Again with the fidgeting! I have no need to pace like this. My family has said, on numerous occasions throughout the day, that they don't care about who I love, and that they are excited to hang around with him, but that doesn't offer me much reassurance. I don't think Rosalie will have as easy of a time as I do loving Jacob. I've read it in her thoughts several times. She hates me for getting abandoned by Bella, whom she was just warming to. Fancy that, Rosalie actually warming to someone.

I hear his feet, his heartbeat and his anxious breathing before he raps his knuckles on the door. I'm there in one hundredth of a second and looking into Jacob's apprehensive eyes. I grin instantaneously at his appearance. He's taken his hair back in a ponytail which is trailing down the back of his white dress shirt with blue pinstripes. It's untucked over a pair of dark wash jeans and he's wearing expensive-looking leather boots. His hands are shoved into his pockets and he's looking at the ground. I have to catch my breath after I take it all in. He looks absolutely stunning. "Jacob," I breathe, "you look… fantastic."

"Thanks," he murmurs. "I figured since I have to make an impression to reverse the one that's been set in stone, I may as well be presentable."

"And presentable you are," I affirm, trying very hard to keep my khakis from getting tighter than necessary.

Jacob smiles. "Cool. Where is everyone?"

"Oh, they're around. Everyone?" I call, not raising my voice.

In two seconds, Esme, Carlisle, Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper and Alice are at my sides. Alice is the first person to step forwards and smile at Jake. "Hello, Jacob," she says. "I'm sure you know all our names."

"Sure, sure. You're Alice, that's Esme, Carlisle, Emmett, Jasper, and that one's Rosalie."

"Well, that eliminates the need for awkward introductions. Welcome to our home!"

I read Jacob's uncomfortable thoughts; he's remembering how this is far from his first time here. "Oh… uh, hey, thanks," he stutters.

Esme smiles at him and holds out her hand, which he shakes gingerly. "So nice to have you over," she says cordially, and her thoughts don't betray her. She really is the best mother anyone could ever have.

"Nice to be over."

Carlisle is the next to approach Jacob. "Hello, there," he greets as he shakes Jacob's hand firmly. I laugh a little at how his mind is judging the strength of Jacob's handshake.

Emmett waves and says, "Hey, man. We'll try not to eat you."

Jacob starts to sweat. "Much appreciated, Emmett."

Jasper calms the room down, and Jacob notices. His eyes go wide, but Jasper works his magic again and Jacob is totally at ease. "I just wanted to make you comfortable. Being in a house full of your sworn enemies isn't the most settling experience one can have, am I right?"

Jacob laughs and nods. "Thanks, Jasper."

"Don't mention it."

Rosalie looks at Jacob and hisses under her breath. At the same moment, she has six sets of angry vampire eyes on her. She doesn't seem fazed.

I really want to make Jacob more comfortable, so I step up to him, wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him with a passion usually reserved for bedrooms, or bathrooms as well, in our case. I'm making a statement, is all. And I read the uncomfortableness in Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie and Alice's thoughts. Jasper is feeling the loving atmosphere and he's stretching it over all of them. I pull my lips from Jacob's and rest my nose against his, staring into his deep, gorgeous eyes. "I love you," I murmur, barely more than a breath.

"I love you, too," Jacob whispers. But can't we love each other appropriately? he thinks.

I shrug and shake my head. Jacob rolls his eyes and I take a step to the side. I latch my hand onto his and break the silence between everyone but us. "So," I say, "what shall we do?"

The rumble in Jacob's stomach answers my question. He blushes and looks down. "I was too nervous to eat… I forgot about Jasper's… thing."

I smile at his sheer adorableness and squeeze his hand. "We can cook for you," Esme offers. "Edward is practiced, and we love learning new things."

"You don't, like, mind?" Jacob asks incredulously.

"Why would we?" Carlisle asks.

"I hear human food is pretty disgusting to work with."

"It's no bother, really," Alice says. "The more experience in normalcy, the better."

Jacob nods. "But you don't have to. Really. Hunger is not the worst thing."

I ignore his protests. "What can we make you? What are you in the mood for?"

"Whatever you're best at."

"I'm good at a lot of things, Jake. Pick. We can make anything."

Jacob's face goes all tight as he squeezes his eyes together and pinches his mouth closed. "Fine," he concedes, "I'm kind of in the mood for steak, I guess…"

Carlisle disappears from the room and comes back in three seconds. "The barbeque is fired up, how would you like it?"

Jacob is shocked. "Medium rare? I suppose?"

"And which cut?"

"Whatever you've got."

"I'll give you tenderloin. I understand it's the best one, and we certainly have no use for it!"

Jacob barks a laugh at this, and I see he's instantly at ease. No assistance from Jasper needed. He follows Carlisle outside, probably eager to get away from Rosalie. I see that she's relieved as well. I cast her a look and she sticks out her tongue. You would think that with around seventy years to gain maturity…

Alice groans in exasperation. "I can't see how this is going to turn out!"

"Now you know how we feel," I say.

Alice grumbles and crosses her arms, while Jasper calms the room and kisses her forehead. "Oh, no, mister! Do not calm me down!"

Jasper laughs and spins her around. "You're adorable when you're angry."

She finally smiles and stretches up to kiss Jasper's nose. I can't help but be a little jealous, because that is what I want with Jacob. A relationship where I can be myself and so can he.

I look over at Em and Rose. Their little fingers are locked together, and they're looking into each other's eyes. Once again, that's what I want. I sigh and follow to where Esme and Carlisle had taken my boyfriend.

The three of them are outside, on our patio, talking around the barbeque. From what I hear, it's nothing important, but the conversation takes a turn for the more serious before I get within eyeshot.

"… love him?" I hear Esme ask as I focus.

"I… I think I do. I've never felt this way for anyone. Is that what love's like?" Jacob replies seriously. I'm flattered.

"That is relatively on the mark, yes," Carlisle says, and I see Esme's face in his mind. I smile to myself and head around the corner and over to Jacob. I swing my arm around his shoulders and kiss his cheek. You would think I would be disgusted at the smell and taste of him, but you'd be wrong. I've grown to love it. And him in general. I do love Jacob Black. And he loves me. And this smile is getting a little uncomfortable.

"How is everyone?" I ask.

"Good," they all answer at the same time. I laugh slightly.

Carlisle opens the barbeque lid and takes Jacob's steak out with tongs. He places it on a plate he'd had beside him and hands it to Jacob. His thoughts have a hungry edge, and I suppose mine do, too, just not for food…

Esme sprints in and out of the house, coming back with utensils. She hands them to Jacob and motions for him to sit at the table we have outside. I sit across from him, with my mother and father at the opposite ends. Jacob looks slightly uncomfortable being the only one eating, and I do want to make him as at ease as possible, so I take somewhat drastic measures.

"You know," I say, reaching for the fork and knife, "I usually like more of a chase than this, but Carlisle's culinary prowess should be tested by the both of us."

I cut off a small bit of meat and, disgusting as it may be, eat it. I suppose it wouldn't be too bad for someone with an appetite, but for me, it's not so fantastic.

Jacob stares at me. "You didn't have to-"

"I wanted to. You can be at ease with us, Jake. We don't bite."

I don't realize that I'd made a joke until everyone starts laughing.