CHAPTER SEVEN

(JPOV)

I tried to act as normal as I could during breakfast, but I knew Charlie had caught the growing tension in the room whenever Bella and I were within ten feet of each other. There was seemingly no hiding it

"Thanks for making this delicious breakfast, Sue. I haven't eaten this good in a long while." Charlie complimented, as we all dove in around the table for seconds and and thirds.

"Oh, it was no problem at all. You know me and baking." Sue replied, with another glance to her wristwatch. "Unfortunately I do have to get going, my kids will surely be calling anytime wondering why I'm not there when they arrive for brunch in an hour."

"Seth and Leah are coming over this Christmas?" Charlie asked in return, with a genuine smile her way.

"Yes, they are this year. Leah was able to get away from College for a bit and Seth got the day off work. Should be a nice time. I've been looking forward to it."

"That's great, Sue. It really is. I hope you guys all enjoy your time together." Charlie replied. "Thank you again for everything you've done here. I don't think I've ever felt better than I have today. Guess having your loved ones near will do that."

Bella offered her father a smile and I caught the emotion behind it when Charlie threw an arm around me and then her.

Sue couldn't help but join in, hugging us all there at the table before she headed back for the reservation.

"It was so great to do this and have everyone under one roof again for the holidays. I love you all." She soon stated with her departure.

Sarah had been busy enough throughout the morning that when noon time came, she curled up on the sofa in Bella's lap and fell fast asleep there.

"She's been fighting this long overdue nap for the last hour. Afraid to close her eyes for too long and risk missing something important." Bella lightly teased, her humor fading as fast it had come when she saw the mask I'd been wearing for everyone else's benefit slip quicker than I could stop it.

"I gotta' go."

"I know where you're headed and I get it, but barging into Sams place on Christmas demanding answers might not get you the result you want."

I paused at this, my jacket still tightly gripped in my left hand as I shot a worried glance toward Charlie's recliner where he'd fallen asleep only minutes before Sarah had.

"I need answers and he has them." I irritably told her.

"So do I."

"I want it straight from the horses mouth, Bella. I want it from Sam."

"Because you don't trust me enough to tell it to you straight?" She countered, carefully getting up and laying Sarah down on the sofa with a heavy blanket over her petite frame. "Is that it? Has to be."

"Partly-" I admitted, knowing there was no point in lying to her about it. There had been more than enough of that going on already. Enough to last me a damn lifetime.

"I see." She sadly replied. "I guess I can't blame you for that. If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't be quick to trust me again either. Trust is something earned, right?"

"Yeah, as the saying goes." I replied. "You lied to me. For years. So asking you to give me a truthful account of what happened three years ago doesn't exactly feel like the best way to get an honest answer at this point. I don't know what else you could be keeping from me."

Bella nodded in understanding and looked away briefly, her doe eyes going to the single gift left tucked within the thick branches of the Christmas tree. She reached over and removed a small box before handing it over to me.

"Here, this is for you."

"I don't expect a gift from you, Bella. I-I don't even have one for you so-" I stammered. "Wouldn't be fair."

"Being here with you is gift enough for me, Jake. Besides, it's not like you knew we were coming so-" She sighed. "Just open it, please?"

I flipped the box over in my hands a few times, before tearing it open to find a small flash drive hidden inside. I eyed it curiously and felt almost embarrassed to admit that I still hadn't invested in a functional laptop since she'd left. I wasn't one for modern technology really. I could do just as well without it.

"I don't-" I began, pausing when Bella handed me her Mac from the coffee table with a hesitant smile.

"You can borrow mine. Take it as long as you need. I mainly use it for my classes now, so-"

"What's on here?"

"Everything I captured from the time Sarah was first born. I did the best I could to keep the photos and short videos in order. It's something I've been secretly working on for a while now. Hiding it from Edward was hard, but well worth it."

I balled my free hand into a tight fist at the mention of his name and met her stare.

"Are you still married to him?"

"No."

"Trial separation?" I quipped in return.

"Divorced." She answered.

"Legally?"

"As of late last year."

"Where is he now?" I questioned.

"In Alaska with his Family." She replied, wearing out her bottom lip with nervous energy as she avoided my gaze.

"Does he know you're back here?"

"Would it matter if he did?"

"I don'y know, would it?" I snapped back, unable to keep my cool at the thought of the Cullens. I loathed them all with a new burning intensity.

"It wouldn't matter to me, but I think it matters to you." Bella corrected.

"If there's a chance they'll follow you here again, then yeah, I guess that would matter a great deal to me."

"I would tell you if I got wind of that through an outside source. Like Alice."

I bit my tongue at this and could taste the rustic tinge from the force as she gestured to the box again.

"I'll look at it tonite. Thanks."

"I know it doesn't make up for lost time."

"No, sure in hell doesn't. Nothing ever could, Bella."

"I know." She regretfully admitted. "It's not what I wanted."

"It's what you chose. Don't get me started on that again." I warned, feeling the tremors start from my heated temper already.

"You know how I felt-" She defended.

"-and you knew your options. You just didn't use them all. You went along with whatever plan the Cullens concocted and said to hell with the consequences." I hedged. "That's always been your way of handling a conflict. Same old Bella, just a little more selfish."

A/N: Short chapter update. Thanks for reading and please review. More to come soon!