No one is so brave that he is not disturbed by something unexpected.
Julius Caesar

AMOC: Chapter 17: The Unexpected...

JPOV:

"Thank you so much for bringing Charlotte over today. PJ was driving me crazy." Rachel announced as she gave me a quick hug.

"Go ahead Charlotte go play." I released her hand as she raced off after my nephew.

"Would you like some coffee?" Rachel offered.

"Sure."

I followed her into the kitchen area where she made us both a fresh cup. Sitting on the bar stool I noticed that she seemed to be frowning. Something was bothering her and I debated on if it was wise to asked her about it. Growing up with sisters you learned the signs of when a woman was working something out in her head. I also discovered that when you ask about the problem, you're expected to listen to them go on and on for hours.

"How are the repairs coming along?" Rachel broke the awkward silence between us first.

"Good. They were hooking up the stove when I left and I hired a good carpenter to work on the flooring."

"That's good. I'm sure Bella is dying to get into that kitchen. She used to cook big dinners for us before...well, before her father passed away." Rachel looked away for a moment before looking back at me.

I noticed anytime Charlie was brought up everyone became so sullen. Would it be like that for us when our father passed away, I wondered?

"Speaking of Bella, how are the two of you getting along?"

"Pretty good. We are both trying to give each other appropriate space."

"Space? You just got married. You couldn't have gotten on her nerves so quickly." She chuckled.

"Haha. No, it's just that I didn't know she wanted so much input on how the house was being I showed her the place she seemed turned off by the work that would be involved when we bought it. So naturally, I took charge and started preparing the house so that when we moved in, it wouldn't be such a headache for her."

"You designed her kitchen didn't you."

When I didn't reply she began to laugh hysterically at me.

"How did you know?" I rolled my eyes.

"I told you, Bella loves the kitchen. She doesn't care about much more when it comes to a house. Why do you think she never updated Charlie's old house. The kitchen was her domain, the rest of the house could be painted with tar and she wouldn't notice." She chuckled.

"That's not true. She put several things up around the living room and in the bathroom."

"Still, the kitchen was her area of expertise and you didn't bother to ask her first."

"No I didn't. I won't ever make that mistake again." I vowed.

"Good."

Grabbing the coffee pot she refilled our drinks.

"Are you going to tell me about those bruises?" She licked her lips nervously as she looked me in the eye.

"Oh. I forgot about those." I rubbed the tender spot over my nose.

"Spill." Her voice turned paternal as she glared at me.

"I got mugged. I went into Seattle to clean out my apartment and on my way out I was attacked." I lied.

I hated lying to her but I couldn't risk her talking to Bella later. If my story didn't match up with Bella's they would know that I was hiding something from them.

"Damn. Did you file a report?"

"What is it with you women and your police reports?" I laughed.

"I take that as a "no"." She rolled her eyes sarcastically at me.

"No. I did not."

The phone rang and she left me to my thoughts as she went to the other room to answer her call.

A few minutes later she returned wearing another frown on her face.

"What's wrong?"

"That was Paul's assistant informing me he would be home after six tonight."

"Does he normally come home earlier?"

"Yeah, when he can. He knows I like him home in time to eat dinner with PJ and me."

"Why is he working so late?" I asked curiously.

"I don't know. Dads health has slowed him down and I think Paul is trying to pick up the slack."

It made sense what she said but the tone she used made me wonder if she was trying to convince herself this was the case.

"Did they ever hire anyone for the advertising Dad wanted?"

I remembered Bella's conversation with me the day before about helping my family. The house was coming along smoothly and soon I wouldn't have anything to occupy my time. I didn't like to sit by idly. It just wasn't in my nature.

Maybe a project like this would be something to do to keep me busy until I found something more permanent to do with my time.

"No. Paul isn't too keen about it. He fears it won't do the business much good and feels that the money could be used in other areas." She admitted.

"Umm...maybe I should see what I could do to help them." I offered.

Her eyes lit up and although she was smiling, I sensed there was still something else bothering her.

"Okay my turn. Spill." I demanded.

"It's nothing, really. It's just my overactive imagination I'm sure." She said while rinsing out her cup.

"What is it?" I sighed heavily.

"It's ….well...this isn't the first time his assistant has called me to tell me he is going to be late. In fact at least once a week he comes home late. I wonder sometimes if...I ….this is stupid." She ran her hands through her hair nervously.

"What? Are you worried he is cheating on you?"

Her eyes suddenly were filled with tears as she pressed her lips together and nodded her head.

"What makes you think that, besides him working late?"

Women, always jumped to this conclusion when their man wasn't rushing to come home to them every night. I wasn't ruling out the possibility that he could cheat on her but right now him working late didn't seem to be enough evidence for me to condemn him of such a crime.

"I found a receipt for a restaurant in Port Angeles. He never mentioned going there for work or personal reasons. Then I received a floral bill that was accidentally sent to our home address instead of work and I noticed several floral arrangements ordered. He said it was for the employees who recently had children or weddings."

Okay, I had to admit most of the reasons could be legit but I saw how her logic was working against her.

"He is probably telling you the truth. Are you two not getting along? Is he not...you know attentive in the bedroom?" I blushed.

Normally talking about sex came easily for me but not when it consisted of my sister and her husband.

"Oh yeah. We have date night and that part...well...it's still as hot as ever." She blushed in returned.

"Then you have nothing to worry about. Trust me."

She relaxed and smiled warmly at me.

"When did you grow up to be so wise, little brother?"

"When I left town." I laughed.

"I'm glad you are back Jake. Just wish Dad hadn't had to bribe you."

I felt guilt wash over me at the truth of her words. For years I made a point of staying the hell out of this town and especially away from my family. Now, looking back I realized what an ass that made me.

"I am too. I need to run some errands while Charlotte plays. Do you mind?"

"Of course not. Go on." She walked around and hugged me tightly.

"I will be back in a couple of hours. I promised to meet Bella back at the house to talk to the contractors about the tile and paint she wants for her precious kitchen."

"Haha. Alright."

Leaving her house I headed to Dad's office. Maybe if I helped out with the advertising and improve their sales then my brother in law could spend more time at home. Rachel loved Paul and I didn't want to see her hurt. If there was any truth to her fears then I would have no choice but to kick his ass.

XXX

Walking into Dad's office I noticed right away the dark circles under his eyes. My stomach knotted up as I recalled Rebecca warning me that Dad's health was failing. He was such a strong and stubborn man that it was hard to see him in such a state.

"Hi Jacob. Glad to see you son."

"Hi Dad." I sat down and smiled back at him.

"Did the money transfer go accordingly?" Billy asked.

"Uh, yeah. That's not why I'm here." I frowned.

Why did he always think I needed money when I came to him? I'd been earning money for years now. Would he ever recognize the man I grew up to be or would I always be a child in his eyes?

"Oh. Everything okay with Bella and Charlotte?"

"What happened to your face? Did Bella hit you?" He chuckled in a deep, raspy tone.

"No. I ran into a slight problem in Seattle. It's okay."

"You aren't in trouble are you?" Billy's smile fade as he eyes smoldered with anger.

"No. I came in to see if you need any help with the advertising you mentioned."

I changed the direction of his attention and hoped the bait would lead him away from my bruised up face.

His eyes lit up while he tapped his fingers on the desk.

"I would love to have your professional opinion, if you have the time."

"Well, at the moment I am in a position to help you." I reminded him of my unemployment.

"Jared is in charge of public affairs. I'm sure he will be relieved to have some help with it."

"Okay. When is a good time for me to meet with him?" I offered.

"How about tomorrow? I need to talk with him about the budget and then you two can work on it together."

"Sounds like a plan." I chuckled.

"It does." Billy chuckled also.

A knock on his door interrupted us.

"Come in." Dad roared out making me squirm slightly.

Here I was a grown man and he still could send shivers up my spine with his authoritative tone.

"Hi Billy. I got those reports you wanted." Paul stated as he walked straight up to Dad's desk.

Dad took the files and looked them over silently. Paul looked over at me casually but he couldn't hide the surprise that he felt.

"These look good Paul. Good thing you found those mistakes before we shipped it out. Speaking of that, I need to go check on that big shipment to O'Reilly's. I know that Harry thinks he can handle everything on his own but I need to see for myself."

Dad had difficulties getting out of his chair. Paul reached out to help him but got his hand swatted at.

"Jake is going to help Jared with our new advertising campaign." Dad informed Paul as he walked around the desk.

"Oh." Paul frowned at me.

"Tell Jared I need to see him and I need you to get me the budget for it."

Paul nodded his head "yes".

"Be here tomorrow at 9."

I nodded my head in agreement as well.

Dad left me alone in the office with Paul who exhaled loudly and ran his hands through his hair before directing a pissed off look at me.

"What?" I shrugged my shoulders.

"Why are you suddenly interested in helping out your dad or this company for that matter?"

"Why do you care?"

Standing up I looked directly in his eyes. He wasn't pleased that I was cooperating with my Dad. We both knew that if my Dad had his way, I would've been running this company by now, not him.

Paul was a hard worker and he was at this point a good son in law but we both knew that my Dad wanted his hard work to fall in the hands of his direct blood line. This was suppose to be my inheritance, not Paul's. However, I walked away from it. I threw it back into my Dad's hands and told him numerous times that I didn't want this company or anything else from him. Yet, I did take the money and now it seemed I was willing to help the family business. Knowing Paul ,he was worried I might actually change my mind and take my rightful position in the company after my Dad's passing.

"I care because I've been here for the past ten years busting my ass to keep this company afloat. I've given up many hours of sleep and poured my sweat into this place. If you plan on coming in here and sabotaging things just to force your father to sell this company, I will kick your ass." Paul replied.

His hands were curled up in fists at his side and his jaw was clenched tightly as his eyes pierced through me. I had to admit he was an arrogant ass but I also saw the loyalty he felt toward my Dad and the company. Paul was a good right hand man for my Dad.

"I'm not here to screw up things. I am actually offering my services to help increase your profits. Hopefully then you won't be constantly working past six and missing dinner with my sister and your son." I replied calmly.

"I hope you mean that." Paul's stern look soften.

"I do but while I have your attention, I want to warn you that if I hear you're not really working late hours but instead sticking your dick in someone other than my sister, I will personally kick your ass from here to Canada." I warned him.

The look on his face was priceless. He was stunned and confused as hell.

"I'm not cheating on your sister. I love her." Paul exclaimed.

"I hope you mean that."

I left him wearing a baffled look as I made my way out of the office.

XXX

BPOV:

"Will you relax already!" Alice snapped.

"I'm trying." I chuckled.

The hair stylist working on my hair gave me a knowing wink as I exhaled loudly.

"Now like I was saying, I really want to have our engagement party at the Grand Hotel in Port Angeles. I want it to be somewhere nice and let's face it, there isn't many nice places in Forks." Alice sighed.

"Okay. So what's the problem?"

"They only have one available night next month and it's on a Tuesday. I know most people aren't going to want to get off of a long day of work and then drive to Port Angeles on a weeknight."

"Is there any other place in Port Angeles you could use instead?" I suggested.

"I don't know." Alice said in a deflated tone.

I was trying hard not to twitch and move about in my seat as the stylist trimmed my hair but it was hard for me to relax these days. I had a million things on my mind. Here I was supposed to be on vacation/honeymoon and I was swamped with a "to-do" list. The house was starting to come together and there were less contractors tracking dirt in and out of my house. I was itching for them to finish my kitchen so I could start cooking again.

Then there was Jake. Jake was simply baffling to me. He was cold and hot. This morning as I was grabbing laundry out of our rooms I noticed his bathroom door was ajar. Peeking in I got a rated R peep show. He was standing naked in front of the bathroom sink as he shaved his face. It made me wonder if he was staring at himself. Was he really that vain? Or was he simply comfortable enough in his skin to walk about naked?

The backside view was more than delicious. It was downright sinful. Every curve, every muscle, screamed to be touch, no to be licked. It took every ounce of strength I could muster up to force myself to walk away.

He was constantly surprising me with every turn. Some of them were good ones and others not so good. This morning he offered to take Charlotte over to play with PJ while I went to get my hair done. Why did he have to be so thoughtful? His kindness only stirred up my desire to jump his bones. I couldn't do that. Not now. Maybe not ever.

A man like Jake was simply too irresistible not to fall in love with. Sex and love went together in my book. Unfortunately I never could separate the two, at least not like he could. It was a win/win for him and a lose/lose for me. Yeah, it was best to keep my distance and remind myself with every breathe I took that Jake Black was my husband in name only.

"Earth to Bella." Alice snapped her fingers in front of my face. I blinked a few times before I realized where I was.

"Sorry." I mumbled.

"We are done. What do you think?"

I looked at Alice's image and then mine. We both had lovely hair and although I liked my long, she liked hers short.

"We look gorgeous." I squealed.

"Yes, yes we do." She agreed.

We paid for our hair and started across the parking lot to her car when she suddenly stopped dead in her tracks.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"You had sex. You did." Alice whispered in an ominous tone as if she just received a vision of it.

"Excuse me?" I choked on my laughter. My face grew warm and my heart sped up at her announcement.

I wasn't prepared or comfortable enough to reveal my sexual experience with her. If I had to replay that night and morning with her, then it would stir up my hormones. It was safer not to remember. Much safer.

"No sense in denying it, I can see it all over your face. Damn. How did I miss it before?" She asked while frowning immensely at me.

"Knock it off." I laughed and walked off.

She met up with me at her car and continued to study me like an artist studies a model for his painting.

"Let it go, please." I pleaded.

"Oh no. You had sex with a man who I once literally day dreamed about. You are going to give me every single detail." Alice squealed.

"You act like you still have a crush on him." I scoffed.

"Don't get on the offense. I am only interested in knowing if your reality and my fantasy ever came close, that's all."

I wanted to refuse her. I wanted to tell her that it was none of her business what I did behind close doors with my husband but deep down I knew that I really was dying to confide in someone about what happened and what to do next.

"Then you better stop and get us a drink." I sighed in defeat.

"Hell yes!" Alice shouted

Laughing in my head I knew this was not a good idea but I couldn't resist hearing what advice she would give me once I revealed it all to her.

XXX

A/N: Okay ladies get ready, I have some major story plot about to come after this chapter. Yep, I can't write a simple romance story. I know it. *hangs my head in shame* I love hearing your thoughts on the story and the direction it's going, as well as, the characters I'm trying to create. Hope you enjoy this chapter and upcoming ones I've already outlined.

Xoxox August