Chapter 9: Moving Day
Disclaimer: These characters are the property of S. Meyer.
Jacob and Bella groaned aloud as they dragged themselves out of bed. Ugh! Moving day!
After showering and eating a hearty breakfast, they went to the general store that Embry's mother owned to pick up some boxes. They packed up the clothes and toiletries that were at their honeymoon haven and Jacob put them inside the front door. Bella stayed behind to scrub up the kitchen and bathroom while her sweetheart went to the Clearwaters'.
Leah was helping him remove all of Bella's things from the drawers. "Oh gawd," she huffed. "Bella must have the most boring lingerie of any woman known to man. Will you look at this?" She dangled a bra in front of him. "Plain white cotton. Oh, excuse me, there's a teeny little bow on the front of it. Big whoop . . .
"Wait—it's a miracle. Drum roll please. This one has lace on it." She dug a little deeper and jerked up in surprise. "Whoa, hold the presses! What's this?" Down in the far corner of the drawer were two brand new nighties and some sexy looking bras and panties.
Holding up a black satin and lace demi bra, Leah clucked, "Looks like our girl was saving these for a special occasion; a lucky day for you I'd bet. Wow, I'm impressed—matching bikini too. You're in for a treat, big boy.
Jacob felt the blood rushing to his face. Jeez, there was no way Leah wouldn't notice it.
She let out a little chuckle, and jiggled the intimate apparel in the air. "Damn, Jake, I don't believe it. What is wrong with you? Your face is turning red. Bella must be rubbing off on ya. You're a married man now, and a little pair of undies is makin' ya blush?"
Jacob covered his eyes. "Will you please put those in the box? They're giving me a heart attack."
"Whatever . . . You're no fun anymore—not that you ever were . . . Now if you really wanna get embarrassed? I'll show ya some of mine."
"I think I've seen enough. Anyway, I've got a lot on my mind already, thanks to you. Okay, I'm gonna get all her books off the shelves, can you hand me that box?"
His least favorite pack member—and almost brother in law—showed up in time to help load the boxes into his pickup. Rachel must have nagged him into it. Still, it sure made the work get done faster. They dropped them off at Billy's and shoved as many as possible into Jacob's cluttered closet. The rest unfortunately found a resting place in the garage.
When they finished unloading and sorting the pile, Paul jabbed him in the ribs with his elbow. Being the usual insensitive jerk that he always was, he grinned wickedly and taunted, "So, you and Bella, huh?"
Jacob wanted so badly to take a swipe at him and knock that grin right off of his face. The only thing holding him back was the thought that his sister loved the big lug, and probably wouldn't be too pleased if Jacob rearranged his features. He smiled inwardly as he imagined Paul as a Picasso.
Paul wiggled his eyebrows, as he leaned against the work bench. "I don't blame you, man. I wouldn't be able to hold out either. That Bella is one hot chick. Speaking of hot, I gotta tell you—your sister—"
"Whoa, hold it right there, buddy. I can't listen to this. How many times have I told you? What you and Rachel do in the privacy of your bedroom is none of my business." Thank God.
The vision of them . . . well, you know . . . sent him cringing. His sister and Paul? Ugh! Jeez, why did it have to be Paul? He knew he was being stupid. Rachel was Paul's imprint just like Bella was his imprint. It was as simple as that. It was only natural that they would—he choked at the thought—mate.
With all of the belongings stowed, they drove back to Sam's. Jacob turned to Paul when they entered the house. He motioned toward the containers on the floor. "Can you put these in the truck, while I vacuum in here?"
"Which truck?"
Jacob rolled his eyes. "Yours. I want to get everything done as soon as possible."
Bella yelled, trotting toward them from the kitchen. "I heard that! There is nothing wrong with my truck. So, it's a little slow . . ."
"A lot slow," Jacob whispered out of the corner of his mouth. "Ignore her, go ahead and load up the truck."
"Just a minute," Paul said. He quickly closed the distance between himself and Bella. "I'll never get a chance like this again," he bellowed. Grabbing her around the waist, he leaned in, drawing his face close to hers. Bella immediately retracted her head away from him, her shock clearly visible.
A growl erupted from deep within Jacob's chest. "What do you think you're doing?"
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm kissing the bride—old Quileute custom."
He clinched Bella tightly, capping off the opening between her lips with his own mouth, and bowed her backwards over his muscular right arm.
When he released her, Bella staggered, out of breath and blinked stupidly. "What in the world . . ."
"Congratulations. That was your official welcome to the pack." He twisted his neck, and looking over his shoulder, reared his head back in Jacob's direction. "And if this jerk doesn't treat you right—you know where to find me."
Jacob stood there with his arms crossed in front of his chest, seething. "Tell that to Rachel."
"Oh, c'mon, Black. You lose your sense of humor? It was only a joke."
"Yeah, well, I didn't find it very funny."
"Maybe you're right, I better make sure. Let me get another mouthful. I think I need just one more taste."
Paul made a move toward Bella, but Jacob was quicker. He got to her side as Paul's lips caught Jacob's ear.
He wiped his ear in disgust, glaring at that big bad wolf. "This has to be the lowest you have ever stooped, and believe me, you have stooped pretty low in the past few years. I should know, I was there for most of them. Had to bail you out a few times too!"
Paul puffed out his chest in defiance, and scowled. "Name one."
"How about the time you nearly ate Bella, and I had to chase your sorry tail practically to Canada?"
The scowl softened slightly. "Okay, so that's one. I'll give you that."
"What about the time you made a date with Jennifer and Valerie for the same night?"
He scratched the back of his head, then shrugged and put his hands out in a what gesture. "I didn't think Valerie would show! I was just hedging my bets."
"I had to lie through my teeth so they wouldn't kill you, while you snuck out the back door of the restaurant. Then I had to promise each one of them that I would take them out.
"That Jennifer was all over me, and I didn't want anything to do with her. Her lips were so freakin' big she could suck the juice out of an orange from across the room. I was scared to death she would kiss me. If my lips got sucked into her mouth, I'd never see them again. And the hair—there was so much gel in it, that it stood out in needle points. I got stabbed every time she brushed against me. She almost took my eye out, for Pete's sake."
"Damn, get a grip, man. I was only kissing the bride. It's not like I was hauling her off to my den or something. Anyway, point taken—I'm sorry Bella. I was just kidding around. I would never try to steal you away from this overly protective madman. I value my life. If Jacob didn't kill me first, Rachel would finish the job for him."
Bella laughed out loud, to Jacob's amazement. "All right I accept your apology, but I have to admit, that kiss was awesome."
Jacob narrowed his eyes at her. Paul licked his lips, smirking, and Bella muttered, "Well, it was!"
With his voice a little louder than he intended, Jacob shouted, "Let's get back to work then, huh?"
He got out the vacuum and made long sweeps across the rug. It really didn't get very dirty since the newlyweds spent most of their time kissing on the couch or playing cowgirls and Indians in the bedroom.
All the belongings were stacked in the truck by Paul, the rug was cleaned and Bella had finished the dusting. They hardly left a fingerprint behind. Scanning the rooms one last time, they tearfully and symbolically closed a chapter of their lives together with the locking of the front door. Jacob squeezed Bella's hand and kissed her palm. They climbed into Paul's truck, and headed to Charlie's.
The chief was good enough to have part of her things packed and ready to go. The wall decorations and the contents of her dresser and closet were all that remained to be taken care of.
Bella left most of the things that were hanging on the walls. Truthfully, 99% of it should have been retired more than a couple of years ago anyway. She was a married woman now, starting a new life, and she was ready to make new memories as well.
They made short work of moving the boxes out and cramming them into the truck. Jacob stood to the side as the last container got loaded. Running his fingers through his hair, he commented, "Jeez, Bells, I don't know where we're gonna put all this stuff."
"We can always put it all back in my room, and pick it up later."
Jacob's eyes widened. Was she serious? "Over my dead body . . ."
Bella sighed, exasperated. "Okay then, it goes in the Taj. You'll have to find another parking spot for the Rabbit."
"And the motorcycles, and your tools, and your air compressor," Paul teased, playfully slapping Jacob on the back. He roared heartily as he ran around the pickup; Jacob chasing him every step of the way.