AMOC: Chapter 6: Family Ties

If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance.
George Bernard Shaw

JPOV:

Driving over to Bella's I tried to remember the last time I brought a woman home for dinner with my family. It took quite some time to recall it. It wasn't a good memory but it wasn't entirely bad either.

Dad set it all up. He wanted to get to know the girl who was taking my attention away from studies and my side job. I swore to Dad she wasn't the main reason for my sudden laziness. There was something else entirely bothering me but I wasn't about to share it with him.

Everyone treated Lauren politely but as we were leaving I remembered my father asking Lauren if he could talk to her privately. I tried to talk him out of it but he insisted he wouldn't do or say anything to harm our relationship. Their talk took about thirty minutes before she stepped out of his study with a tight smile on her face. My father seemed more pleased than she did.

Six weeks after that conversation Lauren announced she wanted to see other people. My heart shattered and I tried to encourage her to talk to me about whatever it was that was bothering her but she kept a tight lip. We managed to get back together a couple of months later before the relationship went up in smoke.

I swore I would never bring another girl home again. Although she swore her little private conversation with my dad hadn't played a role in her reasoning for our first breakup, I still suspected it played a pivotal part. Then later on I learned Lauren wasn't breaking my heart because of the talk with my father, oh no, there was other problems that eventually destroyed any hope we might have of being together.

Tonight however would be different, Dad adored Bella and he was encouraging our marriage to one another. I knew he wouldn't do or say anything that might ruin this union.

Bella and Charlotte were promptly ready when I picked them up and for most of the ride over, they were oddly quiet. Charlotte looked out the window and seemed quite content with the silence. The girl was starting to puzzle me. She was unlike what I imagined a three old to be.

We arrived on time and the second we stepped into Rachel's house both Bella and Charlotte were alert and talking to everyone but me. I knew it shouldn't bother me but it did. It made sense since they knew my family better than they knew me but it still stung my pride watching them as they came alive in the presence of people that made me cringe.

"You look amazing." Rachel exclaimed as she gave Bella a quick hug.

Charlotte and Paul Jr. raced off into his room to play together while the women went off to finish the last minute details of our dinner. Paul shook my hand but I saw a coldness in his eyes that warned me that he wasn't exactly fond of me. Becca and her son, Bryce were late as usual. Becca didn't care too much about the needs of others. She lived in her own little universe.

Dad came into the living room looking better than he had earlier in the day. I was relieved to see the color in his cheeks.

"Good to see you son." Dad greeted me far warmer than he normally did. I nodded my head in response and went off to the kitchen in hopes of finding a beer.

"Hey Rachel do you have any beers?" I asked as she and Bella were busying themselves with the food.

"Sure, in the fridge." She answers without looking at me.

I grabbed the beer and started to walk out when I spied Bella icing a double layer chocolate cake. She was working with such precision you would think she was a surgeon working on a heart patient.

Smiling I walked back into the living room where Dad and Paul were conversing about some new project that he put Paul in charge of.

"I still think if we can hit the bigger markets we could make a better profit."

"I know we would but it takes a lot of money to get that sort of advertising and right now I don't want waste a dime if we don't have too." Dad answered.

"Advertising? This sounds interesting." I chuckled as I approached them.

"This doesn't concern you." Paul replied quite rudely.

I watched as my dad gave Paul a stern look that made weaker men piss on themselves.

"Not true Paul. Jake here spent my hard earned money on a college degree to learn about advertising."

For a second, I wasn't sure if he was complimenting me or making fun of my career choice. We both knew he was disappointed I didn't major in business like he had expected me to.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt." I started to walk away as I took a much needed drink.

"No, you might help me convince Paul here that advertising doesn't come at a cheap price. Plus if you don't reach the right market then it's waste of money."

Taking a moment I thought about how to respond to his statement.

Looking at Paul directly in the eyes, I decided to give them my honest opinion. If they didn't like it, well they could just kiss my ass. I was the only one in the room with experience in the area.

"He's right. I know you won't hear me say that too often but he is. You have to know who your audience is and what time slot is best for the commercials to be shown and if you want billboards then you need to have it the right spots where it can be seen. It can cost you thousands of dollars and if done right then it's worth the money spent but if not, then you just pretty much threw out a nice chunk of money for nothing."

"What about your company? Do you think they would give us a good deal since you work for them?" Paul looked hopeful.

"I doubt it. I quit."

Both Paul and Dad took a deep breath and gave me a bewildered look.

"My boss called today wanting me to come back to Seattle to help our clients with their new commercials and I explained I had other priorities here and couldn't get away, so he threaten my job." Shrugging my shoulders I took another drink.

"Does this mean you are staying here after you get married?" Becca walked into the room wearing an annoyed look on her face.

"Of course. I wouldn't uproot Bella and Charlotte."

"What will you do then?" Becca was giving the third degree like when we were kids. Although I didn't think it was any of her business what I did with my personal or professional life I knew the others, like her, was waiting for my answer.

"Not sure really. For the first time I don't have a plan."

"How does Bella feel about that?" Becca snorted.

"How does Bella feel about what?" Bella walked into the room with a glass of wine in her hand and a look that led me to believe she wasn't as fond of Becca as the rest of us. There was hope for her after all.

"Jake quit his job." Becca announced before I could say a word.

"Oh. Why did you do that?" Bella looked at me and ignored everyone else in the room.

"Like I said, my boss wanted me to rush back to work today and help him with a client that wasn't even really mine. I explained it would have to wait and he threaten to fire me, so I made it easier on him and quit."

"Wow. Sounds like you did the right thing." Bella replied bluntly.

A smile crept up on my face and I felt a surge of unexpected joy in hearing her words. She didn't judge me or question my reasoning but agreed with my decision. This was more than a surprise, it was downright shocking. Most women would have been freaking out that their future husband was unemployed. Bella was altogether a different kind of woman and slowly I was starting to see how she won over my father.

"You do?" Becca exclaimed furiously.

"Sure. I mean, Jake explained that he had important issues in his personal life and I'm sure he was due vacation time, so his boss should have been more understanding. I'm sure Jake isn't the only guy at that agency who could handle what he was asking for."

"I thought this was a fake marriage?" Becca looked closely between us.

"It is." We said in unison.

"Then why is she acting like the doting wife?"

"First of all Becca, it's none of your business what Jake does about his career and secondly, they are suppose to be the happy couple." Dad snapped at harshly at her.

"Whatever!" Becca walked off unphased by his temper.

"Let's eat." Rachel chewed on the corner of her lip and looked nervously around at us.

We all followed her into the dining room and before I knew it I was having my first meal with my family after being away for many years.

XXX

The dinner started out well enough, especially when Becca kept her mouth full of food instead of talking. Charlotte and Paul Jr sat next to one another chatting about silly things that made no sense to me.

Rachel asked Bella about her wedding plans and they were throwing different ideas about what to serve at the reception when Becca started to choke on her food. Rachel jumped up and pounded her on the back as we all stared in horror as Becca's face turned a bright cherry red.

At last, the bread she was eating came out of her mouth and she took a long drink of water before she whipped around at the end of the table where Bella sat next to me.

"Why the hell is that ring on her finger!" She shouted. All three kids looked terrified.

"Becca!" Dad shouted but not as loud as her.

"I can accept many things from this family but I can't understand why she is wearing Mom's ring."

"I gave her the ring. As Jake's wife, my only male heir, it is her right to wear the ring."

I glanced over at Bella who pulled her hand into her lap. I watched as her face turned pale and her head hung low. She didn't deserve to feel like she did something wrong here. It was Dad's decision to give her the ring, she had no clue about the previous owner.

"That's not fair Dad! I begged you for that ring." Becca cried out like a spoiled child.

"And I told you, it wasn't yours to have. I meant it then and I mean it now. This ring was given to your mother by me. Therefore I have the right to see that it goes to someone as special as your mother."

Rachel gasped as Becca's mouth fell wide open. Bella sucked in her breath. It was ridiculous that they were fighting over a ring, even if it had belonged to my mother.

"What are you saying? You don't think I'm good enough?" Becca slammed the palm of her hand down on the table.

Charlotte's eyes filled with tears while Paul Jr. wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"That's enough!"

I decided this was getting out of hand and although I liked watching Dad put Becca in her place, I didn't like watching the kids frightened.

"Shut up Jake." Becca hissed.

"No you shut up. We have children here." I glanced over at her son who like the others seemed absolutely scared to death of her.

"I...it's...this is wrong. I'm happy that Bella is marrying Jacob but I don't like the idea that she gets OUR money and OUR mother's ring." Becca snarled.

"Don't do this Becca." Rachel finally spoke up.

"Come on Rach! Don't sit there like a lump on a log and let this skinny ass white girl take everything from us." Becca pleaded.

"First of all, Bella is soon to be our sister in law, secondly, it's father's choice to do what he wants with his money and his belongings."

"OH MY GOD! She has suckered you in as well!" Becca glared furiously at Bella.

"Enough! If you don't like what I've done then go home Becca. I'm tired of hearing you whine and throwing fits like a five year old." Billy's voice was stern and cold as ice as he locked eyes with his daughter.

"I...this...Dad! Can't you see how this is unfair to me, to Rachel?"" Becca whined.

"I promise you that once I've died you will get your money unless of course you do something stupid before then to cause me to change my mind. I might leave your share entirely to Bryce." He glanced over at his eldest grandson and winked at him.

Bryce didn't move an inch. He feared his mother's reaction and that was enough to piss me off even more.

"I think you should. Bryce deserves something for you as a mother."

Bella's hand circled around my wrist as she looked at me.

"Don't." She whispered.

"I'm sick of this. I'm so tired of this whole family thinking I'm the bad twin. I'm the rotten child. Come on Bryce. We are leaving." Becca grabbed Bryce by his arm and yanked him out of the chair. He looked over at us with a pleading look but before we could rescue him, she was already dragging him behind her out the front door.

"She needs help." I swore under my breath, hoping the kids didn't hear it.

"I know. I think she just needs time." Rachel sighed heavily.

"Time? She has had plenty of time to change Rachel. She is angry and she thinks the world owes her something." I argued.

"The divorce was hard on her." Rachel explained.

"I get that but she doesn't have to take it out on us. What about Bryce? Didn't you see how scared he was? He didn't want to go home with her."

"Maybe you can help the boy out." Dad replied with a half smile.

"Me?"

"Yeah, I mean now that you don't have a job maybe you can pick him up and take him to the park or something."

"I ...yeah...after the wedding I will try something. I can't stand the thought of him suffering under the same roof as her." I trembled with disgust.

"Good. Now that is settled let's finish eating. Bella and Rachel made us a delicious meal and it deserves to be eaten." Dad chuckled.

Everyone went back to eating and although Bella spoke when spoken to, she didn't seem to be enjoying the meal half as much as she would have if Becca hadn't mentioned the ring and it's importance to our family.

XXX

BPOV:

The drive home was as quiet as the drive over. After Becca's outburst about my ring ,I didn't really know what to say. Billy or Jake could have warned me beforehand about the significance of the ring. Although I didn't care much for Becca, after experiencing my own loss of my Dad, I understood why she was so desperate to hold onto anything that once belonged to her mother. It was comforting to see things or to wear something that once belonged to them.

The ring was beautifully designed and it fit my finger perfectly. It felt warm against my skin and made me feel a little less frightened about the Cullen's coming after us. I know it's only a ring and it doesn't exactly hold superpowers but for a while it gave me a sense of security that I hadn't felt since the passing of my father.

Looking up I realized that we were parked in my driveway and Jake was walking around the front of his truck and opening Charlotte's door.

"What are you doing?" I asked curiously as I stepped out.

"Taking her to her room. She is passed out." Jake replied softly.

"I can do that."

"I know."

Jake held Charlotte's sleeping form as he walked past me. I dug out the keys and raced behind them to unlock the door. Jake slipped up the stairs and went up to Charlotte's room. Gently he placed her on her twin size bed. A smile crept up on my face as he struggled to take off her shoes without waking her up.

"Here." I helped him take them off and pulled a blanket over her before we left her room.

"She sleeps soundly." He chuckled as we made our way down the stairs.

"Once she is out not even an earthquake can wake her."

"I wish I could still sleep like that." He sighed as we stood in front of one another in the foyer.

"Me too."

"Hey, I'm sorry about Becca. She can be such an ass." Jake slipped his hands in his back pockets while apologizing to me for his sister's normal rude behavior.

"I've been around her long enough to know how she is."

"I...still I'm sorry. I didn't think to warn you about the ring being my mother's. When Dad gave it to you I was just as shocked as Becca, honestly."

"Really."

Chewing on the corner of my lip I felt ten times worse hearing his confession.

"Yeah, I mean Dad rarely lets any of us near anything he deems important of mom's."

"He loved her very much and so did you."

"Yeah, we did. Still, Becca shouldn't be angry with you for your Dad's decision."

"I just wish...well...I wish she could be happier. It bothers me seeing her so hateful all the time."

"Becca is her own worst enemy." Jake exhaled loudly.

"Aren't we all?"

"Maybe sometimes but she does most of the terrible stuff to herself."

"I suppose you're right." Yawning I looked over at the door hoping he got the hint that I was tired and just needed to go to bed and erase this whole evening from my mind.

"Oh the invitations are in and I will pick them up in the morning."

"Thanks."

"I should get going." Jake yawned as well before starting to the front door.

With his hand on the doorknob he stopped,turned and looked at me with a look that nearly broke my heart.

"She would have liked you having her ring." He spoke softly but earnestly.

"Thanks Jake." I gulped hard, trying to fight back the tears that sprung to life in my eyes.

"Night Bella." Jake smiled sincerely before leaving.

Locking the door behind him I made my way up to my room and hoped that tomorrow would be an easier day than today had been.

XXX

Jake promptly made an appearance at my front door at nine o'clock the next morning with the box of invitations in one hand and a suitcase in the other.

"Why do you have that?" My eyes darted nervously at his luggage.

"I need it to carry my clothes and stuff." He chuckled with a mischievous grin.

"I know that but why do you have it now?"

"Cause honey I think it's time I move in." He declared with a gleam so wicked in his eyes that my stomach lurch with fear.

Today was not looking any better than the day before.

XXX

A/N: What do you think so far? Do you like or hate Becca? Is Jake starting to soften up a bit? Gave you guys a small bit of information about his and Lauren's past. Hope you enjoyed the chpt. Xoxo A