/Authors Note: Hello, I do not know what is happening, but everytime I upload, the space between paragraphs shows, but the second I hit save, they all disappear. this was not happening before and I have tried multiple things to stop it from happening. (Watch this be the time it works.) so if it is still happening, I am sorry and it is our of my control. I have even hit enter to give many rows of space thinking it might have just deleted one, but that did not seem to work as well. I hope you all enjoy the chapter despite the difficulty that problem brings. Enjoy!/
I was laying down on the bed with Jake sprawled out next to me when I decided to pull out my laptop and read some pregnancy articles and everything said that the chances of miscarriage drop significantly after 12 weeks. So we decided that until then we would enjoy our last moments as just Jake and Bells. I also looked at my calendar to see when 12 weeks would be and it came just after Thanksgiving so we started planning how to tell everyone during Thanksgiving dinner.
After dinner with Leah and Sam, and nearly killing Sam with our news, Jake Alpha ordered Sam not to say anything. It wasn't that he thought Sam would, just that it might slip out. He tried ordering Leah as well but we learned that alpha orders no longer worked on her. She was officially out of the pack. Sam and Leah were excited but also Leah started getting anxious. She wanted to be pregnant and while they definitely were waiting to try until after the wedding, despite getting sick and alpha orders not working, her periods still hadn't returned. I knew she was happy for us though.
Jake and I were both exhausted and decided on getting some much needed rest. I was emotionally and physically exhausted, having barely eaten recently and having interrupted sleep from puking, I was thankful to finally get some natural remedies from Sue and even more thankful when they appeared to be working. I rewarded myself with some sleep.
"Good morning!" Leah called as she walked through the door and the delicious smell of bacon hit my nose. I could faintly smell eggs behind it but the bacon was overpowering enough to keep me from puking on the spot. "I called my mom to tell her I heard the good news and she gave me some tips to help you through the first trimester. Foods, frequently enough to not become too hungry. I figured if you slept any later that you'd definitely be puking up stomach acids."
I was still half asleep and had a hard time fully comprehending what Leah was talking about but glanced over at the clock which read 7:22. I looked beside me but the bed was empty.
"He's at school. He's enjoying his last few moments of childhood and pranking his teachers for the trick aspect of Halloween."
"I didn't realise people even did that." I finally spoke, clearing my throat a few times between my words.
"It's a tradition down here." Was all she said before leaving so I could get ready for work.
When I got there I decided that while we didn't want to tell anyone the news, I felt that I should tell my boss, Ashley the news since it would affect things business sooner or later. Plus she was pretty amazing and I didn't want to screw her over by waiting too long. Ashley was actually only 17 and while she was my boss, she was only temporarily taking over the business while her mom went on a 3 month long honeymoon with some rich guy she met on a baking retreat who owned some bakeries in Seattle. Ashley didn't seem to have any complaints about him though. Her mom's vacation is actually the reason she started looking to hire but she knew the bakery could use it regardless.
She graduated early and wasn't sure if she wanted to go to college so her mom asked if she was free and she said yes. It was an amazing opportunity for her and her mom was a short flight away in case there was an emergency.
"Hey!" I called over to Ashley as I got out of my truck. She was in the middle of unlocking the door to the kitchen at the bakery.
"Good morning. Glad to see you looking better. I heard about the romaine."
"Oh. Did you? Actually that's sort of what I wanted to talk to you about. I didn't get sick from romaine. I really hope this won't affect things but I know that there is a huge possibility that it will but… I'm oh God… pregnant."
"Oh Bella! Congratulations! Is this a good thing? You have been amazing so as long as you're able to work I am happy to have you. No worries there. This is so exciting! I am however a little disappointed that I haven't met your boyfriend though."
I didn't realise just how excited I was about this until I started talking to Ashley about it. There was something about sharing this little secret that made it that much more real.
"Ok, so I only found out yesterday but figured telling you sooner would be better, but you can't tell anyone. We're not ready to tell our families yet. I'm 8 weeks 2 days, and this is very much a good thing though completely unexpected and I promise to introduce you to Jake soon. Maybe we could double date this weekend?"
"That sounds exciting. I'll check to see if Jeff's available and of course I won't tell anyone. Not even Jeff, just in case he says something at work and it gets back to your dad."
Jeff is a security guard at the movie theatre and my dad frequently has to stop by if rowdy teens aren't leaving when asked to or someone shows up drunk and causes a scene. He knows Jeff well and it could easily get back to him if Jeff found out. I doubt he would do anything intentionally but accidents do happen, or else I wouldn't be in this situation. Not that I would consider the baby an accident. They were definitely a happy little miracle.
Over the next week Leah and I got a lot of wedding plans sorted and aside from the details we couldn't plan, like if I will even be able to be there, everything was finished. Her wedding was going to be amazing.
We were spending one of the last few nice days before winter at the beach. It was exceptionally warm given the time of year and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. There was a bonfire going when we arrived. Jake sat in his usual spot on the log and I sat between his legs on a blanket placed on the sand, my feet exposed to the warmth of the fire. It reminded me so much of my first bonfire on the beach, when I tricked Jake into telling me about the tribes secrets.
My mind hadn't been able to turn off for the past week but I thought a lot about how my life would have been if it had "taken the natural path". Would I have even given Jake the time of day if it weren't for looking into the Cullens? Of course he's where my heart lies but if they had left before Jake even changed, would we have found each other?
A part of me knows without a doubt that we would always find each other, even without being Jake's imprint. I would be making my dad and Billy some snacks before that big game in February, not long after arriving in Forks, before Jake first changed. Jake would pull up with Billy in the passenger seat still in a wheelchair, already teasing my dad before he got out of the car. Jake would laugh and shake his head then his eyes would find mine through the kitchen window that overlooked the driveway. He'd smile that smile I love so much and I'd smile back, being kind to my dad's best friend's son.
He'd help his dad to the door and offer his help in the kitchen even though he had no idea what to do and I'd laugh, telling him to grab some bags of chips to pour into a bowl. He'd try to impress me and rip the bag apart which would make a few chips fly to the floor, shattering like glass. He'd give me that shit-eating grin he's know for and shrug before picking them up.
Eventually we'd spend so much time together that it would be just like with the motorcycles. He'd convince me to go cliff diving and I'd be too scared.
"Just take my hand. I'll keep you safe." He'd say. I'd do it, and my whole body would light up at the connection. We'd jump, our fingers intertwined, I'd be screaming and Jake laughing. We'd still be holding hands as we surfaced and came up to the beach, Jake's smile lighting up the world.
"Don't laugh at me. That was terrifying!" It would be, having never been put in danger in my life. He'd laugh again and I'd take my free hand to lightly punch him on the chest, which had been getting muscular as he worked constantly under a car and through sports at school.
"Hey now!" he'd say while laughing. He'd grab my hand to stop me and our eyes would meet. He'd let go of the hand that was hitting him and place his large hand at the back of my head before bending down to place his lips on my own. It would be soft and sweet and we'd both be nervous.
"Bells? Wake up honey." I heard him whisper in my ear and after a few blinks I realised I was on the beach, in front of the bonfire. "You fell asleep."
It was a dream. A life I should have had. I wouldn't trade my life for anything in this world though. I caught myself before my hand went to the small bump that only Jake and I could really notice. I read that it was likely more bloating than anything but it was there, and our baby was causing it. I smiled and leaned my head back onto Jake's thigh.
Jake tilted his head down to look at me. "Penny for your thoughts?"
I had to giggle a little. Everyone else would be able to hear about my dream, but I mostly got used to the lack of privacy already. "I was thinking about life if the Cullens left before having an impact on the tribe, and on me. I guess at some point I fell asleep and started dreaming about life, if it was normal."
"Oh." He sounded sad and I could see a few of the pack members glance over at us. The beach was packed with kids from the schools in Forks and La Push but it was easy to pick out the pack members from their height alone. "Would… is that the life you'd prefer? So much has happened. I wouldn't blame you if…"
"No. In my dream it was still Jake and Bells just without the…" I glanced around, lowering my voice enough that the non-tribe members couldn't hear. "Vampires."
Jake intertwined his fingers with my own then pulled them up to place a soft kiss on my knuckles. "I'd move Heaven and Earth to be with you, no matter the situation."
"I wouldn't have it any other way."
The day melted away into night, someone eventually ran up to the local store and bought out their entire selection of hotdogs and marshmallows. I could barely eat but I knew if I didn't that I would end up puking so I forced the hotdog down. I also had a bag of candied ginger inside the truck just in case. It really helped and they were pretty good.
"Hey!" I could hear someone call in the distance. I looked over and noticed the guy we saw at the mall a month ago, Vanessa's imprint. "It's you."
Vanessa turned and I could tell from the look on her face even before she spotted him that she had burned the sound of his voice into her brain already.
"Hi." She said quietly, and I felt like I was interrupting some intimate moment with the way they held each other's gaze.
"Um, this is going to sound weird but could we maybe take a walk?" he asked, and all I could think was that weird was yet to come.
"Sure." She smiled and they walked away down the beach. Normally a 16 year old going off with a complete stranger might seem weird but she was imprinted to him, so I knew she was in good hands.
Eventually Jake came back home with me and the four of us sat down to watch a movie. I don't remember how it ended though because I fell asleep. Staying awake seemed near impossible lately. I woke up and it was 3am and Jake was sleeping quietly next to me in bed. I felt sick so I grabbed a piece of the candied ginger before grabbing a granola bar from the pantry and a glass of milk. Only 31 more weeks, give or take. Sue said that a lot of people get relief from nausea in the second trimester and I was really hoping that was the case for me.
The next day was our lunch date with Ashley and Jeff. We decided just to head to the diner in town and chat. Jeff wasn't big into movies since he got to watch them for free while he worked so they lost their appeal fast. He liked to joke that he could predict the ending to any movie that shows up. Someday I'd have to take him up on that bet during an opening night.
When we met up, Ashley's Jaw nearly hit the ground. Luckily Jeff didn't notice. He shook Jake's hand and greeted us. The two men walked into the diner to grab our seats while Ashley grabbed my arm.
"Girl, you never told me… he's so… oh my god! You lucky bitch."
I lost it laughing at that, Ashley was the kind of girl where bitch was a compliment. A term of endearment even. Her response to seeing Jake for the first time was hilarious but what made it better is that despite the distance, Jake could definitely hear her and she had no idea.
When we got to our table, I silently shoved a small piece of ginger in my mouth from a baggie in my purse then got comfortable. We all ordered their burger and onion rings and I knew that Jake would definitely want seconds once the date was finished.
"So tell me how you guys met." Ashley said, shoving an onion ring into her mouth.
Jake decided to talk since my mouth was full. I gave a smile as a thank you. "We've known each other our whole lives, actually. Our dads are best friends so we played together as kids. When Bella moved back up here we quickly became friends again, then more."
"See that's sweet. The stuff movies are made of. I'm a hopeless romantic personally. Action and adventure can take a hike. Romantic comedies are good too. Have you guys seen Just Friends with Ryan Reynolds? So good!"
"No, we haven't. We're going to have to rent it." I said after swallowing some food. "What about you guys, how'd you meet?"
"Jeff actually pulled me out of a movie. He found me in an R rated romantic comedy when I was 16 and I gave him a hard time, eventually um… punching him and escaping before my mom could be called." She smirked and looked a bit sheepish while he laughed and shook his head at her. "I guess he remembered my face because when I came back after turning 17, he made me show my ID. The next few times I went in, he just gave me looks and a hard time whenever I tried to get into a movie until a couple months ago when he finally asked me out. Apparently he was waiting for me to be 18. Jeff's 24."
"So you guys have known each other for a while too." I smiled, Jake gave me an odd look that I couldn't decipher. I decided I'd ask him about it later.
"Yeah, life just kind of pushed us together. I couldn't be happier though."
The rest of the date was spent with comfortable small talk and as I predicted, Jake needed seconds on our way home.
"What was with that look you gave me during dinner?" I asked, when we were alone in the new to us car.
"Which look? The one where I'd rather my mouth me on you than the food? Maybe the look when you moaned after drinking your milkshake?"
I giggled at him but shook my head. "No. After Ashley asked how we met, and she was talking about how her and Jeff met."
"Oh. That. I don't want to cause problems, I just think it's a bit odd that he waited around for a girl he barely knew to turn 18. A girl who is 7 years younger than him." Jake said, and I could see the worry on his face.
"6, but I get what you mean. I don't think age gaps make that big of a difference."
"It isn't the gap that's the problem. It's her age plus the gap, and it is 7. When he paid, I got a glimpse of his ID. He turns 25 next month. Why does a 25 year old need to wait around for a high school kid to turn 18?"
"Ok, well when you put it that way, it does seem a bit bad, but they're happy, and she is of legal age. That's really all that matters."
"I know. Just something didn't feel right."
"How about instead of worrying about them, you worry about what we're going to do when we get back?" I rose an eyebrow suggestively.
"Well, I will likely have to carry you inside after you fall asleep in a few minutes… I suppose I could just undress you and hope you wake up before it's over." Jake laughed, but I knew the first part was possible at least.
"Hardy Har Har. You're so funny." But I did giggle a bit. "I will try my hardest to stay awake.
