I took a deep, slow breath. Jake's lips parted into a huge, shockingly white grin.
"Ness," he laughed "You don't have to look so nervous. I'm not going to bite you." I smiled at that, thinking to myself how ironic that sounded coming from a werewolf, who was best friends with vampires.
"Jake, what's going on?"
"Renesmee... Nessie, from the first time I laid eyes on you, when you were just a little pink thing in Rosalie's arms, I've been drawn to you. Never in a romantic way, never like that. The reasoning for this is an old Quileute legend. It's called imprinting. The only thing I can think to compare it to would be... soul-mates. But, once you find that one person that you have imprinted on, it's impossible to break that bond. Have you ever wondored why I've never left you a single day of your life? When you were a baby - which didn't really last very long - I lived for your smile. When you were a small child, I lived for your laugh. When you grew into a beautiful little lady, I lived to protect you. And now, that you're a young woman, I live to make you happy and be anything that you want me to be. I love you, Renesmee. More than anything."
My mind couldn't process what he'd said at first. Then, it all came screaming at me with crushing force. This was why I couldn't figure out or place the look in Jacob's eyes when he would look at me in these past few months. This was why I didn't know why my heart lept out of my chest everytime I saw him. This was why when I was close to him, everything felt right.
"Ness, I won't force you into anything. I know this is a lot to take in, and if being with me isn't what you want, then I will step down and I won't ever bother you again. If you want to keep things the way they are, then I'm fine with that too."
When he saw that I hadn't changed my expression or hadn't said anything, he bowed his head, and turned to walk away. It was like he was turning to walk away with my heart.
"Jake!" I cried. He stopped, turning his head slightly. And then, I broke into a run and threw myself in his arms, wrapping my legs around his wide waist.
"Nessie..." he sighed, he caressed my face with his big hand. He was smiling and laughing quietly. How long had he been planning for this moment?
"Jake, I love you, too." I said, tears of pure happiness spilling over.
He looked down at me, a huge grin spread across his face. Then, his face got serious. I found myself stretching my neck to get on his eye level. I didn't know if anyone was watching, and honestly, I couldn't care less. I crushed my lips to his, and he didn't hesitate. His lips moved with mine, and in that moment, I realized I had everything. Everything I could possibly have, and more. I had never done anything to deserve any of this, and yet it was all being handed to me.
I twisted my fingers through his short, spiky hair. I could feel his hands on my back, crushing me closer to his blazing hot chest. I squeezed my legs tighter around him. He pulled away, his smile breaking the kiss.
"Renesmee..." he half-sighed and half-laughed. I turned my head to see what had rudely interupted one of the best moments of my life. My parents, accompanied by my entire family were all on the back porch of the house. They were all laughing, aswell. It looked like Esme had been crying her tearless cry.
"Eavesdropping, much?" I called.
"Ah, come on, Ness! It's not like you two were-"
"EMMETT! Let's not go there, please!" Dad cut in.
"Alright, guys. Leave them alone." Mom chimed in, and she was hurrying everyone in the house. No doubt, they'd be watching from the enormous wall of glass that overlooked the sprawling backyard.
"I love you." he said simply. He set me on my feet, keeping his strong warm arm around my waist. He led me back over to the shelter of the willow tree. We sat down on the cool grass, never letting go of one another,
"So, it doesn't feel ... wierd? Going from best friends, to... whatever this is?" I asked, almost hesitantly. Did I just make things even more wierd?
"No, not at all." he said, still smiling. "It's not for you, is it?"
"No, it feels... right. Like this is how things should be."
He leaned in again, looking as if he couldn't help himself. And, that was probably the case. He'd been holding all of this in for so long. I then realized that although I was at the development level and the size of a sixteen year old years ago, he would probably want to wait until I was officially sixteen years old, the same age as he was.
This kiss was less fierce, but came at me with the same head-spinning effect as the last one. It was filled with the pure sweetness of this new-found love. When Jacob pulled away, I found myself trying to make it last just another second longer.
Like he did so many times before in the last fifteen minutes, he said my name and laughed. We laid down in the grass and counted the clouds that drifted by through the opening in the branches above. We talked for hours, and stayed underneath the tree until the clear blue sky turned deep indigo, the stars sparkling, as if they knew that we were here.