Hello, hello! Me, again :) I love working with the pack. It's so much fun, and so many ideas are swimming in my head.

I hope you like this one that I've been sitting on for a while.

As always, share the love!

Enjoy :)

PACK SOULS

Chapter 14: Hooker's name.

Edward and the Cullens had been gone for months now. Bella was finally in a good place. She had graduated from school but hadn't decided what to do for a career. She was torn between two careers and thought about taking them both simultaneously. She could do a lot with a psychology and English degree.

In the meantime, she worked full-time at Forks diner. It was good money, and she welcomed it. Charlie told her that she could keep her savings and he would take care of her college education. Granted, she didn't want to go to an expensive school, nor did she want to leave the area. The farthest she wanted to go was Seattle.

She still had a few months to decide, as she decided to start during the spring semester.

In that order, as Bella found herself in a good place, she also faced a wall.

Paul and Bella had been dancing around each other for too long. While the pack often found the situation hilarious, they started getting tired of it. They had promised Paul to stay out of it until he deemed it was the right time to tell her. They, especially Jacob, were starting to question his promise.

Currently, they were all at Sam's place, celebrating the news of the first pack puppy. Sam and Emily were sharing their ideas for their first baby's name. Bella's heart beat faster and faster each time Paul opened his mouth to share his opinions. Everything was fine until he shared his picked name for his first daughter.

"My first daughter's name will be Marie." Paul said, intentionally staring at Bella.

Unfortunately, Bella was not good at catching hints or innuendos. She was too straight and didn't like when people beat around the bush so much. That, added to the fact that Jacob had told her that Paul was in love with a girl named Marie, gave space for the green monster of jealousy in Bella's heart.

It had cost her everything she had, everything she became after the Cullens left to get over Edward and fall in love again. Her heart wouldn't handle another break. It would simply destroy itself.

The context for Jacob's 'slip' was precisely that, a slip. He was so used to being in his pack mates' minds that he sometimes forgot not everyone knew everything. They were discussing Bella's feelings for Paul, and Jacob had slipped, saying he knew who Paul was in love with. It was meant to be a taunting scheme to make her realize they belonged together, but it had backfired. Paul wanted to tell her himself, and it wasn't Jacob's place to tell anyone anything. So he retreated and said it was a girl he didn't know but whose name was Marie.

"I caught a glimpse of the name one day. He keeps it very well hidden." He'd said.

Bella stared right back at Paul as if challenging him to refute what she was about to say. He held her stare like a champion, but the electricity and the tension were too much for some of the wolves who quietly slipped away.

"That is a hooker's name." She said with all the dignity she could manage. She intended to enrage him, but all she managed was to amuse him. His eyes sparkled with humor and his mouth tilted upward in a lopsided smirk. He shrugged and slipped away.

Bella huffed and sat loudly on the couch, next to a smirking Jacob, the only wolf who stayed. Even Sam and Emily had left their place. She'd managed to scare everyone of a place that wasn't even hers. "Shut up."

Jake shrugged, unwilling to hide his mirth. He pondered whether to tell her that her name was also Marie, but he decided not to tell her. She would have to discover her mistake on her own. It wouldn't be fair to Paul. And it would take out all the fun of the situation.

…

…

...

A few days later, she was feeling so guilty at having snapped at Paul like that and insulted his girlfriend that she decided to apologize in person. She'd been mortified for the whole week. She was unable to get him out of her mind. She was usually good at compartmentalizing, but after she insulted him, her organized mind was a complete mess.

It was even worse when Jake told her he hadn't heard from Paul since that day at Sam's. He was avoiding everyone. His girlfriend must have heard what she said and probably hated her -with good reason-.

After her shift ended, she made her way to Paul's. She'd been there a lot. She spent most of her free time seeking refuge in his place. She had a key and everything. He'd probably ask for his key back. She felt tears burning in her eyes as she got off her truck and dragged herself to his front door.

She let one tear fall when he opened the door, looking tired. But he managed to give her a sweet smile.

"I'm sorry I called your girlfriend a hooker. That was uncalled for." She blurted.

Paul smiled wider, humor dancing in his eyes. She was clueless indeed.

"Come on in." He stepped aside, and she did as asked. "Close your eyes. I'm going to introduce you to the woman I love." Bella's heart started beating faster. Not only did he not comment on her apology, but now he wanted to introduce the two of them? She was going to die of embarrassment. Another time she would have run away, but she owed him, so she stayed still.

She felt Paul coming back and standing next to her, very close.

"She's the most beautiful creature on earth, inside and outside." He said reverently. "You can open your eyes."

From everything that Bella was expecting, this was the last thing. In front of her stood a mirror, and she saw her reflection. Seeing her wide, surprised brown eyes fill with confusion. "I don't understand."

Paul moved to stand behind her. He moved her hair so that his mouth was close to her ear without interference. "That woman in the mirror, with the hooker's name as you said, is you. You are the woman I love with all my heart."

She gasped because she was now coming down to earth. She slapped her forehead and laughed at herself. Paul raised an eyebrow. "I called myself a hooker."

"Indeed, Isabella Marie." He laughed with her.

"This is embarrassing like hell." She muttered, hiding her face in his chest.

He kissed her head, still chuckling.

"Stop laughing at me." She complained, with no heat in her voice.

"I'm sorry. I can't help it." He really was enjoying this situation. Now that he knew why she'd freaked out about a girl's name. Now that he had her here in his arms.

She looked up and placed a kiss on his chin. "I love you. Just in case I die of embarrassment."

He kissed her then, finally.