I Loved Her First

JPOV

I'd had it. I couldn't take it anymore. I needed to talk to Edward about this. And he would hear me out whether he liked it or not. I was feeling so many emotions at once that I wasn't sure how I was able to contain myself. I was happy, nervous, in love, lustful, and so many other emotions that I felt like I would fly. I didn't let Nessie see any of it on my face, though. We talked to each other on the way back as if what happened last night was something that happened all the time.

When we finally got to the house and I parked my car in the garage, I followed Nessie into the house, and immediately started looking for Edward. I didn't see him in the living room where I figured he would be. Then Bella walked up to me and I looked at her. She smiled and I smiled back.

"Edward went to the west of the house into the forest. He said he would wait for you there." I nodded my head.

"Thanks Bells. He wasn't mad or anything was he?" Bella shrugged.

"I think irked is the better word." I smiled.

"Alright, that's not so bad. Thanks."

"Welcome." I waved goodbye to Bella and she waved goodbye to me as I walked out of the house. I walked into the woods and in the direction Bella had pointed me to. It took me a while to get to Edward, even with his scent to guide me. He was about two miles into the woods and away from the house. As Bella said, Edward looked irked. He was pinching the bridge of his nose and was facing me. I was about to speak.

"I know what you want to talk about, Jacob." I waited for a moment to let him recover from his aggravation. He looked like he was concentrating really hard. I gave him a minute to think, or whatever it was he was doing. When he was done, he sighed and took his hand away from his face. "She kissed you last night." I nodded.

"Yes."

"And you want to tell her how you feel."

"Yes." Edward looked at me a moment. I broke the silence. "Edward, I love her and you know I do. And I've never been surer that she loves me too. I've waited for her, doing as you've requested. I've, for the most part, not added fuel to the fire as you put it. I've let her sort through everything and let her make most of the decisions on her own. I've been the responsible one and I will continue to be such."

"Yes, I know. And I'm happy you did."

"You're an old fashioned type of guy, Edward. And I know that you have high moral standards and expect Nessie and I to follow by those standards. And I respect you Edward, more than I thought I ever would. You're a good husband, a great father and I've really come to think of you as a friend and someone I can look to."

"I'm glad to hear that Jacob." I smiled. He already knew what I was asking, but he wanted to hear me say it.

"So that having been said. I want to ask your permission, Edward, to…..court?" Edward smiled and nodded his head, reassuring me that my word choice was correct for his time. "I would like the permission to court your daughter." Edward smiled and walked a little closer to me.

"I know you love her, Jacob. I'm glad that she loves you too." My eyes lit up when he said that. "I thought you knew she loved you." I grinned from ear to ear.

"I know. But there's nothing quite like hearing it." Edward nodded his head and continued.

"Anyway, Jacob. I trust her with you. And I trust you to not force her into anything or let her force you into anything. I know that you're the only man I can trust to keep her safe and make her happy. I'll admit that I'm not happy with how fast all this happened. I knew it would happen, I just wasn't expecting it so soon." I nodded.

"I wasn't either. But it has happened. It happened for me a long time ago. And I don't know if I can stand not telling her for much longer." Edward and I looked at each other for a few minutes. I wished I could read his face, but I couldn't. It was like looking at a statue. When he finally did answer me, he sighed.

"Very well, Jacob, you may tell her. You know what my demands are for you two and I expect you not to ignore them." Edward's nose twitched slightly when I had my next thoughts. "No Jacob, I mean no sex. That's not up for negotiation."

"What if she asks me?" Edward rolled his eyes.

"Find a way to say no. And you know that I'll know if you two go against that. And believe me, Jacob, I really do think you would make a nice throw rug." I couldn't help but laugh. Edward laughed too.

"Alright Edward. No sex until we're married." Edward nodded.

"The last thing I want is my three year old daughter getting pregnant." I shuttered.

"It sounds so creepy when you say it like that."

"My point exactly. And to everyone else, she'll be a pregnant fifteen year old, which is far from better. You get what I'm saying. And don't you dare tell me to put her on the pill."

"I never said it. It was just a thought. There's ways of preventing it, and you know all the options we have." He began pinching his nose again.

"Jacob, please don't push my buttons. I just agreed to let you date my daughter. I suggest you avoid doing anything that will change my mind." I sighed.

"Alright, Edward. I won't push it." Edward smiled. He started walking away from me back to the house. He stopped abruptly when he got a few meters away from me.

"And one more thing Jacob." I turned to look at him. He looked over his shoulders back at me.

"Yeah, Edward?" His face was serious.

"No matter what happens or what is said, I want you to remember one thing." I nodded.

"What?"

"I loved her first, Jacob. Never forget that. When you have a daughter of your own one day, you'll know what it feels like to have to give her away, even though you know it's the right thing to do and what will make her happy. It doesn't make it any easier to let her go."

"I'll never take your place Edward. There will always be a place in her heart that belongs only to you. I'm only being given a different part." Edward smiled.

"Glad we came to this understanding, Jacob." I smiled and nodded.

"Thank you Edward, for letting me love her." He shook his head.

"Thank you Jacob, for making her happy." With that, Edward turned around and began walking back to the house. I stood there a moment, feeling really happy. I felt like I was on cloud nine. I had all the permission I needed. Now all I needed to do was tell Nessie. But I wanted it to be special, something she would never forget. Something she would be proud to tell people about whenever they asked how we fell in love. One thing was for sure. I had a lot of planning to do.