Previously on BAB:

"You have two more years of high school and I have one. Let's not rush the little bit of childhood you have left by talking about such serious things, okay?"

"Someday we will."

Chapter 11

Jesse Uley's POV (I'm so excited to do his view! :D)

I was flipping through a photo album that Jazzlyn sent me of her new life in La Push when I felt the imprint pull tugging on me again. I sighed; Jazzlyn was missing me again. Like I wasn't dying to phase right now and go see her. I only had two hours until we were going down as a family to visit the Cullen-Blacks.

But I had to do things normally. We had forever to be together since she was frozen at nineteen and I was physically stuck in my early twenties. But I wanted Rosie to have a life without me, no matter how painful it was for me at the moment, because I respected Jacob enough to let him have these last two years with his youngest daughter before she would forever be mine.

Coming from a not-so-perfect family, I wanted Jazzlyn to have her normal life for as long as she could. I wasn't selfish enough to steal the remaining time from her parents.

"Jesse Uley! Get downstairs!" Rebecca yelled.

She had recently stopped calling me 'Jesse Umpta' which is the last name that my father Jaro Umpta, aka Joshua Uley, named me. I liked having my real name. Especially since it meant that Becca no longer saw me as just some unwanted guest that she took in out of pity that both my parents were dead.

After his death, she went back to her maiden name and when Mandi was born, she offered to adopt me legally, but I refused, though she was my legal guardian still. If I was a Black, then marrying Jazzlyn someday would be extremely weird. I had no blood relation to my imprint but I don't think other people would understand the circumstances if we shared the same last name. I was grateful for her aunt for raising me, but all I cared about was making things easier for Jazzlyn.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." I muttered, shutting Jazzlyn's scrapbook and setting it delicately on the nightstand by my bed. The binding was wearing out on the book and I knew I'd have to have Jazz make me another one soon. God, I missed her.

When I got downstairs, Mandi was bouncing up and down on the couch. Though she was fourteen, I knew that I would always picture her as a nine year old. She was completely full of energy all the time!

"Guess what, Jess?" Mandi asked, ever the ball of excitement, her grey eyes as wide as saucers as she tried to keep whatever secret she held.

"What, Amanda?" I asked with an eye roll. I had no time for my half sister's antics today; not when there was only a few hours until I could see Jazzlyn.

Though Joshua Uley was both of our fathers, Mandi definitely took more after Rebecca Black. Both women were easily distracted and loved anything with glitter. Oh, and they were both awful secret keepers (which I found surprising about Becca since she kept her husband's identity a secret for thirteen years until he died).

"Mom is letting us go to La Push!" Mandi shouted happily. Her curly black hair was tied up in a bun, though loose bits were falling in her face.

It was no secret that my little sister idolized the reservation. We had never set foot on the land where our father and Mandi's mother were born because Becca was too ashamed to return. When I helped Jazzlyn move in two months ago, I stopped by their house on the border, but that was as close as I got to my heritage.

"What?" I exclaimed, trying to hold on to my temper. Did Becca not understand the implications? Surely, she knew that I resembled Joshua and that anyone on the reservation would notice it too?

"I thought it would be best if everything was out in the open before we moved down there." Becca spoke up quietly. After I graduated and Mandi finished eighth grade, it was planned that our little family would move to Washington.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked her. Though she wasn't my mother, I still thought of her with the utmost respect and love. I could tell that this was going to be very difficult for her. "No one has to know about...dad."

Rebecca shook her head. "No, it's something that I have to do." She looked like she might get sick. "I've been a coward about this for far too long. It's time to face up to my mistakes."

"You were young and in love." I reminded her.

"So was Julie." Becca said quietly. We had never spoken of Sam's mother before and I knew this trip was going to be painful for Rebecca. Julie Uley moved off of the reservation as soon as Sam turned eighteen though, so at least Becca wouldn't have to face the woman whose husband she stole.

"I'm excited." Mandi interfered, trying to lighten the mood. "I don't care what happened...I have another older brother that I get to meet. And cousins!" She blinked when Becca frowned at her.

"I mean, more cousins." She added lightly. "I know that Rosie, EJ, and Carlie are my cousins, but they're just a bit...odd." Mandi, since she wasn't a wolf and Becca didn't want her to grow up thinking I was weird, was never told the Quilluite legends.

Amanda looked at me seriously. "How many kids does Sam have again?"

Since Jazzlyn was in contact with them everyday at school, I knew a lot about our cousins. "Six."

"SIX?" Mandi looked like she was about to explode from happiness. "I have six cousins! Nine, counting the Cullen-Blacks." She looked thoughtful. "And I'm the baby, aren't I?" Her mood seemed to dampen a little.

"Miley, the youngest, is only a year older than you. I think you'd like her." I added with a small smile.

"Really?" Mandi asked, her grey eyes hopeful and innocent.

I couldn't ruin this trip for her, even though I knew that the Uleys, Sam especially, might not be completely welcoming to the family that ruined his as a kid.