"BELLS!" I wasn't in the house completely before I was off the ground and gasping for air. I hadn't even registered Jacob's face before I was in his arms.

"Jake…put me…down…Need to…breath."

He laughed as he placed me on my feet. "Sorry Bells. I'm just so excited that you're home." He stood in front of me, placed his hand on my head then slid it forward to hit just below his chest. "Are you shrinking, Bells? I could have sworn we were the same height at one point."

I playfully slapped his away his hand. "You're just a beast, Jake. Geez," I stared up at him, "Maybe I am shrinking. There's no way you grew a whole foot in a few short months."

He looked out the window to the silver Volvo that was driving away. "A lot can change in a few months, Bells." He seemed thoughtful. I wondered if he had been watching us through the window.

I had to distract him, "Yeah, like the working condition of my truck."

He smiled down at me. His happy humor easily recalled. "I'm surprised that truck lasted you this long. It's gotten to the point it'll need a monthly check-up to keep running."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "You have to fix it, Jake. I want my truck at school."

"Bells, I don't think that old thing's going to be able to make another trip to New Hampshire."

"It has to. How am I going to get back and forth from school if I don't have a set of wheels?"

He stared back out the window to where the Volvo had been, "Looks like you got home fine without it to me, Bells."

I slapped his arm lightly. I knew from experience that I was more likely to hurt myself than him. "Jacob Black, were you spying on me?"

He cocked an eyebrow at me. "It's not spying when you're out in public like that, Bella. What happened? You used to be so shy about anything like that."

I walked into the living room with him on my heels. I needed to drop my duffle. "I don't know, Jake. Things are just different with him. I don't care what other people think." That wasn't true. I wanted people to see me with Edward. I felt the need to mark him as my own.

I walked up the stairs saying hey to Charlie in the living room on my way up. I could still feel Jake behind me. It was strange. As large as the boy was, he moved with such grace that I sometimes forgot that he was there. "So where's your truck now?"

"About thirty miles out from Forks. I pulled over for a moment, and when I tried to restart the car, it just wouldn't."

"That sucks. That means I'll have to get it towed. There's no way I can push that old heap of metal thirty miles."

I quickly turned toward him. "Why does everybody have to pick on my truck? It's worked great for me so far, and as soon as you fix it, it will work fine for me again."

He laughed, "Maybe I should kill the old thing. I don't think you should drive it any more, Bells."

"You can't kill my car. That's a crime. I'll report you to the police chief for murder."

He laughed, "You're gonna go tell your Daddy, Bells. What are we, 5?"

"Fine," I crossed my arms over my chest, "I'll tell the Quileute elders. I'm sure the head of the council will be especially interested in the crime you're planning to commit."

"Oh, now you're threatening to tell my father. At least grow up enough to be a teenage girl. Say you're gonna tell my girlfriend or something like that."

"Girlfriend?" I raised an eyebrow at him. "How come I didn't know about this?"

"How come I didn't know about that guy outside?" he countered.

"Touché" I unzipped my duffle and started to put things away. "So who is she?"

There was a blush forming under his russet skin, "Do you promise not to laugh?"

I placed a hand on my hip, "Jacob Black, why in the world would I laugh?"

"Well, try not to judge me, okay?"

I took a step closer to him. "I would never judge you, Jacob. If you like this girl, then I'm happy for you."

He studied my face for a few minutes before he spoke, "It's Leah."

I tried not to let my shock show on my face, but he'd always been able to read my face. "You're judging her, Bella."

"No, Jake. I swear I'm not. I'm just surprised. It used to be that you couldn't stand her. What happened?"

He took a deep breath and sat on the edge of my bed. I sat down next to him and waited. I sensed a long story. "When Sam and Emily got married over the summer, Leah was a mess. She had loved Sam so much, and the betrayal of her cousin was more than she could bear."

"She wandered into my garage from time to time, because we could sit together in silence. I was working on a dirt bike and she needed to find some peace."

"One day she just started yelling. She had built up so much anger that she just couldn't handle it anymore. She threw insult after insult at me."

"I couldn't take her yelling anymore. I really needed to shut her up, so I grabbed her and kissed her. I was surprised when she started kissing me back. We were deep into our heavy make-out session when Embry came by."

He laughed, "Boy was he shocked." His expression became serious. "Not nearly as surprised as I was. I'd never felt anything like that before. It was like nothing else existed but Leah. I don't know what to think."

I placed my hand on his knee. "I think you're in love, Jake."

His eyes locked with mine. "Do you think? It feels so strange. It didn't even feel like this when I kissed you."

I punched him playfully on the shoulder. "I don't consider that a kiss. I consider that an attack."

He leered at me, "You kissed me back."

I rolled my eyes. We'd been having this argument for about a year. "Whatever, Jake. Whatever helps you sleep at night."

After I finished unpacking, we headed down to the living room. "Hey, Dad. Have you eaten, yet?"

He looked up from whatever game he was watching. "No, I was waiting for you. I figured we could go to the diner tonight."

"Ugh" I closed my eyes. "I've had enough burger and fries to last me a life time. I'm just going to throw something together. Is Sue keeping the fridge stocked?"

Jake and I watched Charlie blush, "I think so." He tried to turn the attention from himself. "Leah used to come over with Sue, but she's been busy lately. Do you have any idea why that is, Jake."

Jake beamed. I hadn't realized how proud he was, "I hear she's taken up with some guy. She seems really happy."

I just walked out of the room. The men in my life were utterly crazy. Thinking of the men in my life, I pulled my phone out of my back pocket and messaged Edward. Home safe and sound?

Jacob walked into the kitchen behind me, "Your turn."

I glanced at him questioningly. "My turn for what?"

He rolled his eyes dramatically. "I told you about Leah. Now it's your turn to tell me about the shiny Volvo owner."

I looked at the refrigerator to buy myself some time. Now that Jacob was no longer trying to get me to fall in love with him, there was no reason not to tell him. "What do you want to know?"

He plopped into one of the kitchen chairs. "How about we start with the basics? Name, how you met, how long you've been dating, and we'll see where it goes from there."

My phone vibrated and I flipped it open to a message from Edward. Something like that. My mother hasn't stopped asking about you since I walked in the door. Maybe you should stop by tomorrow.

I smiled, knowing that I could see Edward tomorrow would make tonight easier. I think I might be able to work that out.

Jake caught onto my mood. "Is that him?"

I nodded, "Yeah," I looked up to see him watching me. Waiting for my explanation. "Fine, I'll tell you. His name's Edward Cullen. He's the new Dr.'s son. I met him the first day of classes when I literally fell on him. We've been dating since Thanksgiving. And as crazy as it sounds, I don't think I can live without him now. Are you happy?"

He was laughing, "You fell on the guy? You have to tell me that story in detail."

I growled incoherently. Jake knew about my clumsy tendencies. Once while I was in his garage, I tripped over nothing but my own two feet and hit my head on a hammer. That was a fun ER visit.

"Jake, I fell. It happens all the time. Do I really have to elaborate?" I was quickly putting together a casserole that would feed both Charlie and Jake. Jake never turned down one of my meals.

"Yep. I need to know how you managed to snag a guy, when his original impression of you was because of your lack of balance."

I rolled my eyes. I popped the casserole in the oven and fell into the seat across from him. "Well to start, this wasn't my fault. My new friend and roommate is determined to turn me into a 'fashionista'."

He scrunched his brow. "What in the hell is a fashionista?"

I laughed. "Exactly what it sounds like. A crazy person who tortures themselves to stay on top of the latest trends."

"Anyway, she forced me into a pair of heels the first day of classes, but I didn't go without a fight. When we finally left the room, we had to run. There was no way I was going to be able to run in heels. Everybody knows that. I can't even run in tennis shoes."

I laughed, "Poor guy was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I tripped and we both fell. My head hit the concrete and that was it."

He bunched his eyebrows together. If he continued to do that, the lines would be permanently etched in his skin. "That can't be the end. You didn't start dating until Thanksgiving, right?"

"Well, yeah. We spent several months hanging out. He drove me home Thanksgiving, and I kind of threw myself at him. I couldn't take it anymore."

He laughed. "That's incredible. Miss hide-in-the-back-of-the-class throws herself at a guy."

I blushed and ducked my head, "He was driving me crazy. We spent all of our time together, but he never made a move."

Jacob was still laughing, "Why would any guy make a move on you when they knew they could get you to throw yourself at them instead?"

"He was being a gentleman, Jake. You know, someone who goes out of his way to make others comfortable."

"Yeah, sure. I think he was just using the whole gentleman act to get in your pants, Bells. I mean, he was all over you out there. It's obvious you're sleeping together."

"JAKE!" I nearly fell out of my chair.

"Bells, are you okay?" Charlie called from the living room.

"Yeah, Dad. Supper's gonna be ready in ten minutes."

I turned back to Jacob, "Jake, we are not sleeping together. I mean, not in that sense. We sleep in the same bed, but we definitely don't do more."

He studied my face, "You're telling the truth."

"Yes, I am. We haven't done it yet. I'm not ready."

"You sure looked like you were ready. You were partially doing it right there on the street. Seriously, Bells. You need to tone down the PDA."

I laughed, "When you're around our group. Everything is public."

He cocked an eyebrow, "I think I need to spend some time with your friends. It sounds like it would be interesting."

The oven timer went off and I got up to get the casserole out. "You have no idea. You are staying for dinner, right?"

Jacob smiled, "You know me so well."

I snorted. Not an attractive habit, but it made Jacob's smile broaden. "Dad, supper's ready. You should come and get some before Jake eats it all."