was so pretty, and I was never going to find another one like it.

"Well," Jacob smiled. "We better search the entire beach until we find another one just as beautiful! C'mon!"

He grabbed my hands and spun me around, making me laugh, before we hunted around on the beach for hours. Jacob ended up finding the shell I'd lost earlier. For my birthday that year, he made it into a necklace that I never took off.

10 Years Old

"Here to babysit again, huh?" My Uncle Emmett playfully asked Jacob when he walked through the front door of my family's main house.

"Trouble with Blondie again, Emmett?" Jacob asked. "You always seem to joke more when she's pissed at you. Maybe you should find some better ways of coping."

I heard my Aunt Rose hiss from somewhere upstairs. My dad chuckled because Jacob was right. Aunt Rose was mad at Uncle Emmett for not being excited enough about the new shoes Aunt Alice bought her.

Uncle Emmett rolled his eyes. "So, I don't understand the joy over shoes. Sue me!"

"Everyone should be excited over any shoe I buy them!" Aunt Alice chimed in.

I laughed as Jacob came to sit beside me on the piano bench. I started playing a new song that my dad taught me. When I was finished, Jacob had a huge grin on his face. "That was beautiful, Ness. You've really been practicing!"

I smiled then reached up and touched his cheek. I showed him a picture of him running around in the woods with his sister and brothers. I wondered if that's where he was earlier.

"Yes," Jacob responded. "I was with Seth and Quil today."

I showed him an image of Claire. Would I get to see her soon? I liked braiding her hair and reading stories to her.

"Yes. We will see her soon."

I showed him the comment that Uncle Emmett made when he first got here. I was confused by it. Why was Jacob always here with me? Some of my aunts and uncles didn't seem to like him very much.

Jacob looked questioningly over at my dad. My dad nodded, probably answering something in Jacob's thoughts. Jacob focused on me again.

"I'm definitely not a babysitter," he laughed. "There's this thing that happens when you're a wolf called 'imprinting.' It's when we find someone really special that we protect and try to make happy… Kind of like a best friend."

That made sense. Jacob always made me happy. I showed him a picture of Claire again. Quil was her protector?

"Yes, Quil imprinted on Claire."

"Who else?" I asked.

"Well, there's Sam and Emily, Jared and Kim, and Paul and Rachel."

I touched his face again. But they were all adults. I didn't understand.

"You can imprint on anyone no matter what their age is." Jacob explained.

I nodded. "Okay, so you and I will be best friends forever?"

Jacob grinned at me. "Yes, as long as that's what you want."

14 Years Old

I sat on the couch and leaned against my mom as she ran her fingers absentmindedly through my hair. "Are you excited to hear the Quileute legends?"

"Yes," I answered. "I didn't even know that Jacob was the Alpha of the pack until the other day. He doesn't seem very proud about being the pack's leader for some reason. There are so many stories and dynamics I still don't understand."

"I think Jacob doubts his confidence as the pack's Alpha." She paused. "But yes, there are a lot of very interesting stories. You're going to have a great time learning about some of them tonight."

I was about to ask her why Jacob would doubt himself, but there was a knock on the cottage door before Jacob let himself in. I sat up immediately and grinned. It felt like my heart was racing a little quicker than it normally did as he smiled back.

"Hey, Ness! You ready?" Jacob asked excitedly.

I nodded. "Yes!" I shrugged my jacket on and grabbed my small crossbody purse. I kissed my mom's cheek. "Bye, mama."

"Bye, baby. Have fun."

I walked to the armchair on the other side of the living room and kissed my dad's cheek, too. "Bye, daddy."

"Not too late, Jacob." My dad said.

"We'll probably be done around 10:00 or 11:00."

"Make it 10:00."

"Oh, don't worry about the time. You two go have fun. We'll see you later." My mom said before Jacob and I escaped through the front door and got into his car.

"I'm really excited to bring you tonight," Jacob said as he started the car and reversed back before driving down the small dirt road.

"And I'm really excited to go with you."

Jacob and I both glanced over at each other at the same time and grinned. I pressed my lips together embarrassingly and felt myself blush. What was happening to me? Why was my body reacting so strangely tonight?

We got to First Beach where Jacob and I greeted everyone. Embry's new imprint, Laura, had all the attention tonight – she was the reason the bonfire had been planned. I went to sit by the fire while Jacob got a plate full of food from the table to the side that Emily and Rachel set up.

"Hey, half-vampire girl." Leah said as she plopped down beside me.

I smiled. "Hey, Leah."

"I always forget how fast you grow. Weren't you just, like, five last week?"

I laughed and felt my cheeks get warm. "I know. It's kind of weird."

Jacob sat down on the other side of me and balanced his plate on one of his thighs. "It's not weird at all."

"How old are you now?" Leah asked. "And what's the math break down again? I know you explained it to me once, but I forgot."

"Well, I'm technically only four years old, but my Grandpa Carlisle has sort of figured that one year for humans equates to about three and a half years for hybrids… So, with that math, I am about fourteen right now. I'll be fully grown in three more years, then I'll be stuck at about 25 years old forever."

"It's still pretty strange that Jacob would imprint on someone who's half his enemy by nature." Paul laughed and tossed a marshmallow that hit Jacob's temple. "Leave it to Jake to do something freaky like that."

I looked down at my lap and bit the inside of my lip nervously. I knew Paul was totally joking, and I could usually joke back with him. But Jacob imprinting on me was weird… Jacob and I were enemies by nature. Why had he imprinted on me of all people? It didn't really make sense. Was it a mistake? I'd been wondering about that more and more lately.

"Knock it off, Paul." Rachel nudged him, but it only made him laugh louder. "Leave Nessie alone."

"It would be very wise of you to listen to my sister," Jacob chimed in, no humor in his tone. "Leave Nessie alone."

"Is that an order, Chief?" Paul snickered.

"I'll make it one if needed." Jacob responded with an edge to his voice that I'd never heard before. "Say something rude to her again and you'll be leaving this bonfire with only three legs."

Something in Jacob's tone and demeanor made me realize he likely wasn't joking with his brother.

Leah bumped my shoulder with her own. "Ignore Paul. He has no manners." She glared at Paul, and he laughed harder as he shoved a huge cookie into his mouth and turned to talk with Rachel.

I smiled at Leah. I'd always had a good relationship with her. Before I could respond to her, though, Jacob leaned over so his lips were only an inch or so away from my ear. I shivered and goosebumps rose on my skin when he started talking in a low voice.

"You have never been, and never will be, my enemy. You, Renesmee, are perfect in every way possible, and don't you dare doubt yourself for one second."

My stomach flip flopped as he said my name. He only ever called me Nessie.

How had he known that I was doing just that – doubting myself – a few seconds ago? As always, he was completely in-tune with my thoughts. He knew me better than anyone.

I nodded then reached over and touched Jacob's arm briefly to ask him a silent question about something Paul had said.

Chief? I questioned, showing him Paul's comment.

With his lips still close to my ear, he answered, "The pack Alpha is technically the Chief of the entire tribe also."

That was interesting. Jacob recently explained to me how there were two wolf packs for a while, but the packs merged again once Emily got pregnant and Sam decided to step down as Alpha and work on not phasing in order to age and live out his human life with Emily. That meant Jacob was the Alpha over all the wolves now with Leah being his Second and Embry his Third.

Jacob turned his head back toward the fire and stuffed a bite of pizza into his mouth. I reached over on his plate for a grape and popped it into my mouth. He eyed me skeptically. "Since when do you eat human food?"

I shrugged. "I've been finding some things I like."

"Okay, is everyone ready?" Billy, Jacob's dad, asked. He was sitting at the head of the circle. Everyone started to quiet down at Billy's voice. Jacob finished his food and set his plate off to the side as he focused his attention on his dad.

Billy started sharing the legends, and I was instantly engrossed in the stories, totally mesmerized by Billy's voice and the eloquent tales. I noticed Jacob glancing at me during certain moments, probably gaging my reaction, but I was too sucked into the stories to question him about it.

Once Billy was done speaking, everyone sat in silence, just soaking in the magic. I stretched my hands out of my jacket and toward the fire to warm my fingers. I rarely felt cold due to my vampire genes, but it was a little chillier tonight than normal and the heat felt good.

"Cold?" Jacob asked me quietly. I nodded before he scooted a little closer, wrapped his arm around my shoulders, and used his other hand to cover my fingers in my lap. My stomach flip flopped with butterflies, and my breathing picked up. How many times had Jacob hugged me, held my hand, or put his arm around me when I was cold or sad or for some other reason? A million! Why was it feeling so different now? Any time he touched me tonight, it felt like an electric current pulsed through me. It wasn't a bad feeling at all, but it was definitely… different.

We left soon afterwards so I could be home by 10:00.

"You've been quiet since hearing the stories." Jacob said on the drive home. "I know it can be a lot to take in, and some of the legends might sound a little odd…"

He was nervous that I was being quiet because of the stories? I almost laughed. I was quiet because I was trying to figure out why my body was suddenly reacting in such strange ways to the boy I thought was just my best friend. It was like my body was hyperaware of his every move now.

I took a deep breath as I cautiously reached over and touched the hand he wasn't driving with. I showed him Billy's mesmerizing voice, me noticing him glance at me, and me feeling more connected to him than I ever had before since I now understood his beautiful culture.

He looked over at me and grinned when we stopped at a red light which made my body react in that strange, new way…

"Then what's going on, Ness? You seem anxious about something. Is it about what Paul said?"

I blushed and shook my head. There was never a time when I felt like I couldn't tell Jacob something, but this was definitely something I was keeping to myself until I understood it better.

I was thankful that the light turned green, and he focused his attention on the road again. We pulled up outside the cottage a few minutes later. We both got out of the car and walked toward the front door.

"Ness, wait," Jacob said as I reached for the door. My breath caught in my throat as his hand touched my arm. I turned around and faced him. "Is everything okay?" My entire body felt hot again. "Wait, are you blushing? What's going on?" His fingers lightly touched my cheek.

I felt my eyes widen as the electric current thing happened with his fingers on my cheek. I swallowed anxiously and suddenly couldn't remember how to breathe.

"Everything's fine," my voice sounded strange, too high-pitched, and I spoke way too quickly.

"Night, Jake." I said rapidly before turning away from him. I hurriedly opened the door and scrambled to get inside, closing and locking the door so he wouldn't follow me.

My mom looked up from a book and eyed me questioningly. My dad avoided eye contact with me as he sat at his piano and pressed a few of the keys. Ugh, as if this wasn't bad enough. I was sure my dad knew everything that was going on. Great. Was it possible to die of embarrassment? It felt like it. I stalked off quickly to my room and closed the door behind me loudly as a signal for them to leave me alone.

"Renesmee," my mom said after me nervously.

"She's fine, Bella," my dad stopped her from coming to my room, thankfully. "Give her a little bit of time by herself."

"Did something happen at the bonfire that upset her?" My mom asked.

"Yes, but not in the way you're thinking, love. She's perfectly fine… Just a normal teenage girl right now, I suppose." He sounded amused.

Ugh! I turned on some music to drown out their conversation. I changed into my pajamas and laid in bed. I just acted like a ridiculous lovestruck teenager in front of Jacob and my parents. I buried my face in my pillow and pulled the covers up to cocoon inside of them forever.

Jacob was my best friend. Yes, he imprinted on me, but that didn't mean we were destined to romantically love each other some day, did it? Well, maybe it did… All the others, besides Quil and Claire, were romantically together. Would Jacob ever want me that way? Did I want him that way? Was he weirded out by my insane reaction to him just a little bit ago? He just touched my cheek for crying out loud! Oh my God, I wanted to hide in my shame forever. How was I going to explain everything when I saw him tomorrow? Ugh, I had to stop thinking about it here with my dad in the other room.

Don't listen to me! I screamed loudly in my head so he would leave me alone. I knew it wouldn't work, but I had to try to save myself from drowning in the mortification…

I pulled the covers tighter around me and closed my eyes.

That was the first night I realized I had a crush on my best friend.

17 Years Old

"Okay, close your eyes one more time." Aunt Alice instructed. I sighed and did what she requested. I felt an eye shadow brush blend along my eyelid.

"Her hair is done," Aunt Rosalie said as she twisted one more tiny strand into place. "And it's perfect."

I was finally allowed to open my eyes and saw Aunt Alice and Aunt Rosalie beaming at me. "Can I look in the mirror now?" I asked.

"Not yet!" Alice said. "Come put on your dress first." She grabbed my hand and towed me into her room. She unzipped the garment bag that was hanging right outside her closet. I took off my robe just as she took the dress off the hanger. She carefully slipped it over my head to avoid messing up the hair and makeup she and Rosalie spent the last two hours on.

"Alice," I said as she was zipping and buttoning the back. "Are you sure this isn't too much? I don't want to take any attention away from Rachel." I also didn't want a lot of attention on me in general.

"You won't, trust me." Alice replied. "Besides, I rarely get to dress anyone up for fancy occasions, so you're wearing this dress whether you like it or not."

I laughed. There was no use in arguing with my Aunt Alice. She had me sit down as she strapped on my shoes.

"Okay!" She clapped her hands together as she walked in a circle around me. "Oh, you are perfect! Okay, come see." She pulled me back toward her bathroom where she had a full-length, lighted mirror.

I felt my eyes widen as I looked at the person in the mirror that didn't fully appear to be me. Rosalie had carefully pinned up some of my curls in the back but left many of them down framing my face. My brown eyes seemed to pop out against the long, burgundy-colored dress. My lipstick matched the reddish tone in the dress and made the bronze highlights in my hair stand out, too. I guess I hadn't noticed that my body had curves to fill out a dress like this until now. I looked… like an adult. I mean, I guess I technically would be in a few months, but it was a strange realization all of a sudden.

"You don't like it?" Alice asked with a pout. "You know I can't see your future, which is insanely infuriating, but I really thought this would be a perfect match, and –"

"Alice," I said before reaching over and touching her arm. I showed her that I was just stunned, that I hadn't realized I looked so grown-up, but that I loved it.

"Oh, good!" She clapped her hands again and kissed my cheek.

"You're beautiful, Nessie!" Rosalie beamed. "Jacob's already waiting downstairs." Rosalie said his name with only a little bit of disgust in her tone. I was starting to think Jacob and Rosalie would always hate each other, but their feuds had become more like a love-hate relationship recently.

I took a deep breath, feeling nervous all of a sudden. This was kind of like a date, wasn't it? I mean, I was going to Jacob's sister's wedding with him.

"You don't want to be late, c'mon!" Alice tugged on my hand and dragged me to the stairs after handing me a small clutch with my things inside. She and Rosalie flew down the staircase in front of me, and I followed behind them, but at my slower pace.

I was almost to the bottom of the stairs when I saw Jacob. Butterflies filled my stomach, and I felt my cheeks get hot as I saw him dressed up in his tuxedo. He was…

Breathtaking was the only word that came to my mind, probably because I lacked oxygen from not remembering how to breathe.

As soon as I was close enough, Jacob grinned before walking over to me and reaching out for my hand. The electric current thing still happened every time he touched me. He slid a corsage in place on my wrist. "You are absolutely beautiful." He murmured.

I blushed more as Alice handed me a boutonniere that I fastened in place on Jacob's jacket.

"A word, please, Jacob." My dad said stoically from the corner of the room. I was in such a daze that I hadn't really realized anyone else around us until just then.

"Dad," I protested. "I don't want us to be late."

"It will only take a minute."

Jacob gave me a reassuring smirk before following him outside.

"You are beautiful, Renesmee, like always, but you look much older tonight." My mom commented as she reached out and twirled one of my curls around her finger.

I reached out and touched her cheek to show her that I felt the same way upstairs when I looked in the mirror. Then I showed her my worry about dad talking to Jacob.

"Dad just wants to make sure that Jacob is…" She paused, contemplating her word choice. "Chivalrous."

"Ugh," I groaned then walked toward the front door to try and hear their conversation. "I can take care of myself. This isn't the 1920s. What, do I need a dowry now, too?"

"It's fine, honey. You know your dad is very traditional about these things." My mom said soothingly.

I could hear Uncle Emmett and Uncle Jasper laughing in the living room, causing me to roll my eyes. I focused on listening to the conversation occurring on the porch outside.

"You will wait until she's ready, until she makes her feelings known, and not a second sooner." I heard my dad say.

"Well, duh," Jacob said sarcastically, making me lightly smile. I liked his wit. "I'm never going to do anything to pressure her or make her feel uncomfortable. I have no dishonorable intensions. Can't you see that? Or is your mind reading ability dwindling?"

"Quite the contrary. I heard exactly what you were thinking when she walked down the stairs, hence the need for this conversation."

What was Jacob thinking when I walked down the stairs!?

"I won't do anything to hurt her. Ever. Scout's honor."

"If you do –"

"There's a house full of bloodsuckers that will slaughter me. Yes, I know," Jacob laughed. "Can we go now? My sister's gonna be pissed if I'm late." I stepped back from the door, and it opened a few seconds later.

I narrowed my eyes slightly at my dad. I can take care of myself. You know that, right? I silently said to him.

He sighed and nodded. It was probably hard for my parents to see me almost fully grown just five years after I was born. Normal parents got a full 16 or 17 years before seeing their daughter go off to a prom or some other fancy occasion.

"That's exactly it, love," my dad said, commenting on my last thought. My annoyance with him melted away. I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around him in a hug.

I'm sorry it was so fast, daddy. I love you, I thought.

"I love you too, my beautiful, almost-grown-up daughter. Go have fun."

I pulled away and smiled at him and the rest of my family before locking my eyes on Jacob. He smiled at me then opened the door for us to leave. I followed him out to his car. He opened the passenger door for me, and I carefully got inside with my dress. Jacob hopped into the driver's seat and started driving toward La Push.

I shyly reached over and touched his cheek while he drove. I showed him how I'd been a prisoner to Alice and Rosalie all day, and it wasn't a very good time. I showed him how I was worried about my dress being too fancy, and how I thought he looked really handsome in his tux.

I rested my hand back in my lap as he grinned and looked over at me briefly. "Your dress is perfect, Ness. You'll be the most beautiful person at the wedding, that's for sure."

I frowned at him. "That's not a good thing. All the attention should be on Rachel."

"Oh, it is, don't worry about that," He laughed. "We've been at her beck and call all day – decorating, running errands – I barely had enough time to shower before coming to pick you up."

"I knew something smelled." I said playfully. We both laughed.

We chatted lightheartedly back and forth the rest of the drive. Jacob parked outside the little church and we made our way inside. Jacob walked with me to one of the pews and told me that Kim and Emily would come sit with me once they got here. He had to go to the back with the rest of the wedding party.

The wedding started soon after that. It was a short, but beautiful ceremony. We all walked to the beach for the reception. It was absolutely gorgeous. For once, it wasn't raining, and the sun was just beginning to set over the water. There was a makeshift dance floor with tables and chairs peppered around it. Jacob led us to our table with the rest of the wedding party.

I went to the restroom then wandered over to the food table. I didn't see Jacob anywhere. I figured he was doing something with the wedding party, so I grabbed a plate and waited in the food line. I was starving, after all. Being with vampires all day, they often forgot I had human needs.

I ate mostly human food nowadays and hunted occasionally with my family or Jacob. Some humans smelled good, but I'd never had the urge to hurt one in that way.

"Hi," someone said behind me.

I turned around and smiled briefly. I didn't know who it was. "Hello."

He held his hand out to me. "I'm Jesse."

I shook his hand. "Nessie."

"Do you know the bride or the groom?" He asked.

"Both, I guess. You?"

"I'm one of Paul's old friends. We played sports together growing up."

I nodded in understanding. "It's nice to meet you, Jesse." I turned back forward to follow the now moving line.

"Are you here with someone?" Jesse asked behind me. I looked back at him. "If not, would you like to dance later?"

"Oh, um…" I wasn't sure how to answer him. I was here with Jacob, but was I really here with Jacob? "I'm –"

"She's with me." Jacob appeared out of nowhere and wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me into his side. My heart started pounding loudly in my chest. "She's mine."

I looked up at him, flabbergasted. I was his? Butterflies and giddiness filled my stomach at the way the words rumbled out of him. She's mine… He said them like a threat and a vow. Like he was demanding that Jesse back off. Was he jealous? Or just being overly protective?

After the awestruck passed, I felt slightly annoyed if it was the latter. I could take care of myself and didn't need him to protect me from innocent guys like Jesse. He also couldn't tell me who I could and couldn't dance with; he didn't have control over me.

"Ness, I already got you some food while you were in the bathroom," Jacob continued.

"Oh. Thank you," I said to him before turning back to Jesse. "It was really was nice to meet you. If we run into each other later, I would love to dance with you." I felt Jacob stiffen next to me, but he said nothing more. That was wise of him.

Jesse smiled at me briefly then nodded his head toward both of us. "Have a good night, you guys."

"Thanks, Jesse. You, too." I replied. Jacob reached for my hand as we walked back to our table.

He leaned down so his lips were near my ear. "I told you that you would be the most beautiful person here. I leave you alone for five minutes and I already have competition."

I felt myself blush. Was Jacob flirting with me? Was he really jealous? Did he feel that same spark flowing between our hands that I did? Did he really just say that I was his to Jesse? Even though I was irritated, it felt… right. I wanted to be Jacob's. I just wanted it to be my decision.

I only want to dance with you, don't worry, I silently told him before showing him an image of us holding each other closely while swaying to a slow song that was playing. I had my cheek nuzzled into his chest, and our arms were wrapped tightly around each other. Maybe he would lean down, kiss my head, and pull me just an inch closer to him, the warmth of our bodies seeping into each other…

Jacob took in a sharp breath. I pressed my lips together shyly. "Now I really want to dance with you." He muttered before we sat down at our table with the others.

We ate our food and watched all the traditional dances and speeches. Soon enough, the dance floor was opened to everyone. Jacob turned and smiled at me. I reached my hand out toward him and he took it. We both stood up to dance. The song was fast paced, so we goofily pranced around together.

When the song switched to something slower, we both shyly eyed each other before closing the gap between us, just like in the image I showed him earlier. His strong, protective arms held me, melting my body tightly into his. I wasn't prepared for the sensations that rushed through me upon realizing that our bodies seemed to fit perfectly into one another.

Jacob leaned down and kissed my head. I peeked up at him and our eyes locked as we stared at each other for several seconds. I cupped his cheek and showed us walking along the beach together for a while, away from the party.

"Let's go," Jacob said immediately. He reached up to hold the hand that was on his cheek and hauled me off the dance floor and away from the party. Once we were in the sand, I stopped to take my shoes off.

I smiled at Jacob before running off, at a human pace since we weren't far from the party, toward the waves. He laughed and ran after me. I didn't stop until my feet were covered by the water as I held my dress up.

Jacob stopped to take his shoes off. He rolled his slacks up and took his jacket off then came to stand beside me in the water as he loosened his tie. I lifted my dress up more and walked a little further in, almost up to my knees. I closed my eyes to focus on the sound of the waves and the way the wind felt in my hair and against my face.

When I opened my eyes, Jacob was staring at me with a small smile on his face. "What?" I asked self-consciously.

He sighed in contentment. "Nothing. I just like looking at you."

I felt myself blush. "Were you…" I bit my lip, nervous to finish asking my question.

"Was I what?" He asked.

I took a deep breath. "Were you jealous earlier? When that Jesse guy asked if I was here with anyone and if I wanted to dance?"

Jacob chuckled. "Of course I was, Ness! Have you seen what you look like in that dress? I mean, you're always beautiful, but that dress is a showstopper. Well, you're the showstopper, actually."

"But was it just you being overprotective? Because if it was, we need to have a serious talk about how I can take care of myself perfectly fine, or was your reaction…" I paused, swallowing loudly. "Or was your reaction something more than just being overprotective?"

He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Uh, both, I guess."

My heart started thumping loudly again. "What's the more part?" I asked in a whisper.

Jacob took a couple of steps closer to me and reached for my hand that wasn't holding the dress up. He searched my eyes. "The 'more part' is whatever you want or don't want it to be."

I swallowed nervously. "I think I want it to mean what it means for all the other lovestruck dogs with their tails between their legs over there." I said playfully before nodding my head back toward the wedding.

He laughed. "Oh yeah?"

I let go of my dress and reached up to run my fingers through his shaggy hair before letting my hand rest on his cheek. "Yes," I whispered earnestly.

Jacob let go of my hand and reached forward to cup my face gently. He searched my eyes for a second before wrapping his other arm around my waist and pulling me closer to him. I wrapped my arm around his back and gazed up at him.

Underneath this moonlight, hearing our friends' laughter in the distance, the sound of the waves, the way Jacob was looking at me, the way it felt in his arms… This was the definition of perfection.

I stood up on my tippy toes and tilted my head slightly to the side as I looked down at Jacob's lips then back up into his eyes. I used my hand that was on his cheek to gently pull his head down toward me. He understood my cue immediately and slowly leaned in, pausing just an inch away from my lips. My heart was pounding, and my breathing was rapid with anticipation. I closed the gap and softly pressed my lips into his.

It was a good thing Jacob's arms tightened around me once our lips touched; otherwise, I would have been the first half-vampire to ever collapse. The connection felt like fire; every nerve ending in my body was tingling and warm, and when our lips started moving slowly together, the fire spread and intensified.

I tangled my hand in his hair and used almost all of my strength to secure him to me. His lips were not leaving mine. I pressed my body closer into his. Is this what heaven felt like? I couldn't imagine anything more intoxicating, more blissful, more powerful than our connection right now.

I wanted to explore more of him, so I let my tongue graze his lip. His lips parted immediately, and he slipped his tongue into my mouth. I think I almost passed out again. Jacob must have noticed this because he held me more firmly. My head was swimming as the fire spread to new parts of my body.

Jacob slowly pulled away and rested his forehead on top of mine. We were both panting, sharing breath. I hadn't figured out how to open my eyes yet. "Wow," Jacob whispered.

I didn't have any words to respond to him. Instead, I moved my hand from his hair to his cheek and showed him how I was feeling – speechless, alive – like my body was on fire in a good way, wobbly – like my legs were going to give out, excited to try it again, and nervous to know how he felt.

"Ness, I feel all that times a million," he responded to my last wondering.

Did this really just happen? I had to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Jacob's forehead was still resting against my own, so I shifted forward and pressed my lips back to his again. I hadn't been dreaming, that was for sure. Even in my wildest dreams, I never would have imagined kissing Jacob to feel this intense and addicting.

A stronger wave crashed into us, causing the top part of my dress to get wet as water splashed on our faces. We pulled away laughing before leaning back into the kiss. My Aunt Alice was going to kill me for ruining this dress.