How Do You Know?

JacobxBella

Rated T

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the franchise, as it belongs to Steph Meyers

How Do You Know?

Part II

As she drove to the Cullen mansion, Bella couldn't help but think of her conversation with Charlie and the realization she had come to. Her father had helped her more than he would ever know, and now she knew what she really wanted. Yes, she did love Edward once, but now she realized that she didn't anymore. She'd care for him but knew she would never love him again. But Jacob…she loved him. She loved Jacob and always had, even back when she had denied her feelings for her best friend. Like Charlie had said, she listened to her heart, and her heart had chosen Jacob.

Turning the curve to take her closer to the Cullen household, she further realized that her heart had chosen Jacob a long time ago, but she herself wasn't ready to accept that. She had been too emotionally broken to open herself up to someone else, especially to someone that she didn't believe she deserved. Therefore, it had been easier to ignore or pretend it wasn't there. And all it had done was cause more than enough unnecessary hurt until finally, Jacob gave up the fight. And if the way she cried over him after the newborn battle was any indication, she should have known then that he had been the one. Oh well, better late than never, she supposed. And she was determined to let him know how she really felt before the end of the day. But first, she had to fix something first.

Not even a minute later, she was pulling up in front of the Cullen mansion. Parking and turning off her vehicle, Bella climbed out and shut the door, making her way to the front door. As she climbed the steps of the porch, the front door opened and revealed Alice. The vampire smiled at her and greeted, "Hi Bella! Come on in."

"Thanks," Bella replied. Once she was inside, she continued asking, "Is Edward here?"

"He is, he's with Carlisle going over things for the wedding."

"About that, I need to talk to him. And I'm sure you-"

"Of course, we have plenty to discuss as well. The gown that I saw you in is currently in the works of being made and should be finished by next week."

"But Alice-"

"Also, there is the cake flavors, decorations, and toppings. I already know what it's going to be, but you have to look over things as well."

"Alice-"

"And then there is the guest list and invitations to get out. And the color scheme too; I'm thinking white."

"Alice!" Bella nearly shouted, having to raise her voice for the Seer vampire to stop talking. Seeing she had her attention, Bella looked her in her eyes and said, "Don't act like you don't know why I'm here. I know you've already seen what is about to happen."

Alice stared back at the brunette for a moment before looking down at her feet, giving a small nod. She looked back up at Bella with a sad, watery expression, almost like she would be crying if she could.

"I know," she nearly whispered. "I just wish it wasn't true."

Bella gave her a sad expression. "Does he know already?"

The pixie-like vampire shook her head. "No, but I think he's been having doubts because of how unenthusiastic you've been concerning this whole wedding. Actually, he's been having doubts since the newborn battle."

"Okay, then he won't be surprised then." Bella took a deep breath. "I'd better go break it to him, then."

Bella turned to go find Edward but stopped when Alice grabbed her wrist. Turning to face her, she was about to ask her what more she wanted, only to be enveloped in a tight, yet not enough to hurt her hug. Alice squeezed her eyes tightly shut before whispering, "I'll always think of you as my sister."

Returning the hug, Bella nodded and softly thanked her before turning to find her fiancé. It didn't take her long to find Carlisle's home office where she found Carlisle and Edward. The two of them looked up at her upon her arrival, Edward standing and walking over to greet her. Smiling he said, "Hello love. I didn't expect to see you here today. Did you come to get in on the wedding planning?"

"I think you know why I'm here, Edward," Bella replied, looking up at his handsome marble face, yet not feeling enthralled by it like she once had been.

Edward's smile slipped from his face, his amber eyes seeming to dull a bit. He closed his eyes briefly before opening them saying, "I see."

Carlisle cleared his throat and excused himself, giving Bella a pat on her shoulder before leaving his office, closing the door behind him. Once they were alone, Edward moved to perch on Carlisle's desk before saying, "You've come to call off the wedding."

It wasn't a question, Bella knew; it was a statement. Nodding she replied, "Yes, I have. I've been doing some thinking and soul searching, and I've come to realize that…that I don't want to get married to you. Actually, I don't want to be with you at all anymore."

A pained look came over Edward's face as he stared at the girl he loved. "Bella, I love you."

"I know, but I don't love you." She looked down at her left hand at the large ring on her finger. "I'll always care for you, but the love I have for you is gone, and it isn't fair for me to be with you and not love you, all the while loving someone else."

Bella slipped the engagement ring off her finger and handed it back to the vampire. She felt bad, but she also knew she needed to do this. "I'm sorry, Edward."

Edward stared down at his mother's ring in his palm, a devastated expression on his face. Despite this, he gave a small, melancholic smile. Nodding, he murmured, "I understand. In fact, I knew this was scenario was a possibility."

"You did?"

"Yes. The love you share with Jacob Black, it overshadows anything we had, and your feelings for him will always outweigh what you feel for me. I suppose I was waiting for you to realize that, but you were insistent that you wanted to be with me. But won't say I didn't see this coming; it was only a matter of if it would reach us. And now I can see it has."

Bella stood in silence for a moment before stepping up to his still form and hugging him. Feeling his cold arms wrap around her, she said softly, "Goodbye Edward."

Edward held her, taking in her sweet, delicious scent once more before murmuring, "Goodbye Bella. I'm happy to have known and loved you."

Releasing her hold on him, Bella gave him one last smile before turning to leave. She did stop however at a call of her name. Turning back to her ex, she asked, "What is it?"

The mind reader looked at her for a moment before saying, "Jacob Black is a lucky man."

Bella nodded and left the office, passing by Carlisle and Esme as she did. The two of them bid her 'goodbye' as well, knowing this was likely the last time they would ever see her. Carlisle also proceeded to tell her that he would handle Aro and the Volturi and for her to have a happy life. Bella also bid 'goodbye' to Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper before leaving the Cullen mansion once and for all. Getting back into her truck, she cranked it up and drove away from the house, her next destination being La Push.


Pulling up in front of the Black house, Bella turned off her truck and climbed out of it before walking up to the little red house's door. Knocking on it, she waited for it to open, it eventually doing so to reveal Jacob. Smiling down at him, she greeted, "Hey Billy."

"Hello Bella," Billy replied, taking notice of a certain piece of jewelry missing on the brunette's finger.

"Is Jacob here? I need to talk to him."

"He's in the garage working. He's been keeping busy a lot lately. Perhaps you can pull him away from his tinkering."

Bella smiled and said, "I will, don't worry."

She turned to head towards the garage, the Taj Mahal, missing the knowing smile on Billy's face as she did. Before long, she was stepping into the familiar territory that was Jacob's garage. And there was Jacob working away on one of the motorcycles she had brought to him, the one that belonged to her specifically. She stood watching him for a while, her heart thumping in her chest as she watched him, the organ speeding up its rhythm as she stared at the one that held her heart in his hand.

"Are you going to keep standing there or come in?" Jacob's voice suddenly asked, breaking through her train of thought.

Blinking in surprise, Bella stepped further into the garage towards her best friend and greeted, "Hey Jake."

Jacob glanced at her and nodded. As he continued working on his love's bike, he asked, "So what brings you here? Don't you have a wedding to be prepping for?"

"No, I don't. And the reason I'm here is to ask you on a date."

Jacob looked up at the brunette in surprise. Standing up from his crouched position, he couldn't help but say, "Huh?"

Bella giggled before asking, "Do you want to go on a date with me?"

"But…aren't you marrying your leech?"

"No, I'm not. I…I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, and I found myself confused about love. My feelings for you and Edward have been fighting each other for a while and I finally decided to seek counsel about the concept of love itself." Bella took a deep breath before continuing. "I talked to Charlie, asking him how do I know the difference between love and being in love. And his response made me realize that…that I love you. I love you Jake, and I think I have for months now. I realized that you are the one I've always loved and wanted all along, and I'm sorry it took me this long to figure it out."

Jacob was stunned, not truly believing his ears at what they had just heard. Bella loved him? For real? And always had? But she had told him that she loved him, but not enough. As crushing as that had been to hear, he accepted it knowing she was marrying the leech. Now here she was declaring her love to him, and wholeheartedly at that. Honestly, he felt elated at the fact that she felt the same way about him that he did her. And she had said she wasn't marrying the leech; a look at her left hand completely bare without that ginormous rock indicated she had broken cancelled the wedding.

In a much too hopeful voice, he asked, "And you're not with him anymore? You really love me and want to be with me?"

"Yes, I do. I love you so much Jacob, and I want to be with you for as long as you'll have me. I'm sorry for all the pain I put you through, and I hope you'll forgive me for it." She walked around the motorcycle to stand before the young man. Looking into his brown eyes, she said, "I broke things off with Edward completely. All I want is you if you'll have me. I love you, Jake."

Not giving him a moment to respond or doubt, she stood on her toes and gently took his face into her hands. Reaching up, she pressed her lips against his in a kiss, butterflies erupting in her stomach and sparks seeming to appear behind her closed lids as she kissed him. It was simply magical, just like it had been up on the mountain time. She couldn't help but feel happy and smile into the kiss when she felt Jacob's hands settled on her waist, him kissing her back. The two of them stood there in each other's embrace for what felt like forever, exchanging kisses as they did until they finally had to come up for air.

Resting his forehead against hers, Jacob let out a breathless laugh before saying, "I can't believe this is real. I love you, Bells."

Bella smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck tightly. "I love you too, Jake."

"And as to that date you asked me for, I'd love to."

Grinning, Bella nodded and pulled back from him for a moment to look up at him, still not fully believing he was so tall, that he was real. Pulling fully away, she turned to leave the garage, only for Jacob's hand to take hold of hers and hold it tightly, almost as if he were afraid to let her go. Turning back to face him, she said, "Jake?"

Jacob grinned down at her before saying, "If we're going on a date, let's do it in style."

He reached over to his table and picked up a key on a chain before holding it out to the brunette. Seeing her look at it in slight confusion, he said, "This is the key to your bike. She's patched up completely and ready to ride."

Moving over to the motorcycle, Jacob threw a leg over it and settled down on the back seat. Smiling at her, he patted the space in front of him, indicating for Bella to sit in that open space. Wide-eyed, she stared at Jacob, silently asking if he meant for her to drive the vehicle. At Jacob's nod and confident smile, Bella found herself sitting on the front seat of the motorbike, turning the key in the ignition, and riding out of the garage and to the main road. Before they had left, Jacob had told her, "If you're taking me out, you're driving." And as they drove towards to Forks, Jacob helping her steer from behind her, Bella couldn't help but feel all the love this man held for her.

She could already see her future, and Jacob was forever in it. Bella hadn't known the difference between being in love and simply loving, but a talk with her father opened her mind up to the truth of her relationship with Edward verses it with Jacob. Her life had been a rollercoaster of supernatural and personal emotions, but she felt she had finally come out on the other side on the right path. She loved Jacob so much, and she was glad to realize that by finally knowing about love. She was glad she asked Charlie how one knew the difference between love and being in love, and she knew that knowledge would carry her on the right path throughout her relationship with Jacob.


Author's Note: I hope you all enjoyed this cute little two-shot. I think it turned out great and I hope you all did too, especially with how introspective Bella is for once, lol. Thanks so much for reading this and stay tuned for whatever comes next. XOXO, SehunsBae37.