Chapter Twelve - Wolf
Renesmee POV
"The adoption will be finalized tonight, thanks to a dear friend," Jasper shared a look with Bella. "We should leave tomorrow. It's better sooner rather than later."
So the plan was finalized. The rest of the day was to be spent doing our own activities. The rain thundered relentlessly outside, preventing us from visiting the river. Instead, I regaled Juliet with stories from the house in Forks. Then, Jake and Seth told her stories from the pack.
"I just realized something," Juliet rested her chin on her palms after they finished a particularly good story about Paul. "I've never seen you two in your wolf forms."
"It's really a sight to behold," Seth puffed out his chest. "You wanna see?"
"It's raining," Juliet frowned out the window.
"Rain doesn't bother us!" Seth claimed. "Jake lived as a wolf for ages, 'cause he was mad at Bella. It was raining, and snowing like all the time."
"Dude," Jake shook his head. "Stop."
Juliet looked at me. I hadn't really told her much about my mom and Jake… I didn't even know that much myself. I didn't want to know. Really, when the guy you're destined to be with thought he was in love with your mom, it makes for some uncomfortable situations.
Juliet POV
"Er, let's go outside," Seth bolted down the stairs, leaving the awkwardness behind. We gathered together and ran down the stairs after him.
Jake and Seth started stripping off their clothes as we ran, leaving them behind. They were just in boxers when they finally burst through the front doors. Rosalie was sitting on the couch in the front room, holding a magazine. When we entered the room, breathless from laughter, she just stared at us.
"Teenagers," she mumbled, going back to her magazine. We only laughed harder, running barefoot into the yard after the boys. They turned to make sure we were watching before leaping into the air, in perfect sync, and shuddering. When they landed, it was paws that slid across the grass instead of feet.
My mouth dropped open as I watched the spot where my Seth had been. Now there was only a sandy-colored wolf next to a slightly larger russet one. They loped towards us, being careful not to startle me. Seth flopped into the soaked grass in front of me. Tentatively, I leaned forward and stroked his head.
"Kids! Will you quit horsing around?!" Esme scolded from the porch. "You'll catch your death out there! Come back in and get dry, will you?"
Nessie laughed and whipped her soaking wet curls at me. I screamed at her, dodging the spray of extra water. The motion caused me to slip and fall on my butt in the slick grass.
"Renesmee!" Esme slapped a hand over her face. "For once in your life can you pretend you weren't raised by wolves!"
"Now I take offense to that," A very human Jake said from behind us. I turned as he was pulling on his shorts alongside Seth.
"You're soaking wet, honey," Seth ran over to me, lifting me out of the grass into his arms. Automatically I nestled into his warmth, a deep blush spreading across my cheeks without a doubt.
Ness winked at me as Seth carried me, shirtless, into the house. I barely pretended that I wasn't staring at his sculpted chest. Holy Hell. He brought me up into my room and set me on the ottoman at the end of my bed.
"Jeez, did Alice get you any heavy sweaters?" Seth wrinkled his nose at my closet. I shrugged. After a moment's pause, Seth disappeared down the hall into his room. I only had a second to question his actions when he came back with a huge grey sweater. The letters had faded slightly, but they represented a high school in La Push.
"Here, you're gonna get sick," Seth handed it to me shyly. I leaned up and kissed his cheek.
He left me to get changed, so I stripped off my soaking clothes and put on some fabric shorts and Seth's sweater. My heart thudded unevenly as I pulled the hoodie on and surrounded myself with it. It was huge, of course, the sleeves covering my hands, but it smelled like him. I felt giddy from the scent - it was like a drug. I'd never been on drugs, but I really doubted my state of mind at the moment could be labelled "sober".
Nessie and I threw our wet clothes in the washing machine downstairs. Esme was just serving up dinner, shaking her head at all our antics. I couldn't help but notice Seth appraising me at dinner. I looked to Jake for some silent reassurance, he just grinned into his omelette.
"I'm so excited for our trip," Nessie bubbled. "I mean, yeah, the whole Charlie situation is really unfortunate, but I really want to show you the house in Forks! And our little cottage, and La Push! God, La Push is so beautiful, I could just go on for hours."
"It'll be good to get back home," Jake agreed. "Seth, you should talk to your mom."
"Yeah," Seth muttered. "Sure, sure."
After dinner, Nessie helped me pack my bag for Forks. I'd never been out of Oregon state, so I didn't know what to wear or bring.
"Sweaters," Nessie instructed. "It's fall and it's really permanently rainy there. Okay, boots and sneakers. Jeans, cozy pajama pants. Sweatpants!"
Once I was packed, Nessie followed me down the stairs. In the living room, the whole family was waiting for us. The flash startled me as Alice took a photograph.
"Your first photo as a Cullen!" Alice cried, waving the Polaroid around. In the photo I was standing on the stairs, holding a suitcase and wearing Seth's sweater and my shorts. I looked slightly confused, but like I knew I belonged there.
"What?" I asked as everyone stared at me. "Wait - the adoption went through?"
Jasper strode forward and handed me a birth certificate. With shaking hands, I looked down at it.
My name was printed across the top line. Juliet Emilie Cullen. Under mother, Esme Cullen was listed. Under father, Carlisle Cullen. I didn't know how Jasper even got this done so fast or so efficiently without even visits from a social worker. I didn't want to know, I just threw my brother into a bear hug.
The family laughed and we all chatted while I spent time with my mother and father. Esme and Carlisle. They promised that in the next town we moved to, I'd be their biological child no matter what people said.
Eventually we were sent up to our rooms to get some sleep before we left early tomorrow morning.
"Happy adoption day, little sis," Emmett lightly punched me. He and Rose both hugged me before disappearing into their rooms. I laid in bed for a while, tossing and turning until my phone lit up.
Seth: You still awake?
Me: Can't sleep.
Seth: Can't either! :(
Me: Can I ask you something that might be weird?
Seth: Anything
Me: Can you sleep in my room tonight?
Thunder rumbled close by as my door creaked open not long later. I moved over in bed, opening the covers for Seth. It dipped when he climbed in next to me. Thankfully Alice and Esme thought to get a rather large bed when designing my room.
I snuggled into his chest as he held me. We'd done this a million times before with Jake and Nessie around, but now it was just us. Both hearts beat heavily.
"You smell good," Seth held me closer. "Like strawberries."
I couldn't help but laugh. "Nessie said that the first time we had a sleepover."
Lightning lit up the room and I found his eyes open, meeting mine. The gravity in the room tripled, bringing me towards the centre of my universe. There was nothing else I wanted. Nothing in this world mattered at that moment.
His lips met mine. I'd tried not to, tried so hard not to love him. After all, imprints could just be friends. The second we collided, that fell apart. I melted into the kiss, holding him as close as I could. Time lost all meaning as we just explored each other. Eventually we snuggled, breathless into sleep. I was content - content to just kiss him for the rest of my life.
In the morning, I stared into his nearly black eyes. He had a goofy smile on his face. Still wearing the sweater, I got up and padded over to the mirror on my desk.
"Shit," I muttered. There was a hickey on my jaw, just under my ear. Not that I minded - I actually liked that he'd left a mark on me for everyone to see. Emmett would just never let it go.
"Kids!" Carlisle called from downstairs. "Breakfast!"
"Coming!" Nessie called from her room. I heard her hit the floor, scrambling to get up.
We entered our bathroom at the same time. She took in the sight of me, along with the sight of Seth in my bed in the background.
"Uh, busy night?" She snorted, yanking a brush through her curls. I leaned around her and spotted Jake in her bed.
"You should talk," I commented back. "Did you and Jake…?"
"NO!" She yelped. "No, thunder and lightning freaks me out so he slept in my room. That's it."
"A vampire scared of weather," I laughed, bending down to wash my face. "That's priceless."
We chatted as we made sure we were presentable. She reached out a slender, pale finger and poked the red-ish mark on my jaw.
"Hmm," she looked at it. I blew air through my nose and kept brushing my hair.
"I'm not saying a word," she walked back into her bedroom. I just laughed to myself and walked back through mine and down the stairs. Jake and Seth were already at the table, wolfing down cherry pancakes.
"Morning, girls," Carlisle placed down more pancakes as we entered the room.
"You cook?" I sat up at the kitchen table. Carlisle nodded proudly, explaining that he had time off work for our trip so he'd decided to cook for us. The pancakes were incredibly delicious - nobody had the Esme touch, but this was damn close.
"Emmett's taking you kids in the truck," Carlisle said. "Although, I think a responsible adult would be more suited for the job…"
"I'll remember to stop for food!" Emmett protested from the living room.
"It'll be a nearly seven hour drive," Carlisle continued, rolling his eyes. "If we leave about now, we'll get there around two-thirty. Emmett, don't drive too fast, you have non-vampires in the car!"
"Yeah, yeah!" Emmett bellowed. "All your bags are packed, let's go, let's go!"
Nessie and I wore simple black leggings and t-shirts. Hers was grey with a wolf on the front, some sort of tourist shirt from La Push, and mine was black with a white chest pocket. We brought hoodies with us into the car in case it got cold. Emmett was stocked with snacks, CD's and tons of jokes about my little hickey. It was time for the road trip.