Coming Clean

Jake slips from the oversized king bed and grabs Bella's cell phone off her night stand. He steps outside of the small cottage and breathes deeply of the fresh, moist air. The early bird song floats through the wind as squirrels scurry in the brown leaves littering the ground. Dew beads dot the railing around the back porch. Clouds hang low in the sky giving off a gray hue.

He closes his eyes and centers himself with the serenity of nature. The vortex he is thrown into seems to only gain speed. Every choice seems to add to the momentum, to the point it has spun out of control. Everything he's worked for now teeters on the line of losing it forever, and when he releases the gust of wind everything will crumble. In the midst of Jake's plight, the wolf remains quiet and satiated with the knowledge of claiming his mate.

The real problem is waiting at his house. How the hell he is going to broach this subject with Bella, escapes him. He doesn't want lies between them. Jake knows he needs to explain the mark she wears on her shoulder plus the fucked up mess in La Push. They have to figure something out about the Volturi shit, and how to keep his mate and child safe.

Everything comes crashing onto Jake's shoulders, crushing the peace he woke with earlier. The descent downward started the moment he received a wedding invitation, and the spiral grew longer with no end in sight. Nothing made sense when Bella left him behind to be with his enemy. It was like waking up for the first time after a really bad dream and realizing the shit was real. He puts his head between his knees to calm the dizzying cyclone twisting inside.

Jake jerks up and looks down at the phone. He presses a button and the backdrop lights up, and he slides his thumb across the screen to unlock it. A pass code keypad pops up and makes Jake furrow his brow. First he tries Bella's birthday followed by her wedding date. When neither of those choices work he tries his birthday. The device accepts his entry and Jake can't help the smile from splitting his face.

He types out a quick text to Embry asking for some shorts and to meet him at the Cullen border. Jake makes his way down the path and waits on a rock for his brother to show. The spotted gray wolf steps from the brush a moment later. Embry comes up to the line but dances backwards a few steps while shaking his massive wolf head. A moment later Embry is naked on two legs grabbing two pairs of shorts, pulling a pair over his hips.

"You're a real shit corn, you know that?" Embry says, tossing Jake a pair of cut-offs. "Do you know what it took to get Leah Clearwater, to forgive me for that shit you pulled last night? Then, you pull me from her early in the morning before her patrol?" Embry roars as he paces the line.

"Em-"

Jake never saw the swing coming as he stumbles backward a few steps with the force behind Embry's blow. "You're right, I deserved that," Jake says as he rotates his sore jaw.

Embry lifts his chin into the wind and inhales."Why do you smell like sex and Bella Cullen?" Embry sneers as his eyes flash golden.

Jake straightens with a smirk on his face. "Is that a rhetorical question?"

The smirk drops from Jake's face at Embry's answering growl. "Things are complicated," Jake says as he shrugs his shoulders. There isn't a satisfactory way to describe the fucked up situation he's gotten himself into.

"I'll say, considering there's a chick at your house sleeping in the twins' old room," Embry points out.

Jake pulls on the cut-offs. "Yeah, that's the complication."

"On top of the fact that you are fucking the leech's wife," Embry says with a deflated chuckle. Suddenly, Embry snaps his head up and his expression is somber. "Bells isn't pregnant, is she? You are using protection, right?"

Jake stares at his childhood friend without blinking as Embry starts to shake his head in exaggerated disbelief. "Even Paul isn't that fucking stupid, Jake."

He clenches his teeth and the muscle in his jaw bounces at Embry's dose of reality. "For fuck's sake," Embry mumbles as he grips his hair while pacing. "How the fuck are we going to clean this up?"

Without waiting for an answer, Embry continues. "I don't get it. How does the girl at your place fit into this shit storm?"

"She's the tornado coming through Kansas," Jake says.

Embry glares at Jake as Jake rolls his eyes. "Remember the girl at the powwow I told you about?"

"Yea, you mentioned something like that before you took off without explaining."

Jake snorts and rakes a hand through his unruly hair. "Yeah, well, I'm married to her now, and she's kind of pregnant."

"What the fuck do you mean 'kinda'? Either she is or she isn't, there is no 'kinda'. And marriage?" Embry shouts. "You're fucking seventeen. Why the fuck would you want to get married now!"

Jake scrubs his face and leans against the rock behind him. He folds his arms over his chest and crosses his ankles as he watches Embry's pacing path start to muddy. "When I went home last night Aiyanna and her dad were at the house. She told me she is pregnant and Dad sprung an impromptu marriage on me."

"Because she is pregnant?"

Jake shakes his head. "That's the fucking kicker. Nobody knows about the pregnancy."

Their gazes meet as Embry quiets his pacing. "So, it's a possibility the kid isn't yours?"

Jake shrugs and leans his head back with a sigh. "I don't know. The wolf thinks so," Jake says as he once again meets Embry's stare. "I don't really remember much."

"Come on, Jake. How do you not know if you fucked her or not?" Embry's growl is full of irritation.

"Because I took something that fucked with my head," Jake roars. "I remember bits and pieces, but I remember Bella being there. And my dick smelled like pussy the next morning, so yeah I probably did fuck Aiyanna. But did I use a condom? Fuck no. It didn't cross my mind while I thought I was balls deep in Bella."

"I thought stuff didn't affect our systems anymore?"

"Yeah, well, me neither; that's why I didn't stop her from dosing my beer. I figured I'd burn it off before anything happened, ya know," Jake says as he pushes from the rock recliner. He shifts his weight from being too jittery and anxious to remain still much longer. "Fuck!"

Jake's roar scares the lingering wildlife into a fit of motion. Leaves and sticks rustle as they scamper to get the hell out of Dodge. He feels the inner turmoil flowing through Embry as Jake projects the same feelings back to him. They remain silent as they have a quiet conversation. In his heart, Jake knows Embry would do everything in his power to straighten Jake's mess out, just as he would do for Embry.

"I still don't see why you married her," Embry says as he leans against a nearby tree. Jake picks up where Embry left off on the pacing path. Mud squishes between his toes but it feels cool and refreshing as he reconnects with nature. He needs to phase; he feels it tickle along his spine with desperation to be let free.

Jake takes a minute to breathe deeply of the air around him with his eyes closed. He focuses on pushing the wolf back because he didn't have time for the animal's bullshit. His eyes open to find Embry's patience beginning to crack. "She said the kid is mine, Em."

"Yeah, but there is a fifty percent chance it's not yours," Embry counters.

"And there is an equal chance that it could be. What are you saying? If it's my kid and I don't claim it I'm a douchebag. If it isn't my kid.. Look, I'll know for sure one way or another in about six months," Jake shrugs.

"This is bogus," Embry starts pacing again as Jake leans back on his rock recliner.

Jake shrugs and sighs. "It's a fucking nightmare. But we have bigger problems."

The agitated wolf quiets his pacing to give Jake his full attention. Jake straightens to his full height mirroring his beta's posture. "There's some bloodsuckers heading towards the area and it would seem our neighborhood leeches have been keeping it a secret."

"Why?"

"They're coming for Bella. I'm going to need you in an hour, and bring Sam," Jake orders.

Embry narrows his eyes and lets a growl pass between them. "Two hours, and you take my patrol tonight for the shit you pulled with Leah," Embry says before dropping his shorts and dashing off into the forest as a spotted wolf.

Jake finds Bella in front of a full-length mirror studying her reflection. Her finger traces the purple oval imprints of passion left on her body from his grip. Bella's feather touch over the impressions of his teeth causes a shudder to flutter down her spine, pulling Jake to her. He swallows her tiny frame in his arms as he kisses the scar she touched. She presses her ass deeper into the pocket created by this muscular thighs.

"We need to talk about some things, Bells," Jake says as he lays his chin on her shoulder. He places a kiss on her shoulder blade and pulls away from her to sit on the bed. Jake picks at his fingernails, unable to meet her gaze for a minute. "I shouldn't have marked you, Bella. I shouldn't have taken that choice from you and for that I'm sorry."

"What does it mean?" She asks with a meek reply.

"It binds. Us. Together. Forever," Jake confesses.

The rustling of clothes draws his attention. Silk slides over her flushed flesh to cover her nudity. Salty water tingles his nose and Jake grabs her wrist as she turns from him to retreat. "It's not what you think, Bells. Look at me," he begs.

She sniffles and rakes her free hand through her hair. Her watery chocolate eyes makes him bite his lip against the whimper trapped in his throat. "You know I love you, Bella, and I wish you'd chosen me over the flea. But, Bells," he says as he cups her jaw. She leans into his touch and he releases the whimper. "Things are complicated now," he whispers.

Jake furrows his brow as he searches. He pulls the lip from between her teeth. She releases it along with the breath she was holding. "I'm married."

Bella pulls from his hold and folds her arms around her middle. Her head dips and her hair falls into her face. She shuffles from side to side. Jake looks away and tugs on the frayed edges of his cut-offs. "It was sudden. She's pregnant," he huffs.

"She's not your.."

Jake's head snaps up at her timid voice. The question hangs like a noose between them. Jake shakes his head. "No, Bells, no. Not that."

"I don't get it, Jake. If she's not your imprint, why would you marry her? Do you love her?" Bella asks as she shakes her head in disbelief. She brushes the salty escapee from her cheek with the back of her hand and hardens her stare.

"Bells, you know I love you. Only you."

Jake lets out a frustrated sigh as he scrubs his face really hard. He pulls his fingers through his hair and rests his elbows on his knees. "I fucked up. I got wasted and fucked up, big time. Everything is all upside down and backwards and I feel like I'm drowning in a sea of bullshit."

"Bella, I married her because if she is pregnant with my child I don't want it to go through what Embry did. I guess on some level, if that had never been brought to my attention, I wouldn't care as much. But she was at my house, with her dad, who had every intention of leaving her anyway. Then she tells me she's pregnant -"

"Wait." Jake stops talking as Bella's small, cool hand covers his lips. "What do you mean 'brought her with the intention of leaving her'? Does her father know she's pregnant and is pushing it off on someone else?"

Jake shakes his head and kisses Bella's palm, never breaking eye contact. She blushes and slowly pulls her hand away with a small smile. His lips twitch into a smirk sending her eyes into a barrel roll. He chuckles and grabs her about the waist and pulls her into his lap. Bella giggles and bats at his arms as he tightens his hold around her middle bringing her impossibly closer to his heart beneath his bared chest.

"I love you, Bells. Don't ever forget that, please," Jake whispers as he runs his nose along the exposed shoulder the robe is baring. He dusts light kisses along the soft pale flesh. Bella's gentle touch cups his cheek. Jake follows her guiding palm until they are eye-to-eye.

"I love you, too, Jake," she says and seals the promise with a passionate kiss.

Bella shifts in his lap, breaking their kiss long enough to circle his hips with her thighs. Jake opens her robe, baring her chest as she nestles deeper into his lap. Heated center to hard length, bare chest to bare chest, they seal their lips to pour their love and need into each other. He slips his hands under her robe to spread his fingers wide over her smooth back. Bella moans and rocks into his pelvis.

Jake pulls away from their kiss and licks the salt from his upper lip. He brushes the tear rolling down her cheek with a sweep of his thumb. Her hands lock around his neck as she communicates her need with her thrusting hips. His eyes close as he circles her hips with his large hands. The gentle swell of his babe in her womb fits above the cradle of his thumbs, and the knowledge sends a tingle of pleasure directly to his engorged dick, aching inside the tight confines of his shorts.

"Bells," he growls, as he stops her movements.

Jake's eyes fly open when he feels her tugging at the button of his cut-offs. "Don't deny me, Jake," she whispers as the tears continue to fall.

"Never," he promises as he sheaths himself into her welcoming heat.

A/N: Thank you for taking the time to read! :)