TWENTY-ONE

Jacob's head was buried under the hood of a Volvo when the sound of a throat clearing interrupted him. He stepped back and looked up, completely caught off guard at the sight of pristine Edward Masen standing in his garage. The tall russet haired man looked totally out of place with his crisp gray suit and expensive, likely Italian, dress shoes.

"Masen," Jacob nodded as he reached for the oily rag to wipe his hands.

"Sorry to drop in unannounced Jacob but I was hoping we could talk."

Jacob raised an eyebrow in question. "Didn't we talk enough already at the lawyer's yesterday?"

The first meeting had been a bit bumpy but Jacob, Bella and Edward had at least agreed to amicably come together to create a mutually beneficial custody agreement. The Masens had been forced to accept that Jacob had rights to maintain a relationship with their daughter since she'd been raised by him and carried his name. Leah's lawyer Alice Cullen was handling things on Jacob's side, having reassured him that she was familiar with this type of family law, not just divorces. Jacob hadn't contacted his own divorce lawyer because he'd never felt like the man truly cared about what Bella was doing to him.

"I don't want to talk about Renesmee, I want to talk about us – me, you, Bella."

"Why?"

"Because I want to Jacob. I don't like being your enemy, I want us to work this out man to man."

Jacob snorted and shook his head. "I think Bella tried the same thing with Leah, it didn't go so well from what I heard." Leah had called him and gave him an ear-full on what she thought of Bella – and none of it was good.

"Well, Bella's intentions and mine aren't exactly the same. And I certainly don't want a fight."

Jacob wanted to say no but curiosity got the better of him. "Okay, I can take a break, but I've really got to get this car done before closing."

Edward nodded and followed Jacob out to the back of the property where a lone, old picnic table sat. Both men took a seat on opposite sides and folded their arms.

"First, I just want to thank you Jacob, for being good to Bella and Renesmee. I'm ultimately relieved that Bella had you to rely upon all these years."

"You would have done the same if she'd just told you the truth," Jacob said dismissively with a wave of his hand. Somehow, Edward's gratitude didn't sit right with him at all. He would have helped Bella regardless, he had been her closest friend – there was no reason for Edward to thank him for doing what came as natural to him as breathing. But it had all been a lie, the past eight years, and ultimately Bella had done a bad thing to both of them. He didn't want anyone's thanks for being made a fool of. Nor could he accept thanks for loving Nessie as his own.

Edward grimaced and studied his perfectly manicured hands. Jacob couldn't remember a time when his hands were so clean. "I'm not so sure, to be honest," Edward admitted, the frown on his face deepening.

"What?" Jacob exclaimed, dumbfounded. Bella had tried to tell him as much, but Jacob had never believed her.

"I'm not so sure that I would have stepped up and married her like you did." Jacob shook his head in disbelief. "I wouldn't have wanted to abandon her, don't get me wrong, but I might not have married her at eighteen. My parents…my father, wouldn't have allowed it. She was right to assume as much. For me to have given up everything…I'm not so sure I could of."

"I thought you loved her. You fought so hard to push me away so that you could have her, this doesn't make sense," Jacob replied.

"I did love her, a lot, but honestly I didn't know what our future would have been, I was self-involved. I was more focused on myself and not fucking things up for college. My father put a lot of pressure on me because my brother never had a head for business. Emmett constantly disappoints my father by being his own man. I on the other hand have always wanted to follow in my father's footsteps. I never wanted anything more than to be CEO of Masen Incorporated. It's my inheritance, it's everything - it would have been really hard for me to give it up when I wasn't even ready for the responsibility of a wife and kid. My father wouldn't have tolerated me starting a family instead of going to school."

"You could have done both. You would have figured it out, you had enough money to bring Bella with you."

Edward shook his head. "He wouldn't have let me. Harvard is a very big social commitment, it's more than just attending classes, reputation matters. Appearances are everything in that world, I would have been shunned and ridiculed. He probably would have paid Bella off so I could be free of that. And I probably wouldn't have been strong enough to stand up to him."

Jacob shook his head, disgusted. "Why the fuck are you telling me this? You're not making yourself look any better in my eyes if that was the point of this meeting." Loving Nessie or Bella had never been negotiable in Jacob's eyes. Never. The thought made him want to punch Edward in his bourgeoisie face.

"I know, but Jacob I have to be honest if I am to put these demons to rest. Bella did what she did because she knew I had that weakness in me. I know you hate her, you blame her for this whole mess, but please understand that ultimately, it was my fault. She was scared and she did the only thing she could think of: she came to you because she knew that you would never turn her away. With me she doubted, but with you it wasn't a question that you'd pick her over all else. You've always been better than me, it's part of the reason why I never tried to get along with you. Having you around and seeing you with her, it always made me feel threatened. And I was just a prick for making her choose me over her friendship with you. But things are different now…I want to make up for everything I fucked up in the past. I'm not the same guy I was back then - I want to be a good man for Bella and be an active part of my daughter's life. I readily admit you're the better man and I want us to be friends and help you in any way that I can. Despite my own shortcomings, I want my chance, I want my family – without any drama."

The urgency and sincerity on Edward's face only made Jacob feel agitated. "So what, are you asking me to step aside nicely? I already did that Ed. Or are you trying to bribe me so I'll drop custody? Or is it pity on me because I had to support your kid instead of going to college?" Jacob leaned forward menacingly, "Or is this story supposed to make me not be angry you're taking my family to Canada, so you can still be that 'good man'?" he air-quoted. He was tired of being pushed aside so that Bella and Edward could have what they wanted. And he certainly would never take any fucking thing from Edward Masen. The man had some nerve to come at Jacob with this.

"NO, just calm down Jacob, I don't mean to offend you! And I am sorry about the move, but it won't be permanent, that I can promise. Right now, all I'm asking for is your patience and your forgiveness. It's the only way we can move forward in the right way. A custody agreement is not the same as truly mending the fences between the three of us. Bella and I both owe you a lot, we are not ignorant of this fact."

"Bella's not acting like she owes me a damn thing Edward, so don't kid yourself."

Edward sighed. "I know she's been difficult, I've tried talking to her, but she's just trying to save face. Even though she acts tough and bull-headed, she's really quite ashamed and afraid of you..."

"Of me?" Jacob scoffed, pointing to himself.

"Of your hatred of her. She doesn't want you to hate her, she still values you Jacob. She cares about you."

"Edward, you're talking a load of bull and you know it," Jacob spat indignantly. He would never believe that and if Edward fell for that sob story, he was a bigger idiot than Jacob had been for eight years.

"Am I? I think she would have been relieved if she could have loved you the way you loved her. Then everything with me would have been redundant. Sometimes I'm still amazed that she came back to me, after what happened. You've been good to her."

"So what, you should be the one asking for joint custody and not me right?" Jacob scoffed.

"Yes, exactly. I want Bella and Renesmee, but part of me knows I don't deserve to have what was yours."

Jacob shook his head. At the end of the day, Edward would always win when it came to Bella and he was done feeling inadequate where the other man was concerned. Jacob had spent their entire marriage always wondering at the back of his mind, whether Bella had gotten over Edward. When he found out the truth about Nessie, and when Bella told him that she and Edward had reconnected and she wanted a divorce, a tiny part of him had said "You always knew." He'd seen Edward enough times that he should have questioned Nessie's green eyes and red-brown hair, but he'd never thought twice about it because Bella had red tints in her hair and Jacob's great aunt had green eyes as well. There was proof that Nessie was just an anomaly, the best parts of them. He'd never allowed himself to think that she was anything but his. She WAS his. And her calling him Daddy was all that mattered.

Jacob chased the thoughts away, realizing that a few moments had passed and he still hadn't responded. He took a deep breath before looking Edward in the eye. "What was mine? I'm not going down that road with you Edward. I was just a fool to believe she ever loved me. You're right about one thing though, I never would have turned her away. But she shouldn't have lied. It didn't have to be this way. So if she's ashamed of taking away my choice to become a husband and father at seventeen, and if she's afraid of my opinion of her, then so be it. She brought it all on herself. She's a liar and all I want now, is for her to be a good mother to Nessie and let me continue to be a good father."

"So you could never forgive her?"

"Did you forgive Bella for keeping this from you all this time? Like really and truly forgive her?" Jacob asked instead of answering.

Edward pursed his lips for a moment. "I have. It wasn't easy but I understand why she ran. It was my fault. So I had to forgive her." He then swallowed and refused to meet Jacob's eyes.

Jacob felt sorry for the man, because he doubted Edward's will to forgive could ever be truly pure. Jacob couldn't imagine that Edward was happy that he'd been the one with Bella and his kid all these years. Jacob himself certainly wasn't happy about the turn of the table. They'd never gotten along, never had been able to share the woman they both loved. They'd both wanted her to choose one and forget the other. Knowing Bella chose to run to Jacob couldn't be easy to stomach no matter how chivalrous her new husband was trying to be. But Jacob almost admired him for putting on a brave face and soldiering on. He silently wished him luck and hoped Edward wouldn't spend the rest of his life questioning Bella's motives.

"Well I guess that's what makes me different from you then Edward, because none of this was my fault and I have no guilt where she's concerned. So no matter what you say in her defense, no matter how much blame you try to absorb on her behalf, I will NEVER understand why she chose to do what she did to me; and there will NEVER be an explanation good enough to make me forgive."

Jacob took a deep breath to keep his temper in check, registering that Edward looked as though he might be sick. It made him want to soften the blow a bit – a tiny bit. "Look Edward, I appreciate the gesture and all. I don't want things to be bad between the three of us either okay? I'll agree to try my best to get along with you and I'll continue to help Nessie get used to the idea of you being in her life and all that because her happiness is all that matters in this. But I'm done with the past, and I won't have this conversation with either of you again."

Edward stood and extended his hand to Jacob, who could see the understanding in his sad eyes. "Thank you Jacob. Fair is fair."

….

That Sunday Jacob was relieved to meet the pack for soccer. He needed to let off some steam since throwing a fit of rage was out of the question. After two games the guys agreed to go get some pizza. Nessie was with the Masens again and even though it was still hard to have her gone Jacob had to admit that he needed the break to clear his head of all that had happened this past week. Pretending that all was well for her sake was exhausting.

"So, how you holding up Jake?" Seth asked, only reinforcing that Jacob couldn't escape his situation no matter where he was. "Hey, if you don't want to talk about it, that's okay. We've just been worried about you bro," Seth held his hands up apologetically in response to Jacob's immediate grimace.

"Nah it's okay, sorry." Jacob took a deep breath then took a sip of his beer. "It's fucked up. Between Bella and Edward and the lawyers my head is so full I actually want it to explode. The only thing keeping me sane is knowing that I won't lose Nessie completely…and of course, your sister. She's been my rock. I'm glad I listened to her about the lawyer. It's taken a weight off my shoulders." Jacob's body instantly warmed at the thought of Leah. He was sleeping at her house while Nessie was gone. Jacob really loved them living together, and needed to make time to figure out how they could do it on a full-time basis. He still wasn't comfortable with her living in that big house all alone most nights.

"So what's the deal? You'll get visitation or will Nessie live with you part of the time?" Quil asked.

"I'll have her a few days a week and every other weekend until they leave. Since they'll be moving I won't have custody during that period, so we'll be trading off holidays. When they move back from Toronto I'll have her one weekend a month and the right for visitation twice a week outside of birthdays or special events."

Embry whistled. "That sucks."

Jacob nodded but he couldn't think that way anymore. Like his father and Leah had encouraged, he was working on acceptance. It was still better than nothing, and he would be able to talk to Nessie on the phone or computer as much as he wanted.

"You can handle it bro. You're the strongest dude I know," Paul said, surprising Jacob with the compliment slash show of support. One rarely saw Paul's softer side. Most people believed it was a myth that he even had one.

"Thanks. I'll try," he grinned at his friend.

"And you've got that hott ass girlfriend of yours to put the pussy on you while Nessie's gone. You'll be aight."

Jacob rolled his eyes with a chuckle and shake of his head. He didn't want to encourage Paul's inappropriate comments where Leah was concerned, but he knew that his friend was right about that too.

"Could we NOT talk about my sister like that?" Seth demanded through clenched teeth, glowering in Paul's direction.

Paul merely chuckled and waved him off, launching into a story about a girl he'd fucked in the bathroom of a gas station the other day.

Life was about to change for him in so many ways, but Jacob was glad that some things – and people – would remain the same.

…

Wanting to show his appreciation to the woman of his dreams, Jacob took Leah out on a date that night. He'd dipped into his emergency jar which he kept under his bed just so that he could treat her to the finest of everything - the best wine, the best steak, whatever she wanted. But when it came time to pick a place she'd begged him not to make a fuss. She only wanted to go out for Chinese and grab a movie.

"I just want to be with you," she'd said, and it had warmed Jacob's heart all over again. He was relieved that he had zero reasons to doubt that she was telling the truth.

When they got back home Jacob picked Leah up and sat her on the kitchen counter, sandwiching himself between her long, toned legs. He gently squeezed her waist and smiled, not looking for conversation, merely wanting to look into her eyes. Whenever he needed the reassurance, all he ever had to do was look at her and he'd see her love right there, shining for all to see.

"You okay?" she whispered, after engaging his lips in a deep kiss. Her fingers played with the fine hairs at the base of his neck, making his skin tingle.

"Yeah, I am. I just wanted to look at you. Sometimes this doesn't feel real. Like, I'm stuck in the best dream ever. I really don't want to wake up."

Leah shook her head and rolled her eyes at the cheesy cliché. "You sap," she teased then after a short tickle fest she begged him to stop and wrapped her arms around his neck again. "I know what you mean, cause I feel the same way sometimes. I'm so happy you found me Jacob Black. I love you so much."

Jacob would never tire of hearing those three little words come out of her mouth. "I love you too honey, you're all I've ever wanted and more Leah."

Leah bit her lip as happy tears filled her eyes. Jacob gifted her another kiss and pulled her into his arms. They held onto each other for a few moments longer before he suggested that they head up to bed.

For the first time in weeks – or months – Jacob went to bed without the feeling like the world was crashing down around his shoulders. As he drifted off, still riding the high of ejaculation, he thought about his conversation with Edward two days ago, about whether or not he'd ever forgive Bella. He'd surprised himself by being so brutally honest about never wanting to. Jacob remembered telling her he'd forgive her if she agreed to joint custody, but really it had been a lie to get what he'd wanted. He would have told her anything to keep his daughter. But now that he had a lawyer and Leah championing his cause, he felt refreshingly secure, and had no reason to grovel for anything. He was soon going to be rid of Bella's manipulations once the papers were signed. She could never walk all over him again. Jacob smiled at the thought that he'd gained both control of his life and freedom from the past.

The time had finally come where he could let Bella and all her bullshit go completely. And it wasn't really sympathy or understanding or forgiveness that had gotten him to this point at all. All he'd had to do was stand up and fight for what he deserved after years of lies and heartache.

As he buried his nose in Leah's hair, and pulled her warm body against his; Jacob fell asleep thinking that Paul was right - he was really going to be alright.