And She Will Be Loved
* Three and a half years later*
"Hello everyone. I am talking today with the author of the world-wide bestseller, Choices, Anne Black! Thank you for being here, Mrs. Black." Oprah said smiling at Anne.
" Thank you for having me. It is my pleasure to be here." Anne said putting her hand on her pregnant stomach.
"Not to pry, dear. But how far along are you?" Oprah asked looking at Anne's stomach that was large and round.
"Eight months." Anne said smiling.
"And this will be your third. I met your adorable twins this morning and your husband. How long have the two of you been married?" Oprah asked.
"Yes, this will be our third. Jacob and I have been married for three and a half years. My twins are a handful at times. Kate is a lovable girl. But she has her father's sense of humor. Alex is my angel. He clings to me. He is definitely a mama's boy. I hope this one is a daddy's girl. Jacob thinks it is funny how Alex clings to me. We'll see how he likes it." Anne laughed, Oprah joined her.
"This is the second time you changed your name. Have you been married before?" Oprah asked. Anne laughed again.
"No, Jacob is my first and last husband if I have anything to say about it. I ran away when I was eighteen, almost nineteen. I ended up in Forks, Washington. Lovely place to be. Lots of green. Anyway, it was raining when I arrived. I ran through a forest and noticed a large house with a oak tree in front of it. I climbed the tree and slept in it. The youngest member of the family that lived in the house, Renesmee Cullen, found me the next morning.
"She took me up to the house and introduced me to her family. The Cullens adopted me as a nineteenth birthday present. I have lived with them since Renesmee found me." Anne said smiling.
"That is how you met your husband, correct? He is a friend of the family?" Oprah asked.
"Yes, he is Bella Cullen's best friend and she is one of mine. She is Renesmee's mother and is married to the Cullen's youngest son, Edward, who is Renesmee's father." Anne said.
"That is sweet. I believe the Cullen's are here with you today. Do you think they would mind joining us?" Oprah asked. Anne laughed.
"No, I think they would join us. Come on out, everyone!" Anne called.
Alex, Jacob and Kate came out first. Jacob was holding Kate's hand, and holding Alex back. Alex was struggling to get to Anne.
"Momma, momma!" Alex cried. The audience laughed. Jacob reached Anne, kissed her lovingly, then sat beside her, his hand on her knee, the twins in his lap. Next Carlisle, Esme, Edward, Bella, and Renesmee came out. The each kissed Anne's cheek then sat around her and Jacob. Lastly were Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett. They each kissed Anne's cheeks and sat on the outsides of the group.
Oprah laughed.
"Quite a large family you have here, Anne. I assume that the curly red haired girl is Renesmee?" Oprah said.
Anne smiled at Renesmee then looked back at Oprah.
"Yes. I will be forever grateful to her for it. If it wasn't for her, I would not have met her family or Jacob." Anne said quietly.
Jacob reached over and hugged Anne tightly. Anne hugged him back and the audience aw'ed. Jacob kissed Anne's cheek as he pulled away from her. Anne wiped her eyes as she turned back to Oprah.
"Sorry about that. I didn't mean to make a scene. "Anne said quietly.
"It's alright, hon. Being pregnant makes everyone emotional. Let's talk about your book, Choices. It is fiction. But it is loosely based off your life, is that right?" Oprah said.
"Yes. The main character, Anna, is based off of me. Her best friend and lover is Joseph, he is based off of Jacob. Anna's family is based off of my biological family. Joseph's family is based off of the Cullens. So, yes, I would say this book is based off my life." Anne said, smiling again. Jacob squeezed her knee.
"Can I ask, if it is not too personal, why the main character has a iguana named Izzie?" Oprah asked.
Anne laughed again.
"I said this book was based off my life. Until this past year I had an iguana named Izzie. He died. About a week later Jacob went out for an errand and came back with two tabby kittens, a black lab puppy, and a new iguana. We named the kittens Simba and Nala, the puppy Midnight, and the iguana is Izzie. I like the name Izzie. The twins adore the kittens and puppy. They sleep with them in their beds." Anne explained.
"That is sweet. I have always loved dogs. Now, back to your book. I have read it. My husband and kids have read it. Everyone I know has read it. I think everyone in the audience has read it. Millions of people worldwide have read it. It is a worldwide best seller. You probably are making millions of dollars off this book. So, what next? I mean you could never work another day in your life and you could still set your kids up for life too. So, are you going to continue writing or just see what you can make off Choices?" Oprah asked.
"I know. It has done so well in three years. No one is more shocked than me. I have checks ranging from one thousand to one million dollars every two weeks. I never actually had a mind set to finish the book. It just came to me. As for what I am doing next, I am currently writing a sequel to Choices. It is called Forever More. It is about Anna and Joseph's lives after Choices. I can only hope it dose as well as Choices has." Anne said smiling as Jacob kissed her head.
"Now, back to your life. You and Jacob have more than enough money to buy your own house and still have a nice life style. Do you plan to live with the Cullen's forever, or are you planning to buy your own house at some point?" Oprah asked looking around at the family.
"We do have enough money to buy multiple houses and still be well off. Jacob and I have talked about moving away, to be a smaller family. But in the end we decided not to do it. The Cullens own several houses across the country. When Jacob and I got married, Esme designed and built a smaller house for Jacob and my family on each property. The Cullens all live in a larger house on each property. So, no, we will never move away.
"The Cullens accepted a complete stranger into their home. They never complained about it. They never told me to leave, and meant it. Rosalie told me to leave once when she was angry with me. But she apologized when Jacob found me and brought me back. She and I have become quite close over the years, almost like sisters.
"The Cullens are the family I never had. I love all of them. As long as they are willing to keep me, I will stay. Jacob and I can't be away from each other for long without becoming very depressed. So he stays too. Anyway, technically I am a Cullen myself. So why not join the other kids and live with mom and dad. They don't mind. Esme loves to have her kids around her. And Carlisle wants Esme to be happy. Because if Esme is not happy, no one is happy." The family laughed.
"Have you always wanted to be a writer? Because if you couldn't tell, you are great at it…" Oprah said.
"Yes, I have always wanted to be a writer." Anne said smiling.
"You mentioned earlier that you never sat down to finish Choices. But you did finish it. So how did you do it? Did you just sit down and write until you were done?" Oprah asked.
"I never woke up and said 'I am going to finish Choices today.' About a week after my arrival to the Cullens, Jacob, who lived with them most of the time as well, had to go back to La Push where he was originally from. The day after he left, the family had to go to Seattle for the day. Esme made food for me, and then they left. I wrote the whole day, eating as I was writing. I wrote the last two chapters that day and typed it all. I sent it to my publisher the next day. The company sent it back with words of praise." Anne laughed
Oprah joined her.
"So , I just got word from my backstage crew that there are three more family members backstage. Should I call them out?" Oprah asked.
"I wasn't aware that we were missing anyone, but go ahead." Anne said confused.
"Cynthia, Sophi, and Dog, please come and join us!" Oprah called. Anne gasped and looked up. Cynthia was leading the family and was holding Sophi's, who was leading Dog with his gold collar and leash, hand. The three kissed, or in Dog's case licked, Anne's cheeks and went to sit beside Alice and Jasper.
"Now how are you three related to the Cullens?" Oprah asked.
"Alice is an old friend of mine. We grew up together. Carlisle and Esme have a lot of love, so they told me I was like family to them. So I consider Alice and her family, my family." Cynthia said taking Alice's hand.
"Well, this has been an interesting show. Now, I believe that Mrs. Black has agreed to a book signing. All of you in the audience are getting a free copy of Choices. But before we start that, I have one more question, Anne. Your dedication reads: 'To my Joseph and my family. I am happy we are so close. I love all of you. I will be forever grateful to all of you. Love, always, Anne.' Now you refer to Jacob and the Cullens in that dedication. Most people want to part from their family at some point. Why don't you? Your family is a bit odd. All of these grown people living together. Why do you do it?" Oprah asked.
"Like Cynthia said, Carlisle and Esme have a lot of love for every critter on the planet. They took a girl in that they didn't know and had never met before. They never complain. They have enough love for the entire family. As to why none of us leave, we all love living together as a big family. We are a huge family, but we all love each other more than we know how to express. It is hard to walk away from that amount of love and affection. Thank you for having us, Oprah. It has been my pleasure. Now, if you will give us a few minutes to set up a table and a chair in the lobby. Then you can send the audience out." Anne said as Jacob helped her up. Jacob kissed Anne tenderly, and then led the way off stage, still holding the twins. Oprah let out a soft laugh. Once all the Cullens had left, Anne turned to her, eyebrows raised.
"He was staring at you the entire time. The way he looked at you. I expected him to kiss you much sooner then that. He looks at you like he wants to lock the two of you in a room and never come out. He really loves you. That type of man is rare. But he does truly love you. He is a keeper." Oprah said staring after Jacob. Anne smiled.
"He does that a lot. He likes to stare at me. I've grown used to it. Because he does it so much. He probably would lock us in a room together if he could. He does love me. He has for quite some time now. I love him, too. You are right. He is one of a kind. I plan to keep him. Thank you again for having us." Anne said holding out her hand to Oprah. Oprah ignored the hand and pulled Anne into a hug.
Anne walked off stage and Jacob was waiting for her. He kissed her and she kissed him back. Jacob helped Anne into the chair that was set up, kissing her hand.
"Love you." Jacob murmured.
"Love you more." Anne whispered, leaning against him. Jacob purred.
The audience started to pour into the lobby. Alice gave Anne a purple sharpie as the other Cullens and Cynthia's family handed out copies of Choices. The audience lined up to get their books signed. One by one Anne signed the books. Soon Anne saw someone she recognized.
"Jessie! I didn't expect to see you here! Are your parents…" Anne asked as she signed Jessie's book.
"No, I took a leaf out of your book. I left. The day I turned eighteen, I was gone. I ran away with my boyfriend at the time, Andrew. We moved to New York and got married. I am pregnant. It will be a boy. I see that you are expecting too." Jessie said moving to one side as Anne continued to sign books.
"Good for you. New York. You always wanted to see New York. I am eight months along. You remember the boy that stood up to dad on my birthday? Well, I married him. I am expecting our third child. Stay in touch, Jess. I love you." Anne kissed Jessie's cheek as she walked away.
The last people in line were a family of four. The parents pushed the two girls forward. Anne smiled at the two girls.
"Hello, can I see your books so I can sign them? Thanks. What are your names?" Anne asked the two girls sweetly.
"Rose and Lily." The girls, obviously twins, answered.
"Here you are Rose and Lily." Anne said handing the books back. The girls hugged Anne before going back to their parents.
Anne smiled as the family left. She felt lips on the back of her neck and arms around her stomach.
"I love you, Jacob." Anne whispered tilting her head back to give him better access.
"Forever more..." Jacob said kissing Anne's temple. Anne giggled against Jacobs's mouth as he kissed her.