Author's Note

Please forgive any spelling and/or grammar errors. I hope you enjoy it, please let me know what you think!

The theme song for this chapter is All I Want by Kodaline.

Funny sidenote, while researching for this chapter I found that most flights from Laramie to San Diego have a layover in Seattle… how utterly priceless is that?

I know most of you just want to jump ahead to Jake and Mae being together, but she has one last adventure to help get her there. From this point one, the chapters will only cover a few months instead of an entire year.

PS I'm not Stephenie Meyer, so I don't own anything :(

Ch 15: Hope - Mae

Year 8 - 2013

May

"I still can't believe he wanted to have a baby! Now - like now, now," Mae ranted, slamming the box down on the counter.

Nahuel had left the day before, and the longer she thought about it, the more furious she was. She'd come into work fuming an hour ago, and was still complaining to Tess about what happened. Okay, so it was a highly edited version of events, but the general idea was still the same.

It sucked that she couldn't talk to anyone else about it. She really didn't trust her family not to do something drastic, and she didn't want Nahuel dead, just… gone. Like, forever gone from her life. She'd been fortunate enough that Bella always tried to shield Nahuel and herself whenever possible to keep Edward from learning too much, and Nahuel had gotten much better about not thinking about anything related to her when around her dad. It was purely luck that Edward hadn't learned the details prior to his departure.

"He isn't from here," Tess tried, shrugging one shoulder and giving her a half wince. So far she'd been too shocked to say anything as Mae regaled her with their breakup. Or possibly Mae just hadn't given her an opportunity to speak up prior to now. "There are cultural differences you have to account for."

"You agree with him? You think it's all right that he basically wanted to trap me?" Mae demanded, gripping the edge of the counter hard enough that a tiny split appeared in the wood. Quickly, Mae released her hold and shifted the box to hide the evidence.

"No! Of course not," Tess said, shaking her head, brown eyes huge in her bronze face. "But he was always a little different… I guess I'm just not surprised to hear he'd do that."

"Well I am. To think, we were together for a whole year... and then... it's just over! I tried so hard to open up and let him in too," Mae grumbled.

"Sounds to me like you're more upset over it failing, than you are about him," Tess said sagely.

Mae thought about that for a moment, and couldn't honestly refute it. "Would it be awful to admit that I am?" she asked sheepishly.

"You seem to be good at just about everything you do… "

"Mom says I take after my dad like that," Mae admitted, flushing. Never did she try to show off, but it was easy to see nearly everything came naturally to her. It was actually rather embarrassing.

"So it makes sense. But a relationship isn't always something you can force just because you're working hard - there's a lot more to it than that," Tess explained, pointing out what Mae already knew, but was struggling to accept.

The reality of Nahuel hadn't matched all her girlish imaginings while growing up. Trying to help him was more difficult than she'd anticipated, and often about as successful as using her head to hammer in a nail - painful with unintended negative results. It sucked. They'd not fit into each other's lives, and they wanted different things. Worst, she'd started to resent the things she'd failed to change about him by the end, as well as everything he couldn't give her and his autocratic tendancies.

"I guess," she muttered, flopping down into the chair by the checkout counter.

"I think love happens when you're not trying, rather than when you are. But what do I know? I've never dated a guy for longer than two months, so I'm no expert," Tess said lightly, heading off to talk to the customer that had just walked in.

June

Mae froze two steps inside the door of the main house. He was tall. Well over six feet with spikey, ebony hair buzzed close to his head, and broad shoulders. A tiny gasp escaped her lips, and he turned.

Brady. It was Brady.

For a moment she'd thought…

But no. Of course not. He had no reason to be here. He was at home, probably spending a lovely day with his perfect girlfriend.

"Brady? I haven't seen you in forever!" Mae cried, plastering a smile on her face in response to the one he aimed at her.

He was usually in Seattle when she visited the reservation, attending college himself. Actually, she'd not seen him since Quil's wedding, though they used to spend time together when she'd visit Billy before that. He and Collin always stopped in to see her while they'd still been in high school.

"Clearly it's been too long. You're… wow," he said, looking her over and not even attempting to hide his interest. Butterflies danced in her stomach in response to his heated gaze, catching her off guard.

"Thanks," she said, drawing the word out and letting it end with an awkward laugh. "I didn't know you were coming by."

"Seth invited me. I'm moving to Chicago, and you're on the way," he said, tilting his head and grinning widely even as he accepted the plate of food Esme brought out of the kitchen for him. She'd nearly forgotten that Seth and Brady were cousins.

"Why Chicago?"

"Law school," he said, taking a big bite of the rosemary chicken. "Oh, man! This is delicious, thanks, Esme," he stated, overdoing it a bit to flatter her. Her grandma grinned, appreciating the opportunity to take care of someone new. Edward was the only one she got to regularly dote on.

"Seriously? Law school? That's pretty incredible," Mae said, knowing she'd hate it herself, but it was an accomplishment to get in.

"Thanks," he said, watching her. Mae had the impression he was trying not to laugh at her. Was it that obvious she had no desire herself to pursue such a career? Or was it for another reason altogether? "Are you busy tomorrow?" he asked suddenly.

"I have to open the gallery in the morning, but my shift is over at two," she replied, wondering what he had in mind.

"Can we catch up then? I drove straight through, and I'm about ready to drop," he informed her, finishing off the last bite of food. How on earth had he eaten it all so fast? The plate had been heaping when Esme gave it to him. The appetites of wolves never ceased to amaze her. She had a number of fond memories of watching them polish off a week's worth of food in under an hour.

"I'd like that," she said, biting her lip as anticipation set in.

"Me too," he agreed.

"Umm, you know you're supposed to take it out if it goes longer than three seconds between pops," Brady said, coming up behind her and glancing over her shoulder to see in the smoking bag of popcorn. He reached down and pulled out a piece of the withered and blackened kernels. With a shrug, he tossed it in his mouth and made a disgusted face.

"I used the popcorn button - shouldn't it be able to tell?" she asked defensively.

"That's just a rough estimate - not an exact science. It's still just a machine," Brady informed her, laughing loudly as he reached for a new bag.

"Well someone should invent a smarter one," Mae insisted, crossing her arms and feeling heat enter her face when his hand brushed her arm. Or maybe it was because she was embarrassed at the way he was laughing at her.

"Or you could just pay more attention," he said, moving to lean against the counter opposite her after starting the microwave.

"It's not like I cook regularly," she pointed out, swallowing when she saw his grin had grown impossibly wider. Why was her mouth so dry all of a sudden?

"Then why the popcorn?" he asked, nodding at the bag she'd tossed into the trash can.

"It was supposed to be for you," she said tersely, glaring at him.

"Ahh, I see. You're trying to kill me. It was bound to happen eventually - what with you being a bloodsucker and all," he teased. The casual way he referenced the truth of her was so refreshing. It reminded her of the way Seth and Alice joked around.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny, Mutt," she deadpanned, making him release another bark of laughter reminiscent of how he sounded when wearing fur, and made her think of dogs barking whenever strangers passed by.

"If it's all the same, I'll stick with the cookies Esme baked," he said, turning to open the microwave. Mae hadn't even noticed if the popping had slowed or not.

The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent watching a marathon of Marvel movies and sharing college stories as she and Brady caught up on the last four years. By the time they were both ready to fall asleep on the couch, Mae was already looking forward to showing him around town the next day.

July

"Want me to make a donation to that?" Brady asked, nodding toward her cup of coffee where she was idly tracing the rim with the tip of her finger. They'd come into town early for breakfast - he'd eaten both plates, and now they were strolling down the main street in town watching the Fourth of July parade.

For once, Mae wasn't the least bit disappointed that her family couldn't join. So far it'd been sunny each year they'd lived in Wyoming, so the rest of the Cullens were always stuck inside on the holiday and couldn't enjoy how elaborately it was celebrated here in the west. She'd been somewhat avoiding them since Nahuel left, reluctant to have them fawning over her, and expressing concern once they learned about the break up. Mae wasn't the least bit upset that things didn't work out, not anymore anyways. She just hated that they'd all assume he'd broken her heart or act like she'd be devastated over the failure of her first relationship.

This year, she welcomed the privacy that allowed her to spend the day alone with Brady. Especially for the fireworks show later that day around sunset. He was… intriguing. So far not a day had gone by since he arrived that they didn't spend at least part of it together. Nahuel might have known what she was, given that he was the same, but it was different with Brady. He didn't bat an eye, and he treated her, not like she was normal, but like being a little different was normal.

"Donation?" Mae asked, confused.

"Blood. You've only taken maybe two sips in the last half hour, and it has to be getting cold now. Figured I'd offer to spice it up a bit for you," Brady explained as if the very idea was commonplace. Imagine, drinking blood in public. Or adding it to a human beverage. Actually… The idea did have merit. How much better would human food taste if it included her preferred diet source? The missing ingredient all along. Spice it up indeed.

"I don't have - wait… are you offering your blood?" she demanded, realized what he'd truly been suggesting. The temptation of tasting human blood again, willingly offered, made her breath hitch and her heart stutter. Her mouth was watering at the very thought of it. Except she couldn't. This had been one of her issues with Nahuel.

"Why not? I heal fast. It'd be nothing to make a quick cut and squeeze some in. The cut would heal entirely by the time you had the lid back on with no one the wiser," Brady explained, addressing her concern without even seeming to realize it was one. And he was correct. He did heal fast. A few sips wouldn't bother him in the least. And the blood would be so much fresher than the bags she'd had as a child.

"Brady… " Mae said, swallowing thickly.

"Did I just overstep? Is that like a no-no or something?"

"No, I just… I've never done that," she admitted. It seemed like it would be such an intimate act. He would literally be feeding her, using his lifeforce to sustain and nourish her.

"Why not? You like blood over human food, don't you? It'd be like adding cream to your coffee, right?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"I've never had the opportunity. None of my friends have ever known, and my family stopped letting me have blood bags as soon as I was big enough to hunt for myself," she explained, realizing she wasn't planning on accepting his offer. Not now, on a crowded street. Possibly not ever. She already felt too much of an attraction to him, that would only intensify it. Not a prospect she wanted to happen.

"Makes sense. You had me worried there for a second that it was about control - like one sip and you'd lose it the way vamps do," he joked, widening his eyes comically with fake alarm even as his lips twitched.

"I am a vamp," Mae reminded him, chuckling at his continued expression. Not to mention the fact he didn't seem worried that he might need to hunt her down someday if she ever did start hunting humans. The lack of concern over that fact was something she appreciated. "But blood is more a pleasant craving for me, not the mindless compulsion it is for a true vampire."

"I guess that's true. Because you're also human," he stated, bumping her shoulder with his.

"Just like you - wolf and human," she agreed, feeling a ball of warmth ignite in her center at the connection between them. It had been the first thing she remembered Jacob saying to her. That they were the same - of two worlds with the best of both. It had helped her not feel inferior any time she saw her family achieve remarkable feats.

"Exactly," he said, casually tossing an arm around her shoulders and tugging her closer against his side. Her breath hitched, and she internally chastised herself for overreacting to the friendly gesture. Brady hadn't done anything that might suggest he had romantic inclinations towards her, so she needed to stop. Immediately.

"And thanks for the offer, but I'm good. I hunted yesterday and I only need to drink once a week now that I've stopped aging," she said, intending for him not to offer again. Saying no to such a tantalizing offer was more difficult than she'd like to admit. Having to do so once was plenty.

"Offer is open if you ever change your mind," he said, squeezing her shoulder before adding, "Now, didn't you say something about a rodeo? I can't wait to see what that is all about."

On Mae's next day off from work, she and Brady went hiking in Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest. They'd spent most of the day comparing these woods to the ones back home. Mae may have only lived in Washington for a year, several months of which she spent traveling elsewhere, but it would always be her home. By the time they decided to head back, they both agreed that the Olympic National Park was far superior with its hot springs, rainforests, mountains, and coastal beaches.

"Want to race back - you can wolf out, at least until the trail head," she suggested.

"No offense, but you wouldn't stand a chance. I'm faster than a vamp, and you're only a hybrid," he taunted, spurring her competitive streak. That had sounded suspiciously like a dare.

"You've never seen me move," she fired back.

"Oh yeah?" Brady said, eyes seeming to glow like hot coals in a fire. He whipped his shirt off and tossed it to her, apparently assuming she'd carry it for him then unbuttoned his cargo shorts. He paused, raising a pointed brow at her, and Mae realized she was unabashedly checking him out.

Brady was significantly more muscular than Nahuel had been. Her ex boyfriend had been sinewy and lean, toned and wiry. Brady was… not. He had bulk. Strong, defined muscles already glistening with a light sheen of sweat from the summer sun and the strenuous hiking they'd spent the last six hours doing. He was gorgeous. Only the hair seemed all wrong. He wore it shorn close to his scalp, so short it was just inky stubble.

After another moment's pause, Brady met her eyes head on and pushed his shorts off. Mae wanted to examine the freshly revealed skin, but she couldn't tear her eyes away. Was it getting hotter? Seriously. The temperature must have just spiked another ten degrees. Brady's eyes narrowed just a fraction in question, his head tilting ever so slightly.

"If you're afraid to lose… " Mae challenged, suddenly finding her voice. Her words attempting to cut the mounting tension blanketing the distance that separated them. It worked.

Brady broke eye contact, and bent to tie his shorts to his leg. "Oh, you're on," he agreed, and Mae took off, her only option if she wanted to avoid staring at him any longer. "Chicken!" he hollered after her, and she laughed as she plunged forward, darting through the thick underbrush.

Mae took every shortcut she could remember, swinging through trees, and jumping over cliffs to eat up the distance faster. They traded places several times, one of them darting ahead only to be overtaken by the other a minute later.

Mae skidded to a stop a little ways from the trail head, bending forward and panting beside Brady. His sides were heaving too. He'd barely beaten her, mostly because the last half mile had been relatively flat and open enough for him to full out run without obstacles in his path. At least she'd made him work for the win.

Carefully, Brady backed away, putting more space than necessary between them before he shifted. It was the first time she'd really watched anyone shift, and she was so awed by the change that she almost asked him to shift again for her. She was too tired to admire his body as he went about tugging his shorts back on. Though his exhilarated expression had her grinning in return even as she continued gulping in lungfuls of air, lungs starving for more oxygen.

"You're faster than I expected," he remarked, flopping down on the ground and throwing his arm over his face to shield it from the light peaking through the foliage. "I really didn't think you'd keep up."

Mae tossed his waded up shirt on his flat, chiseled stomach then joined him on the ground. "I'm familiar with the area," she acknowledged, graciously accepting the praise as well as her defeat. The latter went down easier after the compliment, even if he sort of ruined it with his obvious doubt in her.

"Are you excited for Nahuel to come back?" Brady asked, glancing up from the picture he held.

He was sitting in her room with her desk chair turned backwards so he was leaning over the backrest to look at her photographs. He'd asked to see her work a couple weeks ago, but she'd only now felt comfortable enough to share them. Most were fairly personal, and it was always difficult for her to open up to someone new and show them.

The pictures he was currently looking through were the ones she'd taken in Chile the summer before. At first she'd been anxious, chewing her thumbnail, and ready to explain what she was going for with each one, but he flipped through the stack so quickly that she'd not had a chance. Privately, she wondered how he even noticed what the picture was of with as little attention as he paid to each. Mae tried not to be disappointed since she knew art wasn't for everyone, but she wished he enjoyed admiring it even if he wasn't into creating it.

"Honestly? No," Mae admitted, sitting on the edge of her bed. Hopefully he wouldn't even bother to come back. She doubted he actually wanted any of the stuff he'd left here anyways. Maybe someday, centuries from now probably, they'd be friends, but she wasn't holding her breath for that to happen.

"Harsh," Brady commented.

"We're too different, so there was really no point in trying," Mae said vaguely, accepting the pictures back when he handed them off. He'd only looked at about twenty total and there'd been close to a hundred in this stack. Guess he probably wouldn't want to look at any of the others. Oh well.

"Did something happen?" Brady asked, sitting up straighter like a predator that had just caught wind of its prey's scent. The wolves were all alike - overprotective in the extreme.

"Yeah, we broke up a while ago actually, but don't get all concerned - I can take care of myself," Mae said, ripping the bandaid off and finally verbalizing the fact that they were over. There was a fair bit of relish involved in it too. Satisfaction filled her as she noted the way Brady's lips parted at the news.

"Oh, I don't doubt that," Brady replied, letting her know he was confident in her ability to look after herself. A recent development since their race.

The air in the room seemed to shift, gaining a new, nearly tangible thickness and electricity. It suddenly occurred to her that Brady had been under the mistaken impression that she had a boyfriend the entirety of his stay so far. But now that little matter had been cleared up.

"What about you? You've not mentioned a girlfriend," Mae queried, wondering if he was taken himself. Please don't have one. Please don't have one. Please don't have one, she chanted to herself.

"That's because I don't have one," Brady said, smirking. He nodded when she bit her lip as a wealth of possibilities suddenly sprung to mind. He'd be in town for another two weeks.

Except, why was he single? He was gorgeous. It didn't make sense. Unless…

"Because you're a wolf?" she asked, wanting to know more before she got carried away. As if she wasn't already well on her way. He had so many of her favorite qualities all conveniently packaged inside a gorgeous, masculine body that was completely drool worthy.

"No. Just haven't met anyone yet that I really connected with. Being a wolf wouldn't stop me," Brady said confidently.

"Do you like being a wolf?"

"So much. It's incredible. I probably won't stop phasing until after I imprint," Brady said carefully, opening and closing his mouth a couple times like he wanted to say something in particular, and just couldn't find the right words. Mae sort of thought he already had. Simply by mentioning imprinting he'd clarified the path he intended to take. One that automatically excluded her because she'd already been claimed in that way. Though it hadn't meant romantic love in her case, only friendship and protection - same as Claire. "I want to be a wolf until that happens, then I want to spend my remaining years with her."

"What if you don't?" Mae asked curiously. Not all wolves imprinted. Leah certainly hadn't. Neither had Embry, Collin, Seth, Jax, or Nicky.

"I think I will - if I wait long enough," he said, a wistful look coming onto his face. "She might not even be alive yet, and that's okay."

"You're just going to wait until you meet her to fall in love?" Mae asked skeptically. That sounded like such a waste. And who was to say she'd even want him when he did imprint, assuming he eventually did.

"No. Not if I meet someone else," Brady said, swallowing and looking at her directly.

"You'd stay with someone as they grew old and died, all the while waiting for an imprint?" Mae said, shaking her head. That didn't sound like a life she'd want. It certainly hadn't appealed to her mother. And would he leave his girlfriend when he imprinted the way Sam left Leah?

"I don't see it quite like that. More… like Taha Aki. He didn't imprint until his third wife, but that doesn't mean he didn't love the first two. A person can love more than one person throughout their life. Each love is different, but that doesn't necessarily make any more superior or inferior than the others. I think I'd be all right experiencing multiple lifetimes of love with different people."

Mae decided not to ask if he'd leave someone for his imprint someday. Part of her didn't want to know the answer. Particularly when she knew the answer couldn't possibly offer her any potential happiness.

"And what if you don't fall in love with your imprint? Not all do," Mae said, voicing her own issue.

This conversation was bordering on painful from multiple fronts. It was clear these unexpected feelings she was developing for Brady would lead nowhere good. By his own declaration, they had no future. All he could give her was right now, and possibly a handful of tomorrows. It wasn't enough. Not after how things had gone with Nahuel. Brady seemed to sense her resignation, because he frowned and he slumped against the backrest a little more. Possibly, her words had reminded him that she was in that very situation.

Worst, was the way the conversation reminded her that the wolf who had imprinted on her hadn't fallen in love with her, and because he'd already staked a claim, no other wolf would imprint on her. If he hadn't, another - As soon as the thought began to fill her mind, she rejected it. Repelled. She was repelled by the very idea of another wolf imprinting on her. It didn't matter that Jacob didn't love her like that. She didn't want a different wolf. She wanted him - in whatever way he was willing to be in her life.

"I guess that's a possibility. But I think the fact that I want to, means someday I will when it happens," Brady finally said.

"You're such an optimist," Mae teased, but it lacked the sexual tension that had been present at the beginning of the conversation, and Brady excused himself not long after.

"I didn't bring a suit," Brady said when Mae suggested they swim to cool off before heading back. They'd gone hiking again, and stumbled upon a small lake in the middle of nowhere.

It was beautiful. Remote. Peaceful. Perfect on a hot day. Particularly if they planned to race again afterwards. Though the spot was only a little over a mile from where she'd parked, so they'd probably have to head in a different direction to avoid running into humans or have it end too quickly.

"You're wearing underwear, aren't you?" Mae suggested, pulling off her own shirt to reveal her red satin and lace bra.

"Uh, what? I mean n-no. No, I'm not," Brady stuttered, staring at her chest as though he'd never seen a bra before. Which was ridiculous since it actually covered more than her bikini did, and she knew he'd seen plenty of girls in bikinis growing up on a beach like he had. "None of the wolves do - or have you forgotten?" he added.

"Oh, umm, no I haven't forgotten," she said, smirking and giving him a once over. She'd been looking forward to watching him strip again all week. Surprisingly, Brady seemed to have come to the opposite conclusion from her after their talk. He seemed to think their conversation meant she was willing to pass the time with him while he waited for his imprint. Either that or he just enjoyed flirting, and now that he knew she was single, he felt comfortable flirting with her. Regardless, she was having fun and still loved spending time with him.

"Yeah… "

"Well, it's not like I haven't seen wolves in the buff. Seth phases back and forth all the time - he's not exactly the shy type," Mae said casually, prodding him into skinny dipping. If he wanted to flirt, she wanted to take advantage of the situation, and this was the perfect circumstance.

"Ain't that the truth! He's my cousin, and I love him, but staying with him and Alice - awkward!"

"Why do you think Esme made them get their own place?"

"Thanks for that, seriously," he groaned, rubbing his face as though he could wipe away the images her words had invoked. "Though it's still better staying with them. Alice smells so much more like Seth, that I don't mind the vampire scent so much," he added.

"I've never asked, but do I smell bad to your kind?" she asked, concerned. Was being near her off putting for wolves? Did she disgust them too?

"No, just the opposite, in fact," Brady said, stepping up and pressing his nose into her neck to breathe deeply. Mae gasped at his unexpected nearness and the fan of warm air against her skin when he exhaled.

"Oh, well… that's good I guess," she said, voice a bit higher than normal. Her heart was pounding in her chest, racing faster than its normally accelerated pace.

"Yeah," he agreed, rubbing the stubble on the back of his head. She could hear the way it scraped over his calloused palm. "So swimming?"

For nearly an hour, they splashed about in the water, occasionally getting out to jump or flip off an outcropping of rocks overlooking the opaque surface.

Mae pretended not to notice when Brady swam up behind her, getting closer and closer. Just before he reached her, she turned to face him. His arms caught her around the waist and pulled her tightly against him. His erection was hard and hot against her stomach.

"Brady," Mae gasped, flicking her gaze from his eyes to his lips and back again. That was all the invitation he needed to kiss her.

It was rough and messy, teeth mashing together as they treaded water, bobbing irregularly. He broke away with an amused look, and nodded towards shore. Mae followed him, eager to try again.

"Come here," he urged, tugging her close and kissing her again as he walked backwards through the shallow water and onto the rocky, gravel shore.

"Mhmm," Mae moaned into his mouth when his tongue sought greater access to hers. The feel of their tongues tangling, dueling for dominance sparked a fire in her blood.

Eagerly, her hands roamed down his back to squeeze his firm buttocks. When his hands hesitated, stilling against the hook on her bra, Mae pressed closer, rubbing her body suggestively against the length of his.

"Yes, yes," she begged, the words smothered by his ardent lips when he unclasped the scarlet fabric and peeled the wet, clinging cups off her.

His mouth abandoned hers, dropping to capture the budded tip of her rosy nipple in his mouth. An inferno roared to life in her core. The sensation one she'd never experienced before. His tongue circled the peak, flicking deliberately over it and sucking hard before pulling back to release the aching flesh with a quiet pop!

Then his mouth was tracing a blazing, wet trail down her stomach. Continuing south as he knelt before her, dropping to his knees. Mae's hands fluttered by his head, not sure precisely what to do. Part of her wanted to drag him back up to attend to her neglected breast, while the rest of her wanted to push him farther down, hurrying his lazy pace to another destination that had been equally neglected up to this point in her life.

In the end, she settled for letting one clutch his shoulder while the other slid to the back of his head. Her touch seemed to be taken as permission to continue, and he began brushing his soft lips along the edge of her panties. A barrage of fantasies flashed through her mind. All the times she'd longed to experience this. And now here she was with a gorgeous wolf, and it was better than she'd imagined.

Brady jerked away, sitting back on his heels to look up at her. His expression was one of disappointment and resignation. The look was baffling given their current activities.

"What? What is it? Why'd you stop?" Mae demanded, breathless.

In answer, Brady stood, reaching for her hand. He gripped it gently in one while he used the tip of the pointer finger on his other hand to trace the length of her palm before tapping the center meaningfully. At once she understood.

"It was nothing," Mae denied, shaking her head quickly. "Just a stray thought. It meant nothing," she insisted.

For the last several years she'd nearly stopped using her gift. Training herself not to just in case. Since she was spending so much time with humans, it wouldn't do to slip and accidentally show them something. But she'd not been thinking a minute ago, simply feeling instead.

"It was the truth - what you really want," Brady countered, releasing her hand and watching as it fell limply back to her side. "When we talked before, you didn't say… I didn't know you felt like that about Jake. If I had -"

"No. No, I -"

"Mae," Brady interrupted, his tone conveying a depth of knowledge she couldn't argue against. It wasn't like she'd meant to let him see that she wondered what it would be like to have Jacob kissing her instead. To have Jacob on his knees pleasuring her. Or that he'd probably felt a heaping dose of her longing for the alpha wolf accompanying the images.

"I have to go," she whispered, mortified as she scooped up her discarded clothes and tugged them on even as she fled the shore and Brady. He didn't try to stop her or chase after her.

Mae didn't slow down until she'd barrelled through the front door of her house, slamming it shut and slumping against it, chewing on her thumbnail. Holy shit. Had she just… did that really -

"Renesmee?" Bella called, willing her daughter to spill.

Mae froze, not having realized her parents were even in the room. She'd been too wrapped up in trying to process what had just happened. As if she even could. Her head was spinning, and judging by Jasper's concerned stare, he was picking up every one of her chaotic emotions. Against her will, she blurted, "I kissed Brady."

Right. Kiss. Such a tame way to describe what they'd just done. At least until she'd slipped and messed it all up. Part of her resented herself for not keeping a tighter rein on her private thoughts, while the rest was too busy being shocked to discover she even still felt that way about Jacob. She'd barely thought about him at all since she'd started dating other people. So why now?

"What about Nahuel?" Bella asked, blinking quickly. Her lips were still slightly parted at the stunning revelation.

"Do I love him?" Mae asked, face scrunched as she directed the question to Jazz. She willed him to understand without having to reveal precise details of how that ended.

Jasper frowned, coming to the realization that she and Nahuel were well and truly over. "If you have to ask, you already know the answer."

"And if you're kissing another," Bella added, shaking her head as if unable to believe Mae's confession.

"You did," Mae fired back.

"Because he wasn't the right one," Bella said, visibly shocked by both the speed and accuracy of Mae's rebuttal. Not to mention the content. They'd never discussed Bella's past with Jacob. It had never mattered to Mae before, but in that instant, she was jealous of her mother. She'd been offered the very thing Mae longed for with her entire being. Then Bella added, "Neither was or it wouldn't have happened."

Jasper kissed Bella's temple, slipping his arm around her to say he loved her too, and Mae's anger abruptly evaporated. Seeing her parents together left no room for negative emotions.

"Should we expect to see more of Brady?" Jasper asked, letting her know she'd have their support, no matter what she decided, but trying to convey with his tone that she should read more into what Bella had just said.

"No… he just reminded me… " she said quietly, trailing off and shrugging. No way was she going to admit that she'd accidentally projected her desire for Jacob to be the one touching and kissing her right when she and Brady had been having a moment.

"Speaking of the past, have you thought about going to visit Jacob? The two of you have barely even spoken these last few years," Jasper suggested with exaggerated casualness.

Just the sound of Jacob's name had Mae's heart racing. He was already on her mind after earlier, and the thought of seeing him made the traitorous organ in her chest beat out a staccato rhythm at a jackhammer pace. And the idea of visiting? It had never been suggested before. Not once since he left. Because they were two ships destined for very different ports.

"We've both been busy," Mae hedged, using the same excuse she always used when asked about Jake. Usually, it was Seth prodding her. He didn't like the ever deepening and widening canyon that had developed between his niece and his alpha.

"He and Natalie ended things a little while ago. He could probably use a friend right now too," Jasper informed her.

What? They had? But -

I'll wait for you. The memory of the text came back to her with a vengeance. He wanted her. Jacob was ready to be with her. More, he'd respected her enough to let her live her life and be happy after he'd not been ready to be what she needed when she'd wanted him to.

Hope filled her, blossoming like spring flowers. Hope that the timing was finally right. Hope that Jake would see her for who she'd become, not the girl that needed his protection or Bella's child or even his imprint. Just Mae - Ness. His Ness. Hope that he could finally love her back. It was an unrealized dream that suddenly had the potential to come true.

"You always feel better once you talk to him," Bella murmured encouragingly.

Mae nodded once, then turned and walked out of the house, not bothering to say goodbye or even pack a bag.

Mae had no memory of driving to the airport or buying a ticket at the counter. She didn't even remember boarding the flight. It wasn't until she was walking through the terminal in Denver during her layover that she floated back down to earth.

She'd left in such a hurry that all she had with her was her purse and the tote that had been in the trunk of her car. She'd left her purse on the front seat in her hurry to get home after what happened with Brady, which was a stupid move in and of itself. Proof she'd not been thinking clearly. And looking through the tote now, she found only a bikini and a single change of clothes from the weekend before when she'd taken Brady, Callie, and Caleb boating, as well as her camera bag.

A four hour layover gave her plenty of time to realize the impulsiveness of taking off on a whim. It'd been a bit rash to leave without even a toothbrush. Luckily, there were a number of stores that sold travel size toiletries that had been easy enough to pick up. She'd also found a cute skirt, another tank top, and even a few sets of underwear. She didn't want to take more since she didn't know how long would be staying, but she wanted to at least be wearing clean clothes when she arrived and have a spare set just in case.

She'd considered calling Jacob to give him a head's up that she was coming, but decided not to risk him telling her not to. It was time for her to see how he felt, and she wanted him to say it to her face. While she expected to be scared or nervous, all she felt was hope. This time would be different. She was positive.

That hope carried her all the way to the curb outside his four-story apartment building. Alice had texted the address to her while she'd been on her way from Denver to San Diego, not knowing Mae had already called Leah to ask for it, and the message had been waiting for her when she landed, along with information about the rental car Alice had arranged for her. Her aunts really were the best.

But it was when she stepped inside the building that panic set in. Each step was harder than the previous. Cement weighed her feet down as she trudged up to the second floor and down the long hallway to the dark blue door with gold stickers declaring it to be apartment fifteen.

Mae took a deep breath then rapped her knuckles on the apartment door three times. Breathing had become nearly impossible. The air was too thin, and she couldn't drag in more than a tiny mouthful fast enough. Black spots flickered across her vision, and the numbers pasted on the door tilted sideways suddenly.

Just as she feared she might actually pass out, the door opened.

Jacob. Strong. Steady. There.

Peace descended. The final piece of an intricate puzzle clicking into place. Her sight cleared, urging her to drink in more of the man standing before her. He was everything she remembered from Quil's wedding, only more. Then, he'd seemed untouchable. An invisible barrier in the form of restrictions, expectations, and Natalie stood between them. But somehow, in the time it took for the door of his apartment to swing wide, the way between them cleared.

He was so beautiful to her. Russet skin stretched tight over defined muscles. His bare chest was a sculpture. A work of art that would make Micheal Angelo weep with desire to recreate and immortalize in marble. His thick midnight hair was long enough to tangle her fingers in, and she imagined doing exactly that, using it to tug his head down for a passionate kiss. Warm pools of rich dark chocolate formed his expressive eyes - eyes that drank her in every bit as much as she was doing to him.

"Nessie," he breathed, stepping aside and gesturing for her to come inside.

Jacob's hand reached, moving carefully towards her cheek, and Mae could see the way it trembled as his fingers came to hover just short of actually touching her. That obvious sign of how she was affecting him spurred her on. She took the plunge, saying, "Jacob, I've missed you." He inhaled audibly, and she continued, "And I've been missing you for a really long time."

Finally, his fingers made contact with her skin. Instantly, she leaned into his cupped palm, relishing the electricity that sparked in every atom that touched, connecting them and bringing her to life in a way she'd never ever felt before.

"You're really here," he said shakily, disbelief giving way to wonder and awe. With those words, Mae felt the ties they bound them together weaving around them, unbreakable and eternal.