Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.
It was hard to believe that two months had passed so fast. Leah and Clay weren't dating yet, but he did know that she was a wolf and that he was her imprint. He wanted to take things slow, he had been reckless with his love before, he didn't want it to happen again. Leah understood since she had been in almost the exact same situation before.
Bella sat in one of the porch rocking chairs with Angus at her feet. A car she didn't recognize rounded the corner and Angus bounded down the stairs.
"Angus, no!" Bella yelled.
The car came to a stop a few feet from the porch. It was one of the old police cruisers that sat in the garage behind the station. It had a new paint job, but it was easy to tell where it had come from. Jacob got out of the car a few seconds later.
"Where did you get that?" she asked as she stood up.
"It's yours. You dad brought it by my house last weekend. I even got my boss to give it a paint job for free," he explained.
"It's mine?" she asked, perplexed.
He walked up the stairs, Angus jumping up and down at his feet. He handed her the keys and placed his hands on her now very large stomach. The boys came to life, kicking and moving like crazy. Angus yelped and whined, pawing at Jacob's leg.
"I know, I know; I missed you too," he said picking the dog up.
Angus squirmed in his arms, trying to lick him everywhere at once. Bella smiled, glad that Jacob was finally there. Even if he had just been there two weeks ago and she had spent last weekend in Forks, the time in between always dragged on forever.
"I missed you," she admitted.
"Well, you've got me for the next week," he said setting the dog down.
He wiped his face, cleaning it of Angus' slobber. He pulled Bella to him, leaning down to meet her since he had pulled her flush to him.
"I missed you too," he said before kissing her.
Her hands grabbed his shoulders tight, keeping him there. He nipped at her bottom lip, pleading for entrance.
"You know, that is really gross," Leah said from the yard.
"Then don't watch," Jacob said pointedly after pulling away from Bella.
"Be nice you two," Bella warned.
Leah walked up the stairs and stood beside him. She looked up at him through squinted eyes.
"Why are you here?" he asked her.
"I do believe that she said for you to be nice," she reminded him.
"She told both of us to be nice," he corrected her.
"Bella invited me over for dinner. Clay and Adam too," she said with indignation.
The three of them walked into the house in silence. Bella went into the kitchen to check on dinner while Leah could be heard in the living room. She was opening the oven when Jacob came up behind her.
"I can get it," she said with a sigh.
"That's not why I'm in here," he said with a laugh.
"Then what did you need?" she asked as she turned to face him.
He pulled her to him, giving her enough room to wrap her arms around his neck.
"I want a proper hello. We got interrupted before," he said before leaning down.
He brushed his lips to hers gently. She sighed against his lips, missing the contact when he pulled away. He leaned in again, this time it was more urgent. He led them to the counter, lifting her up onto it without breaking the kiss. She gripped his shoulders, pulling him closer. He braced himself on the counter as he leaned in farther.
They weren't always like this, even though Embry, Leah, and Rachel thought that they were. Their time spent together always seemed to fly by. That would all change in June. He would be done with school and he could take care of his family the way that he should.
Jacob was the one to pull away. Bella was breathless, but she was grinning from ear to ear.
"That was much better," he said with a content sigh.
Bella laughed breathlessly before burying her face in his neck. She planted kisses along his neck as he rubbed her back. They stayed like that even after they heard Leah let Clay and Adam in.
Bella finally pushed Jacob away when the timer went off. He helped her down before setting the table. Leah came in, putting Angus in the laundry room. She looked happy in a flushed, giddy, kind of way. Jacob hadn't seen her like that since Sam. It was a nice change from the frigid she wolf that she had been for the past year.
Clay came in followed by Adam a few seconds later. They all sat at the table and dinner was filled with laughter and conversation.
XXXX
After dinner Bella talked Clay into taking Leah for a walk. Adam would stay with her and Jacob, and they would have some much deserved time alone. Leah had been going over to his house twice a week since she had imprinted on him. Adam was a sweet kid, even if he was more than a little hyper.
Clay and Leah walked back to his house in silence. They were thankful to have some time alone, but they weren't used to it. He opened the door for her and once they were inside he took hold of her hand. He led her into the living room, but stopped just inside the entryway.
Adam's toys were scattered across the floor. The Wii controller that he had been using before they left was lying on the couch. It wasn't anything that she hadn't seen before. Clay hurriedly picked up the toys, putting them in a box by the windows.
"You don't have to do that," she said, getting his attention.
"I would have made him do this before we left if I had known that you were coming over," he said discerningly.
"You think this is bad? You should see Seth's room after his friends Colin and Brady come over. It looks like a tornado ran through it," she said with a scoff.
"You aren't allowed upstairs then," he said sternly.
She laughed before coming to sit on the couch. She picked up the game controller and sat it on the table where it belonged. He came to sit next to her a few seconds later. She turned to face him, taking him in.
"This is awkward," he said with a shaky laugh.
"A little," she agreed with a chuckle.
"I haven't been alone with a woman in this way in over seven years."
"I haven't been out of the game that long," she said with a scoff.
"Maybe I should get us something to drink," he offered.
"I don't want anything," she said shaking her head.
"Yeah, me neither."
Leah laughed again as her hair fell in front of her face. Clay pushed it behind her ear before leaning in. He cupped her neck, bringing her closer. Her lips were soft against his. Her heat was radiating off of her, warming them both.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. This was like nothing she had ever felt. Her senses were on alert, her heart rate accelerated. Kissing Clay was something that she would never grow tired of. Why hadn't the pack explained this to her? It was amazing! She would never make fun of Jacob and Bella again.
Clay pulled away before falling against the back of the couch.
"Wow," Leah said under her breath.
"Yeah," Clay said quietly.
He had felt it too. She heaved a sigh of relief, grateful that her feelings weren't one sided. He draped an arm over her shoulders before scooting closer to her.
"I take back what I said earlier."
"About what?" she questioned.
"I want you to come upstairs with me," he said with surety.
Leah looked over at him, trying to decipher if he was serious. He stood, pulling her with him. They quickly ran up the stairs, glad that Adam wasn't there.
XXXX
Bella woke up on Tuesday morning to an empty bed. She looked at the clock, noticing that it was almost eleven. She had to be at school in three hours. It would take at least an hour and a half to get there in the rain that was pounding against the cabin.
She got out of bed, rubbing the pain from her back. She walked up the hall, hearing the front door open. Angus went crazy as Jacob looked up the stairs.
Bella smiled down at him, and he winked at her before walking into the living room. She walked back down the hall to the bathroom. She started the shower before undressing. She was checking the water temperature when the door opened. She looked over her shoulder seeing Jacob standing in the doorway.
"Where were you?" she questioned curiously.
"Can't tell you," he teased.
"Why?" she asked with a laugh.
"You'll find out later," he promised.
She nodded before pulling back the curtain and stepping in. His profile was still visible through the curtain. He sat on the counter watching her.
"You have to work tonight, right?" he called over the rush of the water.
"Yeah, I won't be home until eleven," she confirmed.
"I might come down and bring you dinner," he offered.
"I might let you," she teased.
She washed her hair quickly, feeling him watching her.
"Hey," she called.
"Yeah?"
"Can you wash my back?" she questioned.
He undressed quickly and was behind her within seconds. His hands glided over her back before reaching for the loofah and body wash. He slowly ran the loofah over her back. She turned in his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"How can you love me so much?" she asked unsurely.
"Where did that come from?" he asked with a laugh.
"I'm fat, my ankles are swollen, I can't even see my feet," she pointed out.
"That doesn't matter," he said shaking his head.
"That pull you feel must be pretty powerful then," she muttered.
"That has nothing to do with it," he said with a sigh.
"Yes it does," she said looking up at him.
"Do you want to why the pull I have towards you has nothing to do with how much I love you?" he questioned with concern.
"Yes," she answered earnestly.
"I loved you before I imprinted on you," he confessed.
"What?" she asked with wide eyes.
"I realized that I loved you that day on First Beach. When you introduced me to your friends, but yet you spent the whole day with me," he explained.
"Why didn't you tell me? I wasn't with Edward then," she accused.
"But you were hung up on him. Even your friends from school could see it," he pointed out.
"You still should have told me. If you had, we could have been together then," she reprimanded.
"You would have gone out with me then? What about Edward?" he asked cautiously.
"I didn't know him then, not for what he really was. I would have forgotten about him. If you had told me sooner none of the trauma from the last two years would have happened. You wouldn't have joined the pack," she said with a sigh.
He reached behind her to turn off the water. She pulled open the curtain, grabbing herself a towel. Jacob was dry by the time he got out of the shower. He took the towel from her, wrapping it around her himself. He brushed her hair over her shoulder before kissing her forehead.
She stared at him, processing what he had just said. It was a lot to take in. If he had told her how he felt then than she never would have been with Edward. But she would still know love. She would have gladly gone out with Jacob then, even if just to see if they could have been more than friends.
XXXX
Jacob was at the station when she showed up for work at five. He was sitting at her desk with his feet propped up. As she got closer she noticed a spot on his chin, it was blue. She reached across the desk to wipe it off only to realize that it wouldn't come off.
"What is that?" she asked in curiosity.
"I was watching Adam earlier. We got into a paint war. I guess I didn't get it all off," he said like it wasn't a big deal.
"Leah went over to Clay's again?" she asked, amused.
"Yeah," he confirmed.
"She's been over there every day since Friday. Something must have happened," she rationalized.
"I noticed that she was nicer to me when I dropped Adam off," he stated.
"How did you get down here?" she questioned.
"Leah gave me a ride."
"So I'm stuck with you for my whole shift?" she asked in a bored tone.
"I am going to get you dinner later," he pointed out.
"My dad isn't going to like that you're here. He thinks you're a distraction," she confessed.
"What time is he coming in?"
"Nine."
"Well at least we have four hours together," he said hopefully.
Bella nodded as she turned on her computer. The station was empty except for the deputy who was in his office on the phone. The phone on her desk rang and she answered it.
"Forks Police Office," she said in greeting.
"Is Jake there?" Charlie asked.
"He won't be any trouble," she promised.
"That paper work had better be filed. If I find out that he helped you I'm gonna have to write you up," he warned.
"He won't help me," she promised.
"Okay, I'll see you later," he said lovingly.
"Bye Dad," she said before hanging up.
"What did he say?"
"That if you help me he'll write me up. Which means stay on that side," she said with a sigh.
"Carl called him," he said as it dawned on him.
"Yep," she said with a sigh.
"But I can stay?"
"Yeah," she said with a nod.
She got started on the paper work and by the time eight rolled around she was starving. Jacob was about to leave when she stopped him.
"Get something for my dad too."
He nodded before walking out the door. Carl had left at seven on a domestic dispute call. He would be back soon. The boys were stubbornly kicking her stomach as hard as they could. She rubbed her stomach slowly trying to calm them down.
"I know you guys miss him, he'll be back in a few minutes," she said knowing what was really wrong.
Jacob was back twenty minutes later with Charlie coming in behind him. Charlie called them into his office as he made room at his desk.
"I don't mind you coming here as long as you don't get in the way," he began.
"I won't," Jacob promised.
"Like you didn't the last time, or the time before that?" Charlie asked rationally.
"I knocked over the papers, I was picking them up. The other time, Bella was sick, she couldn't even hold her head up," Jacob said in defense.
"I'll accept that. But you should have told me that you were sick Bells," he reprimanded.
"Yes sir," she agreed.
"We need to talk about your maternity leave," he broached.
"I wasn't planning on taking it until at least June," she explained.
"Okay, when are you due?" he asked picking up a pen.
"July twenty second."
"When do you graduate Jake?" he asked writing something down on his desk calendar.
"June tenth."
"Here's what I can offer you, June sixth through August thirty first. That's nearly three months, which is more than most women get," he explained.
Bella nodded; glad that her dad was willing to work with her. He had been coming down on her for the past month, luckily he hadn't written her up yet. So much had been going on. She had lost the payroll list last week, only to realize that it was at home. She wasn't even supposed to have it; Lucielle usually took care of it but she had been out sick and had asked Bella to do it. Her dad had been livid. She had never heard him yell before. The yelling had come to a halt when she burst into tears. Her emotions and hormones were all out of whack.
XXXX
Jacob helped Bella up the stairs when they got home that night. He was behind her with one hand on her shoulder and the other at her back. She refused to let him carry her. She was about to go into their bedroom when the hand at her back took hold of her hand.
"Jake, I'm tired," she said with a sigh.
"I want to show you something," he said pulling her down the hall.
He stopped at the babies room then turned to look at her.
"Close your eyes," he ordered.
"Fine," she said irritably.
"You're gonna like this, I promise," he said encouragingly.
He opened the door and the light from the room made her clench her eyes shut even more. Since when had there been an overhead light in the room?
"Open your eyes," he coaxed.
She opened her eyes, blinking a few times to adjust to the light. The fan and light fixture weren't the only things that were different. The paint almost matched the color of the sky. It was the paint she and Jacob had picked out the day before. Her eyes misted over as she realized how long this must have taken him.
"It's perfect," she said with a smile.
"Adam helped me paint the trim," he explained.
The running board was white, just like she wanted. She walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He looked down at her lovingly. She craned her neck, pulling him down to meet her waiting lips. He pulled her closer so that she wouldn't be in pain. Angus whined from downstairs. Bella pulled away, starting to walk out of the room. Jacob pulled her back, making her stumble.
"Sorry. Stay with me," he apologized.
"He's in his crate?" she asked.
"Yeah," he said with a laugh.
"He can wait a few more minutes," she rationalized.
She rested her head on his chest, listening to his even breathing and steady heartbeat. He rested his head on her shoulder. They stayed that way letting the breeze from the open window cool them. They basked in the silence. In a few months times like this would be few and far between. They were going to take advantage of it while they could.
