Being There

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

A/N-thank you so much for the lovely reviews. I really appreciate it. Nikki :)

Part Forty One

Jacob thanked Leah for the food. "You owe me one, Jake." She gave him a sly wink. "I've left instructions how to heat it up. You can manage that, can't you?"

"Ha ha. See you later, Lee." He practically shoved her out of the door. Bella was in the bathroom getting ready and he didn't want her to know that he had got Leah to make the dinner. His utter hopelessness in the kitchen was renowned and he wanted to pull out all of the stops for the proposal dinner. He pictured Bella's face when he had first told her he was planning to cook a meal; he had never seen her so pale. She had replied quickly that she didn't mind making the meal, but he was adamant that she stay out of the kitchen.

To fool her he had turned the stove on and chopped up a few veggies to make it look like he was actually preparing something. He had ushered Bella off to the bathroom to take a shower and get ready while he finished setting the table and pouring some non-alcoholic wine. Jacob went into the bedroom he shared with Bella and quickly dressed in a white shirt, he rolled up the sleeves to the elbow. He put on a smart pair of black trousers and ran a hand through his short hair, making it look sexily messy just the way Bells liked it.

"Have I ever told you how hot you look, Black?" He said to his reflection in the mirror as he unbuttoned the shirt at the neck.

"Talking to yourself is the first sign of madness you know." Bella sailed into the room, a small towel wrapped around her middle and one on her head. "Especially if you have to compliment yourself."

Jacob laughed nervously. "I knew you were there." He said hastily.

Bella rolled her eyes. "No you didn't, you were too busy admiring yourself." She smiled at his embarrassment, tapping him on the butt as she passed him on her way to the wardrobe. "Although I have to admit you are perfectly right."

Jacob grinned at her teasing. Since she had come out of the hospital and settled into a routine with Brandon she had become more like her old self. He came up behind her as she tugged the towel off of her head, the long strands of her wet hair falling down her back. Jacob began to kiss the nape of her neck and tug on the towel that was wrapped around her body. "We could always skip dinner and go straight for dessert." He suggested hopefully.

"And waste that lovely dinner that Lee cooked for us. No way." Bella burst out laughing as she saw Jacob stare at her in astonishment.

"How did you know?" He complained.

"Lee phoned me earlier and told me to make sure to heat it up properly. She was worried about me getting food poisoning as I've only just come out of hospital." Bella told him, a smirk crossing her lips.

"I can heat up food." Jacob stood back and crossed his arms, a frown on his face.

"Jake you know I love you, but seriously, you can't even boil water without letting it burn." Bella twisted around and pulled his head down for a loving kiss. "Now go so that I can get ready."

"Can't I watch?" He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"No." Bella threw the towel so it landed on his head.

Jacob gave a mock sigh and pulled it off. "I suppose I better wait in the other room then."

"You do that." Bella called out as he shut the door after him. Jacob grinned happily as he strode down the hallway as he waited for Bella to get ready.

XXXXXX

Bella heated the dinner to make sure it was done thoroughly, although Jacob insisted on serving it up. He was having a lot of trouble concentrating as he was too preoccupied watching Bella. When she had first emerged from their room he had let out a low whistle; she was wearing a dark blue empire line dress that reached to just above her knees. The square neckline was lower than she usually wore and he could see the outline of her full breasts. She had put her hair up in a loose twist at the back of her head, letting some curls break free to frame her face. She looked stunning.

"Well what do you think?" Bella had asked him as she stood before him nervously. She smoothed down the front of the dress, the empire line hiding her slightly protruding stomach. It would take a while before she was as slim as before.

"You are the most beautiful woman that I have ever seen." Jacob had told her simply, coming over to give her a soft kiss on the lips. Bella had broken out into a big smile at this praise.

"Let's eat." She declared.

They were now sitting opposite each other, a candle burning in the middle of table as they ate the lovely meal that Leah had painstakingly prepared for them. "This is nice." Bella said formerly as she took dainty bites.

"Yeah." Jacob shoved a huge forkful in his mouth. "Who knew that Lee could actually cook?"

"Lucky for us she can, huh?" Bella reminded him.

Jacob grinned. "Guess so."

While Bella was still on her first serving, Jacob was on his third. Leah knew that a wolf's stomach was hard to fill so she had made plenty. They both chatted animatedly through the meal, talking about their parents, friends and of course Brandon. "It's so quiet here without the little guy." Jacob mused as he waited for Bella to finish eating.

"Yeah. Billy says that he has a good pair of lungs on him, although not as loud as you were apparently." Bella placed her knife and fork neatly in the middle of her plate as she finished up.

"Me, loud?" Jacob said incredulously. "What does he mean by that?"

Bella gave him a crafty smile. "These were his words and I quote; I always knew Jake had wolf in him he was always howling for his dinner."

Jacob frowned. "You wait until I see him." He muttered. He stood up and began to clear the plates away. Bella got up to help him but he made her sit back down. "Stay there honey. I just have to get something."

Bella gazed at him in confusion as she did as he asked. "Okay." She watched him dump the plates in the kitchen and then disappear into their room. What was he up to?

A moment later he re-emerged, a slightly nervous smile on his face. As he came back to the table he dimmed the lights a bit further so that it created a rather more romantic ambience, pouring them both a generous glass of the non-alcoholic wine. He sat back down and took Bella's hand in his own. "Bells." He said formerly.

"That's my name." She smiled back at him, picking up on his nervous vibe.

"Yeah." He gave her a rueful smile in return. "I need to ask you something."

Bella's expression became serious. "Jake, whatever it is we can deal with it together. Just tell me." She replied worriedly.

"It's nothing bad honey." Jacob interjected quickly. "Well I hope not."

"Jake?" Bella whined.

Jacob began to pull the small ring box from his pocket when he realised he had forgotten to do something. "Oh yeah, I'm supposed to kneel."

"Kneel?" Bella was completely bewildered now. "What for?"

"Bells, please. Just bear with me." Jacob knelt down before her and took her hand again.

Bella gasped when she saw Jacob take a small ring box out of his pocket and place it gently in the palm of the hand he was holding. Taking a deep breath he looked into her gorgeous brown eyes and said the words he had been practising for days. "Bella Swan will you marry me?"

"Marry?" Bella's voice was a squeak.

Jacob nodded. "Yeah, will you?"

"But you're not old enough." She protested as she gazed at the ring box, her hand trembling.

"I will be in six months. Come on, honey. Say yes." Jacob took the box back from her and opened it. Inside was a beautiful, simple gold ring with a small diamond. It sparkled in the candlelight.

Bella tentatively reached out and took the ring, turning it over and over in her hand. "It's lovely." She choked out, overcome with emotion. "Jake, was this Sarah's?"

Jacob nodded. "Yes. It was my mom's."

Bella held out her left hand and carefully slipped the ring onto her finger. It was slightly loose but that didn't matter. She watched as the small diamond sparkled. "Yes, Jake, I will marry you." She said softly.

Jacob grinned happily as he stood back up and pulled Bella out of her chair, swinging her around suddenly, making her squeal with surprise. Jacob laughed in delight and placed a passionate kiss on her lips, stealing her breath away.

XXXXXX

They lay back in their bed sated after making love. Jacob had been especially gentle with Bella and she loved him even more for it. She couldn't imagine any other woman in the world could be as happy as she was right now. She had a gorgeous man who loved and adored her, a beautiful baby boy, she was surrounded by good friends and a loving family and now to top it all she was engaged to be married. Bella had to laugh at herself, getting married was something that had always been low on her list of priorities. She had changed so much these past few months, all the things she had thought she wanted when she was growing up had been turned on their head. She couldn't imagine her life any other way then it was right now, in this moment.

Jacob turned on his side and leaned up on his elbow so he could look into her eyes. "What are you thinking about so hard?" He asked her, touching her cheek gently with his fingers.

"Just how happy I am. It's been a struggle to get where we are right now but the journey has been worth it." Bella smiled up at him as he leaned down to kiss her.

"Thanks for bringing the bikes to me that day, Bells." Jacob said after the kiss ended.

"That was the best decision I ever made." She replied. His expression had turned serious and Bella frowned. "What's wrong?"

"I just love you so much. I can't believe I got so lucky." He felt quite emotional and had to hide his face in her neck.

"It's okay, Jake." Bella stroked his hair. "I know how you feel. Sometimes things can feel too good to be true, but the way I see it we have to take each moment and enjoy them. I'm happy and I love you and our family. I am not going anywhere I promise."

Jacob raised his head and kissed her again. "You and me forever."

"Forever." Bella echoed him as she pulled him back down for another kiss.

XXXXXX

Embry chucked his bag into the back of his mom's old wreck of a car. Kay stood in the doorway, a glass of vodka in her hand. She stared at him dully. "When are you coming back?" She slurred.

Embry gave her a look of disgust. "I don't know." He muttered. He climbed into the front seat of his car, before he pulled away he leaned out of the window and called out to his mother. "Remember to give that letter to Bella, right?"

Kay nodded, her head hurting with the effort. "Letter, Bella got it." She mumbled.

Embry sighed as he watched her stagger back into the house, his desperation to escape washing over him. With one final glance back at his childhood home, Embry Call took off for destination unknown.

A/N-thanks for reading!