Chapter 25:
Bella POV:
The nurse took me downstairs in a wheelchair and we waited for Jacob to pull up in the truck. He parked, got out and came around to open the door for me. I noticed that he had thrown the old blanket that we keep in the truck to take to the beach over the seat to hide the blood. I appreciated that. I hoped we could clean the truck eventually and get the stains out. The back window still said, "Just Married," but the crepe paper was gone. Just married . . . hard to believe my wedding was just a couple of days ago.
We drove home to La Push, both of us rather quiet. I was nervous about the baby and hoping we wouldn't have to make a return visit to the hospital anytime too soon. Jake pulled up the house and I felt excited to finally be here. Then I noticed Jacob's wedding gift . . . there was a swing hanging on the front porch with a big white bow around it. "Jacob! I love it!" I looked over at him. "Thank you."
He smiled at me as he parked the truck. "You're very welcome. It's funny – the night I got the idea to buy you the swing, Quil had just told me one of his 'Claire' stories. I was standing on the front porch and thought about us sitting on a swing, watching the kids play in the front yard. I figured that Quil had put that thought in my head because of Claire. I had no idea then that it would really be happening so soon." He reached over and gently placed his hand on my belly. Then he leaned in and kissed me and I melted. He was so sweet . . . I couldn't wait to swing my baby on the porch.
Jacob got out of the truck, came around and opened the door. He scooped me up into his arms, pushed the door closed, then carried me up the walk and onto the porch. I really wanted to try out the swing, but Jake told me maybe tomorrow if I was a good girl. He put his key in the lock and opened the door then whispered into my ear, "Welcome home, Mrs. Black." I put my hand on his cheek and kissed him softly on the lips.
Jake stepped inside then stopped. Our living room had furniture in it - a couch, an end table and lamp, and a chair. And a new TV! I looked at Jake and asked him, "Where did this come from?"
He shook his head, and said, "I don't know, but I see a note." He set me down gently on the couch, then picked up the note and read, "Surprise! Love, Charlie and Renee."
"Oh my gosh! They didn't have to do that . . . but I'm really glad they did," Bella gushed. "Hand me the phone. I am going to call her right now."
Jacob POV:
I handed her the cell phone, and while she talked with her mom, I went back out to the truck to get our bags, and the vase of flowers that Alice had brought for Bella. I walked back into the house and set the flowers on the kitchen table then went down the hall to the bedroom to drop off our bags. I pulled back the covers back on the bed and fluffed the pillows. I stood there for a moment wishing we had had the wedding night we both had planned. I remembered back to last week when the bed was delivered. Now that was a fun night! I smiled. Hopefully, we will have years ahead of us to have more nights like that.
I went back out to the living room just as Bella hung up the phone. "She said she was glad we everything. I see our wedding gifts are here, too," she said to me.
"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you about that. Embry, Quil and Seth brought them yesterday, along with leftovers from the party. Emily added some groceries too," I finished.
"I can't believe that everyone would do that for us," she said.
"Bella, they're family. That's how family is," I told her. "You better get used to it."
"Wow," was all she could say.
"I'm hungry. I'll go look and see what we've got to eat. You OK here?" I asked her.
"Yes, I'm fine."
"Be right back," I said as I turned and went into the kitchen. I opened the fridge and took out several plastic containers. There was potato salad, chicken, ham, green beans, pasta salad, and more. I opened the cupboard and took out a couple of plates and put some food on each plate. I put one in the microwave and started it to heat the food. Then I took a couple of glasses out, put ice in them and filled them with water. I set them on the table, along with silverware. I finished heating the food then set the plates on the table.
"Dinner's ready," I said as I walked into the living room. "Bella? What's wrong? Is it the baby? Why are you crying?" I rushed over to kneel in front of her as soon as I noticed her crying.
"Oh Jake," she sniffed. "I just read the instructions they sent home with me from the hospital. Do you know that we can't have sex for two weeks? I'm supposed to wait until my check-up."
I laughed softly and said, "God Bells, you scared me to death!" I pulled her into my arms. "Honey, it's OK. We can wait. Why are you crying?"
"We have been married for almost three days and we haven't even slept together. And now we can't have our wedding night for two more weeks," she wailed. Then she looked at me and saw me laughing. "And it's NOT funny. Stop laughing!"
"I'm sorry, Bells. You don't need to be so upset. We are going to sleep together in our big bed tonight, and I'll kiss you and hold you. Believe me, that will an improvement over the last couple of nights," I told her as kissed her on the head.
"I know. You're right," she said as she sat up. She wiped her eyes with her hand, looked at me and said, "I just wanted to be with you, you know, as your wife."
I put my hand on her neck and brought her close to me then kissed her softly on the lips. I pulled back and said, "Bella, believe me, I want nothing more than to be with you as your husband. You know that, right?" She nodded. "But we have lots of years ahead of us. Waiting a couple of weeks is nothing."
She smiled. "I know, I'm being stupid."
I hugged her close. "Yes, but I love you anyway." She smacked me on the arm, of course.
"Come on. I made you dinner," I stood up and held out my hand to help her up. "You want to walk?" She nodded, so we walked very slowly to the kitchen with my arm around her. I pulled out a chair and helped her sit down.
"Our first dinner in our new house, sitting at the table we painted together. This is really nice . . . thanks."
"You're welcome. Come on, now, eat. You're eating for two now, you know," I said with a smile.
"I know I am, but how many are you eating for?" she asked as she looked at my plate heaped with food. "I hope this baby doesn't come with an appetite like that."
We both laughed then started eating. I looked over at her and thought, "This is like a dream." We were finally here, in our house, at our table, sharing dinner. I was afraid I would wake up and it would all be gone.
Bella POV:
We were sitting in the living room after dinner when we decided to open our wedding gifts. Jacob got me a notepad and pencil so I could make a list of who gave us what, so I could write thank you notes. That's one thing I can do this week sitting down.
It was so much fun. I would open one then he would open one. Our family and friends had been way too generous: the wedding, the party, the food, the furniture . . . and now all of these fun gifts for the house. We got kitchen appliances, sheets, blankets, towels, picture frames, candles . . . all kinds of things.
"Wow. I can't believe all of this. I feel like I won the lottery or something," I told Jacob after we opened the last one.
He laughed and said, "Yeah, but now we have to put it all away. I'll go get a garbage bag for all of this wrapping paper."
As he went to the kitchen, I sat there and looked around and felt like crying – again. Geez, I have to stop crying so much. But this was just amazing.
Jacob came back and cleaned up all of the trash. "Let's just leave this here until tomorrow. I'm beat," he said as he plopped down on the couch next to me. We decided to try the TV. I handed him the remote and told him as the "Man of the House," he could have the honor.
He grinned at me and said, "Damn right!" Then he pointed the remote at the TV, and began flicking channels.
We watched a little TV then I turned to him and said, "Jake? I feel so gross, I really would like to clean up before we go to bed. Do you think that you could help me take a shower? The instructions say that I can shower, but I need to make sure someone is with me in the bathroom so I don't fall."
"I would love to help you take a shower," Jacob said with a grin. He stood up and helped me up off the couch. Then he scooped me up and carried me to the bathroom. He set me down, and asked, "Where are the bath towels?"
"Under the sink," I answered as I turned on the water in the shower. He put two bath towels out. I looked at him and raised my eyebrows.
"Well, how am I going to make sure that you don't slip and fall if I'm not in the shower with you?" Jacob answered, trying to sound so serious.
I laughed. Yeah, I should have seen that one coming.
I pulled my t-shirt over my head and threw it on the floor. Then I pulled my sweatpants and underwear down and sat down on the toilet to pull them off. I pulled off my socks, reached around to unhook my bra and stood up again. I looked over to see Jake standing there just watching me. He had pulled his shirt off and was just standing there with it in his hand, staring at me.
"What?" I asked him.
He dropped his shirt and moved to stand in front of me. He reached out and put his hands on my hips then he looked down at me and smiled a slow smile. "I am standing here in the bathroom with my beautiful wife, and she's naked. This is just going to take a little getting used to." He bent down and kissed me, long and slow. He raised his head and said, "You'll run out of hot water if you don't get in soon."
How could I move? This man is so sexy. There is no way I am going to be able to resist him for two whole weeks.
I smiled at him and forced myself to let him help me into the shower. I tilted my head back and let the water run over my head. Jake stepped in and pulled the curtain closed. I grabbed the shampoo, dumped some in my hand, and put it my hair. I felt his hands in my hair, rubbing my scalp so I let my hands fall to my side. Oh. My. God. This feels so good. He massaged my scalp for a time then he told me to rinse. I leaned my head back and let the water rinse my hair. I put my head back up and opened my eyes to smile at him. He held up the conditioner. I held out my hand and he squirted some onto my palm. I put it in my hair, ran it through then rinsed it out. Jake was so intensely quiet. He had his hands resting on my hips to make sure I stayed steady. "Is this too much for you?" I asked as I glanced down to see his huge erection.
"No. I'm sorry. I don't want to make you uncomfortable," he said somewhat shyly, which made me smile.
"You're not." I picked up the soap, rubbed it in my hands to get them good and soapy then instead of washing myself, I rubbed my hands across Jake's chest, up around his neck and over his shoulders. Jake had closed his eyes and tilted his head back. After my second pass over his chest, he opened his eyes and looked into my eyes. Then he bent his head and put his lips on mine, groaning a little as my tongue invaded his mouth. While we were kissing, I let my hands slide farther down until suddenly, Jake's hands left my hips and grabbed my wrists to stop me. He pulled away and looked down at me and said, "Bella. I'm not quite as strong as I thought I was." He gave me a small smile. I looked down and could see what he was talking about.
"Sorry," I said sheepishly.
He brought my hands back up to his chest. "Believe me, Bella, I was loving it. And I totally plan to do this again when we don't have to be careful. You have no idea how many times I played this fantasy in my head." He bent down and kissed me again, this time more chaste. "But for now, I think you better wash up so we can get out and get you to bed."
I picked up the soap and washed quickly. Jacob helped me out of the tub and I picked up a towel and started drying off. I heard Jake give a little yelp, which I assumed meant he turned the water to cold. Poor Jake! I had finished drying, so I wrapped the towel around me and sat down on the toilet to wait for Jacob. I was feeling a little light headed. I wasn't sure if that was from standing too long, or from the kissing, but either way, I didn't want to fall on the way to the bedroom. The water stopped, Jacob slid the curtain back and I handed him a towel. He stepped out and began drying himself. I couldn't help but watch. I loved Jacob's body . . . it was strong and so . . .
I looked up to see he noticed I was watching. He grinned at me then wrapped his towel around his waist. I stood up and he again scooped me into his arms to walk into the bedroom.
"You know, I could get used to this," I told him. "Being carried everywhere in your big, strong arms."
"Yeah? I saw you checking me out in there. I know you think I'm hot."
"Yeah, me and my mom," I said with a grin. I knew it was mean, but I couldn't help myself.
He groaned as he set me gently on the bed. "Stop it," he scolded lightly as I snickered. "I don't know where your pajamas are, so" he reached over and picked up one of his clean t-shirts out of a box and handed it to me, "Why don't you just wear this for tonight? I'll try to do some unpacking tomorrow."
I nodded and put the t-shirt over my head. I took the towel from around me then put my arms into the sleeves and pulled it down. Jacob let his towel fall to the floor then he picked up a clean pair of boxers and slipped them on. He picked up his towel and took mine from me and walked back to the bathroom. I saw my bag from the hospital on the floor beside me. I knew there was another pair of clean underwear in there, so I reached down, found them and slipped them on. I reached back into the bag and took out my hair brush and started brushing the tangles out of my hair.
Jacob walked in and said, "Do you want me to do that for you again?
I smiled and said, "Not tonight. I'm finished brushing and I'm tired." I handed him the hair brush and he put it on the bedside table.
He turned off the light, and said, "Alright, into bed." I scooted carefully back and laid down on the bed. He climbed in behind me, laid down then reached for me. He pulled me into his arms and I felt myself melt against his body. This is what I had been waiting for . . . just the two of us, laying in this big bed together. I sighed.
"Me, too, Bells. This feels good."
"Jake? I'm sorry you had to finish your shower with cold water. Forgive me?"
He rolled to his side to face me. It had taken a few minutes for my eyes to adjust to the dark, and now I could see his face. He smiled and said, "Of course I forgive you. But . . . watch out for payback someday."
I smiled back. "I will look forward to it."
He leaned in and kissed me, gently and hesitantly. He deepened the kiss for a little bit then suddenly pulled back. His hands found the hem of my t-shirt up and he pulled on it just so that my belly was showing. He leaned down and kissed it softly and I heard him whisper, "I love you, little one." Then he pulled my shirt back down and pulled the sheet over me. "Bella, I know the timing isn't the best, but I want you to know that I want to be the best husband and father that I can be. I will do anything and everything to make you and this baby happy."
"I know that, Jacob." I put my hand on his face and looked into his eyes. "I love you."
"I love you, too, both of you, so much." He pulled me into his arms again. I felt the heat of his body surround me and relax me like it always did. Finally, for the first time in a very long time, we both slept peacefully.