Chapter 45: Ale and Paul's First Date Part 2

We were close to the cliffs with the forest at one side and the ocean on a beautiful display the other side. The sun was setting, so I could see the sun being set on the ocean and it was marvelous to look at. The orange-red tones on the ocean and the color of the sunset rippling over the ocean water. It was also slightly covered by some clouds, so the intensity of the sun rays from the sunset wasn't too strong for my sensitive eyes. It was just perfect.

I looked toward the direction of the forest, and it looked like Paul twisted the branches at either side of the trees to make an arch to it. Below the arch, there was a huge picnic blanket with pillows surrounding one side of the picnic blanket, and on the other side of the picnic blanket, there were four electric candle lights (heh. Paul is smart. He doesn't want the forest to catch on fire by having real candles lit up to just to be knocked over by accident). There were three picnic baskets in the middle of the picnic blanket. It was facing toward the direction of the sea, so it was pretty set up. I could tell that Paul put a lot of thought into this set up. I am impressed and proud of him.

My mouth was gaping in shock, and I looked at him with my eyebrows raised.

He said playfully, "What? You didn't think I could come up something like this?"

I denied quickly by stuttering, "N-No, its not that. I am amazed of what you could do."

He was grinning ear to ear, loving the praise, so Paul said, "I know we skipped so many steps in our relationship, so our first date has been longed overdue," as he looked down with a small smile and caressed my swollen belly, "but I just want to treat you like a queen that you deserve. I still want us to go through dates no matter where we are in life."

I smiled warmly, "I appreciate that a lot, carino. I agree. I want our children to see that you can still date, pursue each other even after you get married. Marriage isn't the end but a beginning. You keep the love alive with constant efforts through effective communication and continuously pursuing each other."

He agreed, "yeah."

He helped me to sit down on the picnic blanket with the pillows cushioning my back. I was beaming with joy because like a hopeless romantic that I am, I always wanted to see how it feels to go on a picnic date. Sensing my feelings, Paul chuckled softly as he served me a plate of food. I felt the babies kick as my stomach was growling. Paul laughed, and lightly pat my belly as he talked to it, "don't worry pups, you'll get fed. Don't hurt mommy too much, kay?" As if they felt the touch and voice of their father, they stopped squirming inside of me.

When I looked at the food that Paul bought somewhere, it was beef stew with veggies, mac and cheese, green beans and mashed potatoes with brown gravy. He also brought gallons of apple juice for both of us inside one of the picnic baskets. We ate in silence due to our ravenous hunger. I ate almost as much as he did. I was stuffed, so I leaned back on the pillow on my back and leaned against the tree. I simply just looked at the sea. Paul finally finished eating, and he pulled me slightly to snuggle up close to him as we gaze at the sea. The sun went all the down and because of how clear the sky is, the stars came out. I was amazed because you don't see the night sky like this in a city due to the pollution. The sky was very clean out here, and I couldn't help but say out loud, "Wow.."

Paul hummed in agreement with me.

Paul asked, "Can we switch position so that you can be sitting between my legs?"

I nodded and I slowly scooted forward so that Paul could come behind me, and now I was laying my back against his chest as his thick legs were at either side of me. He wrapped his arms around me, and he placed my hands together with his hands, cupping his hands over my hands. I felt him purring, resting his head on top of my head. The rumble of his purr was relaxing, and it felt nice to feel the vibrations of his purr on my back. He was lazily caressing my hands with his thumbs. I closed my eyes and laid my head back to his chest. Breathe in and out at the same rate that Paul was breathing in and out. We just sat there and let ourselves be absorbed to the environment. I focused on feeling the wind slightly breezing through my curly hair causing the small brown strings of my curly hair to spring out. Even though there was a wind, I wasn't cold because I had my own personal heater to warm me up. Either way, the pups themselves warm me up from their slightly higher temperature. I warmed from the behind and my stomach.

Suddenly, Paul asked, "Can I braid your hair?"

I nodded, and I let him braid my hair. He was amazed that my curly hair didn't need a scrunchie or a hair tie to tie my hair together, so he gently laid it at one side of my shoulder. It was already thick enough and curly enough that it wasn't necessary for him to tie it.

I.. feel at peace.

I don't know if it got to do with being deep in the mystical, ancient forest of the Rez and watching silently at nature, but the overwhelming anxiety that was pushing me to fix the plot lines of the Twilightverse to save everyone lives, it was ..gone. I felt a burden lifted off my shoulders. Maybe it was because I finally wrapped up the main plot threads of Breaking Dawn with the conversation that I had with Carlisle and Jacob for the future. I don't know, but I feel like I could actually start living my life. This sense of peace kind of scares me because what if something else pops up? What if this sense of peace is a cliché red flag of something going to occur in the future? I was about to overwhelm myself again with questions racing through my head and about to cause my heart to race, but I decided to push those questions aside. I need to just take one moment at a time, let myself relax for a moment, and if something pops up, then I'll act accordingly.

I didn't realize I was letting my mind wander when in the corner of my eye, I noticed that Paul was looking at me with such awe, adoration and love in his eyes. He had a half-smile as he was looking at me like I was the best thing that he had ever seen in his life. He was looking at me like he never seen something..someone so beautiful before. For him to look at me like that, I couldn't help, but blush and smile shyly. I am not used to someone to look at me that intensely before. Now I think about it, who actually would?

Trying to deflect my shyness, I said teasingly, "see anything you like?"

He replied without hesitation and confidently, "Yup", and he gave a big smooch on my check. I giggled, and I smiled back sweetly toward Paul. We stayed in that position, being comfortable with each other for who knows how long. Eventually, Paul let go of my hands to caress my swollen belly. I felt his harm, huge hand gently stroking my swollen belly. It was he was massaging me, so it felt very nice and comfortable. He brought his other hand and started stroking at the other side of my belly. Now, both of his hands were caressing my belly. He even started playing with my outie, poking it with his finger and see it jump back out. He would chuckle, and I didn't mind with him touching me. I actually welcomed it. I might be just being weird, but eh, it felt cute seeing him like that. He was showing his playfulness from his human and wolf side.

Lol. Was I that so desperate for touch that even this satisfy me? I wasn't sure this was a good thing or not, but I tried not to think too much about it. It felt very intimate and loving. Then, I realized. Ahh. This is what I was seeking. I knew we could experience this intimacy and closeness without having sex, but I didn't know how exactly. I just knew concept-wise. I was beaming with joy from the closeness, intimacy that we were displaying without getting aroused. I didn't feel Paul getting aroused as well, so I knew he was also feeling the same thing that I was feeling. I don't know what was going through Paul's mind or what he was seeking, but whatever he was dealing with, he hit his enlightenment or peace like me.

Ever since we got here, there was a small ping of anxiousness that I kept feeling through our bond, but I didn't pay too much attention to it. I assumed it was because it was our first date, but the next thing he said, it took me by surprise.

Paul said, "there is something that I need to tell you, before I show you something."

I opened my eyes and tilted my head upward to look at him.

I said, "What's up?"

He said with his brown eyes filled with uneasiness and worry, "Remember the last day in my work at Seattle, and I didn't pick up the phone call?"

I thought about it, then remembered, so I said, "Yeah?"

He said, "There was a reason…I..went to a jewelry store.." A jewelry store? I thought to myself. " and I met Rachel."

I simply said, "Oh.."

Paul waited for me to say something else, I took a minute to think about what to say next, so I said, "uhm… I don't know.. why you felt you need to hold that..but I am glad that you finally told me and it was you who told me. I rather hear it from you than from someone else, Paul."

He said incredibly, "You're not mad?"

I shook my head and said, "No..I don't want to get upset off the bat like that. I want to hear you out first without letting my emotions get the best of me, so what happened and why?"

He spoke like he was finally letting it off from his chest, "Rachel was a consultant in the jewelry store. I'll tell you the reason in a bit, but I was surprised to see her there and she was surprised to see me there as well. It has been ages since we saw last saw her. I looked at her dead in the eyes, and I felt nothing. Absolutely nothing, but she was easy to talk surprisingly. We did some small talk. She was kind of fishing out information from me about Jacob and her dad. I told her simply that her dad was fine, doing his usual stuff, and that Jacob was on a spirit walk. It wasn't for her to be worried, and she admitted that she was getting worried about him. Apparently, when she would call once a month to Jacob, she noticed that Jacob was different. He was..uh sad, but of course she didn't know it was because he had phased and he was struggling to adapt. She was about to come down to La Push during the summer break, but when she heard Jacob went to a spirit walk, she decided not to come down. Instead she took a part-time job in Seattle, and she is working part-time in Seattle so that Chief Billy wouldn't have to worry about sending her money when clearly he needs it more.."

Ohh, so that is why Rachel didn't come down to La Push. In the books, she came between the end of Eclipse and the beginning of Breaking Dawn. I was wondering why she hadn't shown up yet, but now I know.

He continued, "it got awkward, so she finally helped me out to find what I was looking for.. and she actually gave me a discount because she worked there, and friends and family could get discount from the store. I was thankful to run into her and I knew the spirits were helping me out…but she was happy for me and wished me luck to whoever the lucky girl was…so I have been waiting for the right time to ask you this question and to give this to you..that is why I didn't tell you about Rachel until now. If I told you about Rachel, then I would have to tell you this."

I felt Paul shuffling through his shorts to pull something out of his pocket, and he pulled out something from his pocket. I turned my head to see what he was pulling out, and it was a small black box. I started freaking out internally. Is that what I think it is? No way.

He said, "Are you mad?"

I shook my head, "no..I understand that you had a good reason and I trust you, Paul. I won't get mad with you for talking to Rachel..You're loyal and you're no cheater. I know you do things for a reason, so I wanted to hear it without judging. Seeing how you honestly and sincerely told me what you guys talked about.. it helped me to close that door in my heart whether if I had stole you from her and if she is ever going to haunt us in the future.."

He agreed slowly, "Yeah.."

Then, Paul gently shifted to get up from behind me. He twisted himself around so that he would be kneeling in front of me, and I sucked in a breath when with misty eyes he said , "look, I guarantee there'll be tough times...but I also guarantee that if I don't ask you to be mine, I'll regret it the rest of my life. because I know in my heart..You're the only one for me."

Omigosh, did he literally quote from the movie Runaway Bride? It is one of my favorite movies from Julia Roberts. I grinned and I had to bite my tongue from laughing because if I would laugh right now, he will definitely take it the wrong way. This is great. Call me a movie nerd or whatever, but I always wanted someone to propose me in a similar fashion.

I was so happy that he proposed to me in this situation. Just the two of us without an audience, proposing in a short and sweet way without making a whole very long speech nor spending lavishly on the proposal. I also didn't want the proposal to be recorded either. It is just my preference, and the ring. It was a simple silver ring with small three little diamonds in the middle with a little swirl at each side of it. It wasn't a big engagement ring either, and it looked a bit incomplete. Then, I realized. It looked like one of those rings that it is two-in-one. The engagement ring and the actual ring that connects in one, very effective. Hearing that Rachel helped him pick out the ring as he went to the jewelry store to find one for me, in a way it was like she was giving me permission and blessing.

Hahaha. He knows me so well. I am not the type of person who likes to wear a lot of jewelry. I find them a bit of in convenience, so I wear an occasional a jewelry or two depending on the circumstances. I was getting happy then I thought about it more and I had questions. I want to make sure that he is asking me to marry him for a good reason. I am really hoping he isn't asking me to marry me to make it up with what happened that night.

However, I want to know, so before I gave him an answer, I asked , "why now?"

He gulped and said, "because I want to make an honest woman out of you. I know that you wanted to get married then eventually have our pups. but..we had our pups way earlier than we wanted, and I don't want the pups to be made fun of that they were born of wedlock and…I don't want you to feel like I won't be committed with taking care of you and the pups. Yes, being mated and legally married already shows how much me and my wolf are committed to you, but there is this feeling of actually getting married through a ceremony that you don't get with the other things and I want you to experience that. You sacrificed so much to be here with me, bearing my pups, and I want to give you everything that you deserve. I want you to be able to walk down on the aisle on a wedding in a white, beautiful wedding dress."

I started tearing up from his heartfelt speech, so I sobbed, "Yes, Paul. I'll marry you."

His face lit up so happily that he quickly hugged me in an inhumane speed and kissed me passionately on the lips. He was kissing my happy tears away as he said "thank you" multiple times to me. He purred and nuzzled me at my cheek. his eyes lit up in silver, showing his wolf was present. He was smiling so his wolf was happy as well. I couldn't help but smile back to him.

Then, he said with a serious face, "I-I can't hold back anymore. Can I take you?"

Huh? What did he- Oh, Oh.

So, I responded, "Yes."

Author's Note:

I couldn't wait to upload this chapter, so sorry if this was a surprise but I was slowly working on this chapter bit by bit for Friday. Ideas kept popping up more and more, so I had to type them down. There will be a part 3 on Friday. Then, I'll stay in schedule to send the next one on Sunday.

I finally wrapped up Rachel. I hope no one thought that I have forgotten about her. Part 3 will be a bit smutty then we will be back to the story on the chapter for Sunday.

Enjoy, and as always, reviews are very much appreciated!