Another day... another chapter... If you hadn't guessed already, it's all already typed and finished, except for the last chapter, that need a little tweaking... So I feel compleled to tell you that theres only about ten chapters in this little diddy, and now that we're on chapter seven... well you get the gist of it.
Without any adue... mothers group... :)
Alice took no notice of my blotchy face and red eyes, just unlocked the car and jumped on in, before checking her watch, before looking like she was doing some calculation in her head, and by the time I'd fastened my seatbelt, she'd smiled, shrugged and had her hands on the wheel.
I rolled my eyes at my friend's strange habits and leant my head back and closed my eyes.
I must have fallen asleep because I had no idea were we were when the car stopped.
I rubbed my eyes but it didn't make it any better, all I could make out was the little gravel car park where we'd parked, and a little building off to the side, tucked a way into the trees. It didn't look like Fork's anymore, more like La Push. I remembered La Push well, but hadn't been there in years, not since I'd gone away to college.
"Where the hell are we Ali?"
The evil damn pixie just smirked at me. She SMIRKED at ME!
"Oh, stop the freak out Bells, they won't murder you!"
"And who are they?"
Alice leapt from the car before she answered.
I groaned and concluded I had to follow her. So, I hauled my body from the car and followed her.
She walked ahead of me, and ducked agilely into the building before I could interrogate. The sight before me was horrendous.
"Mothers group?" I hissed into her ear, taking in the women lounging on the couches, one breastfeeding, another bottle feeding, another gently bouncing a tiny baby in her arms, lulling it to sleep.
And she had the nerve to smile at me!
A russet skinned woman came bounding up to us, "Alice?" she asked in a questioning tone.
Alice nodded excitedly, "and you must be Bella" she was so a mother, it wasn't funny. Her motherly energy was so comforting, and nurturing. Lucky fucking baby to have her as a Momma.
I nodded under her gaze.
"Yay!" she smiled.
Yay? Seriously? I shot a 'your-so-going-to-die-when-we-get-out-of-here' look.
"So, if you want to come on in, make yourselves comfortable, and chat and what not, please feel free. Tea and coffee are in the kitchen, help yourselves" And then she turned and walked back to the group.
Alice bounded behind her, and I zombied behind Alice. Feed me brains. I may have giggled slightly to myself at the thought. Alice may have heard and rolled her eyes at me.
"Everyone, this is Alice and Bella, Alice and Bella, this is everyone" she introduced, pointing both Alice and I out.
Yeah, that was helpful!
I took the opportunity of an open seat and flopped down on it.
"I'm Kim" the girl at the other end of the couch thrust her hand forward to shake mine.
"Bella"
"So, how far along are you?"
"Four and a half" I smiled, "but she's acting like a five months! You know what their like at that age!" I said sarcastically appauled, in a mock stagewhisper.
She laughed, so carefree.
"What about you? How old is this bundle of joy?" I smiled at the baby boy in blue.
"3 months! They grow up so quick! I'll be shipping him off to college before I know it!"
My mouth hung open, one because her 3 month old was still so tiny, and two because, this complete stranger, continued with my joke. I liked her.
"He's so small" I commented.
She nodded, "yeah, um, my husband was killed in Iraq, and the day of the funeral, I went into premature labour almost two months early"
I gasped, "Oh, my gosh, I'm so sorry" I squinted an eye to Alice, and shifted closer to Kim, "um, Kim, this isn't some widow's mothers group is it?"
Kim looked at me, and laughed, "no, not at all. The rest of them have perfect husbands and partners that they complain about constantly!"
I nodded, and blew out a sigh in relief. "Thank god, I don't think I could deal with everyone grieving"
Kim lowered her eyes, "do I want to know what happened to the baby-daddy?"
I shrugged, "he was going to propose, he was in New York, and he decided at the last minute he couldn't bare to wait any longer. In hindsight, I wish he had, we'd probably still be here with me" I looked at her tear rimmed eyes, "he wrapped his car around a tree, they never found his body. And he didn't know"
She shook her head. "That sucks" she said honestly.
I agreed. Yes, yes it did.
The noise of the door being opened and closed again, and a child's giggle sent us all looking that way.
"Jake's here" Kim smiled. "Our Mr Sunshine!"
The man walked in smiling, a little boy on his hip, a huge nappy/man bag on his other.
"EM-LY" the little boy wriggled out of Jake's arms' and tottered over to Emily. "Hi Junior!" she kissed his chubby cheek and he wrinkled his nose. "Hello Jacob"
This Jake man, who looked awfully familiar smiled at her, kissed her cheek, "hey Cus"
And then when he actually turned our way, and his eyes fell on me. His face contorted, as did mine.
"Isabella? No! Isabella! Swan! Bella Swan" He stated in confidence.
"Jacob Black!" I hauled my arse up, "how the hell are you?" I asked, taking him into a huge hug.
"Not bad, not bad" he laughed, the vibrations shaking our bodies, "what about you?"
I shrugged, "been better"
He let go of me and looked down at my bump, before laying his hands on it. "Congratulations" he whispered, "who's the lucky guy?"
My smiled faltered, "he died"
The usual happened, was everyone so predictable? He said sorry, gave me a hug and looked sympathetic.
And then the shocker...
"I know how it feels, my wife died of cancer" my jaw dropped, and I looked over to the cute little boy playing with other kids. I saw his eye line was in the same direction. "She gave her life for him" he whispered.
And cue the tears. And the more he explained, the more I cried. Apperently he and his wife, Alanna, had met first semester of college, and by the second, they were newlyweds and desperately trying to have a baby.
"Lana was so sure that her whole aim in life was to be a mother, and I loved her so much that I went along with it. When we didn't fall pregnant the first month, then the second, then the third, she was starting to get worried, but we kept trying and by the next year she was pregnant. It was at one of her check-ups that they got wind of the cancer in her blood. She was devestated. We both were, but in the end she decided that she wouldn't abort the baby to get the treatment. I desperately tried to talk her out of it, that we'd have more childern after the chemo, but she had to be alive for that! And you know what she told me?"
I shook my head, wrapped up in his life.
"She told me that it was her destiny in life to be a mother, and she knew that her time on this earth was never going to be for long. She said that she was meant to get in, have the most precious baby, and then get out again. And I simply bawled at that, as I curled up in her lap. But she said it was her destiny, so where was I to argue with her. She held Jay once, after she gave birth, and coded after she kissed him, and kissed me, and she was gone"
A single tear ran down his cheek, all the while I sobbed, watching his face.
Kim had left the seat, and Jake settled us both on there.
I wept fiercely into his shoulder; all the while he simply rubbed my back and cooed comforting words into my ear.
"Where did everyone go?" I asked huskily, noticing the now empty room.
Jake smiled, "they know that when someone cries with me, it's time to evacuate. They're probably on the jungle-gym outside"
I looked into his bloodshot eyes and realised he'd actually been crying with me. "Oh, Jake, I'm sorry" I rubbed his cheek with my thumb, while I cupped his face.
He simply laughed at me. "Geez Bella! Stop, please, you'll set me off again!"
I nodded, but left my hand where it was, gently caressing his face. The prickle from his stubble scratched roughly against my palm, and my thumb traced all over the contour of his cheek bone.
He was so different from before.
My father and his father had been the best of friends, so we had, evidentially, spent our childhoods in each others shadows. But it was at fifteen, at a beach party, we'd been dared to kiss. And kiss we did!
I looked to Jake in reassurance; he'd smirked and nodded eagerly which made me giggle. It had been strange and awkward edging closer and closer to each other, knowing what we were about to do, we had been practically siblings for years, but as soon as our lips touched sparks flew, fireworks popped, and this chaste little kiss got increasingly heated. There were masses of tongue, boob touching, and panting, until one of Jake's friends let out a howl, and another laughed 'Get a room'.
When we finally broke apart, breathing heavily due to lack of oxygen, we both looked at each other and burst into fits of giggles. He had my cherry gloss smeared all over his mouth, and I was sure that I probably looked the same.
He stood and held his hand out for me. I took it, and looked at him questioningly while I was hauled to my feet.
'Come on, I want to show you something' he'd whispered into my ear.
He slung his arm around my neck, and we proceeded to walk away from the bon-fire and group of our friends, cat-calls and whooping chasing us further down the beach.
'Where are you taking me, Jake?' I laughed, while he picked up the speed and started to run.
I was exhausted by the time he decided to stop. Before me was a pillar of rocks.
'Seriously? Jake?' I looked at the sight before me and raised my eyebrows.
He laughed, 'just follow would you woman?' and started clambering over the rocks.
'Is this how it's going to be Jakey? You just telling me what to do?' I tried to say in a straight face, all authoritatively, but my giggle ruined it.
He looked at me, 'are you finished yet?'
I rolled my eyes, but in the darkness I doubted he could see. 'Yeah, on my way'
And at that, I lost sight of him as he ducked around the last bit of rocks.
After an infinite number of scratches and scraps, I finally reached Jake, and if I hadn't been breathing so hard, the sight would have taken my breath away.
'It's a lagoon?' I almost shouted.
He nodded, 'and it's warm!' He threw off his shirt, and pants and stood before me in his boxer briefs. 'Coming'
I took in his delicious body, how the hell had I not seen that before? I nodded stiffly.
He ran into the water leaving me still standing there. I curled the sand through my toes, and built up my courage. Holding my boy shorts in place, I rolled my jeans down my legs. Jakes head popped up from beneath the water.
'Go away, you!' I shooed him, he laughed, and ducked back under the water again.
I shrugged off my check shirt, and played at the hem of the singlet, wondering how far to go with this.
Plucking courage from thin air, I pulled the black singlet over my head, then quickly unclasped my bra and let it fall too in the heap of clothes.
I walked to the waters edge slowly; my arms crossed strategically, my own hands cupping my breasts.
Jacob's head popped up, and then he stood. Beads of glittering silvered water rolled off his body, and the weight of saturated fabric caused his boxes to by riding lower on his hips than usual, giving a spectacular view of the 'V' he'd established.
His mouth hung slightly open.
One foot in front of the other, the water lapped up my legs. The silence was deafening. My heartbeat thundering.
I reached Jake, him still statue-still.
With a deep breath, I let go of my girls, and traced his cheek with my thumb, snaked my arm around his neck and pulled his mouth down to mine.
The kiss was hot and passionate and messy and dirty.
I broke off first, gasping for breath.
Jake held me like I was the most priceless piece of artwork known to man kind, both his hands pressed firmly against my bare back. He kissed down my throat, over my shoulder bone, and all over my breasts.
I couldn't suppress the moans that where coming from me if you paid me. They were involuntary and completely wanton.
We both bought each other to our peaks that night, although we did not have sexual relations. That night. Although, we didn't stay virgins for long.
As I looked into Jakes eyes now, so filled with knowing, all wise, I instantly regretted him having to go through what he did.
"I am so sorry, Jakey, you should have never have had to have gone through that" my voice was no better than a whisper.
He shook his head, "I remember the good times, the joy and love she had for junior. She always told me, even on her deathbed, that 'I don't regret this decision, and you damn well better not either'. I can't regret this Bella, I have to learn, and love again" his voice went a little quieter, "I think you should too"
I couldn't look away. The fire in his eyes, it was just like when we were young, having sex on the beach, hoping that we didn't get caught. Finally I nodded.
"Time, Jake, I need time"