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Chapter 197

Chauffeur

Jake

"Ow ...!", I moaned and rubbed my ass cheek. Damn, that hurt! Why did I always have to get hit right on the ass? That had happened a few weeks ago when I was out playing paintball with Marcus and his buddies from Portland. Sure, in about two minutes I wouldn't feel a thing from it, but what good was that to me right now? "Avenge me!", I therefore demanded of my dad.

And that's what he did.

I was proud of him when he came out of the forest as the last survivor. My dad was invincible! Many kids believed that about their fathers, but it really seemed to apply to mine.

We went back to the house.

I was hungry!

On the way I discussed with Marcus the advantages of Laser-Tag over Paintball.

One could not be hit in the ass!

However, his arguments could not be dismissed either.

With the guns from Laser Tag one was bound to the corresponding hall, because the equipment with its many lights and sensors had to be recharged after each time-limited match. With Paintball all this was omitted. One could play wherever one wanted and until no one had any more paintballs or all opponents were finished. But even then, you could start a new game right away without waiting for the batteries to be full again.

We entered the house on the side facing us. My room was exactly one floor above and the preferred social rooms on the other side. But we left all the equipment here.

A rather unused little room, in which there was only an old closet.

Dad and Emmett stayed behind for a bit, thinking about putting the outfits here, too.

But the rest of us went on to the kitchen. As soon as we reached it, I pondered whether Emmett had stopped him on purpose.

Because there stood Native Americans in the kitchen. And Charlie. My little brother was already there and sitting on the counter. The Native Americans had already made friends with him, as you could see at first glance.

Everyone stood around him smiling.

I greeted them cheerfully in turn and introduced Marcus.

"I didn't expect to get to know you," Billy reflected.

Of course, they knew about my sister's relationship status in La Push. They had heard a lot about Marcus, not least from Charlie, who had been with us at Christmas. And they knew that it was over between him and Leah.

"Leah and I can treat each other honestly enough and continue to be friends," Marcus gave in response.

"You continue to wear the bracelet I sent you for Christmas, don't you?" Billy wanted to know.

Marcus pulled his sleeve up a bit and there dangled the little wolf.

Of course, this little piece of art had a connection for him to Leah, but also to me. That's why he still wore it. He only didn't wear our family bracelet anymore. But I knew he had hung it up in his room honorably.

Billy nodded, smiling.

Meanwhile, David and his sons had also already introduced themselves.

Well. They knew each other fleetingly. As far as I knew, David had been to Forks once or twice with Mom and us, but I could barely remember it. Only one image of it was still clearly in my mind. Leah and I had slept in Mom's old nursery, woken up, run downstairs, and Mom and David lay together on the fold-out couch. Naked, as I was just now remembering. But I smiled about it. Sonya hadn't existed then, and Leah and I were of the opinion at the time that the guy could be our daddy. Or become it.

I was still hungry and looked for something edible in the cupboards, which I then share and share alike with Marcus and Seth.

Then Dad finally arrived, and he was visibly surprised by the visitors. He greeted everyone in a friendly way, also passing by us, but then temporarily disappeared with Ced.

My baby brother was also hungry. Must be in the family. Well. With him it was rather thirst. Blood thirst. So they would be busy for a moment. That would be enough time to check on my star. The only problem was that for this day were actually imposed separate sexes. I thought it was unfair. If Dad was getting married, why did the rest of us have to suffer through it?

I wordlessly disappeared and made my way to the restroom, but then sneaked outside.

The swimming pool was in the basement by architecture, but on the side of the house the terrain was so sloping that one wall of the large room was completely glazed with doors and windows.

Cautiously, I squinted past the wall of the house through one of the windows and Becky saw me immediately. She came out through a side door and jumped right into my arms. I enjoyed these few minutes with her.

"Have you seen who's all here yet?" she asked me. "Have you seen who's all here yet?" she asked me.

"Yes. Sam, Seth, Paul, and my grandfathers. And they certainly won't have come without their wives," I replied.

"That's right. They have not," my star chuckled.

Somehow I had the feeling that she was withholding something from me. But what could that be? After all, we hardly had anything to do with other people from La Push, that there could still be involved a surprise guest. I couldn't think of anything else that she could have kept from me.

"Look. We're not the only ones ignoring Alice's order," Becky pointed to the side.

There Leah and Marcus were strolling in the snow, and we witnessed a somehow very affectionate scene between them.

It was snowing, but there were only single large flakes. One landed right on Leah's cheek. Marcus very gently brushed it aside and left his hand on her cheek for an unseemly amount of time. Unseemly for the fact that they were actually just friends. Their corresponding looks were also not so completely without.

Then they went on.

"It's funny, isn't it? They behave almost like they used to," I reflected.

"Yeah. It's just that all the expressions of love are missing. They don't kiss or anything anymore. They hug like they used to, but less often and more tentatively," Becky commented. "Maybe the two of them have a chance together after all," she then reflected.

"I don't think so," I objected, however. "If I lost you, I wouldn't be able to love anyone else the way I love you. No matter who crossed my path, everyone else would just be a stopgap who could never fill me the way you do. I couldn't get involved like that, but would rather stay alone for the rest of my life. Because no one would be you. Once imprinted, once lost my heart that way, there's no second choice."

She then kissed me very passionately and I was annoyed that we were standing outside in the cold, and we also had to get back so slowly before anyone noticed we were gone.

So with a heavy heart I sent her back inside and sneaked back to the other men.

Nobody had noticed my absence. Marcus also returned to the kitchen shortly after me without comment. But then we searched for Dad.

He wouldn't have sneaked downstairs, would he?!

But then he appeared, and we strolled across the grounds. The destination was the old log cabin, which I had once seen in a very battered condition.

Now it looked like new.

It was a wonderful afternoon.

Just doing stupid stuff among guys. Kind of silly, but also great.

Until Alice came along.

"Jaaake, can you do me a favor?" she asked sweetly, with batting eyes.

And just when I was rubbing Marcus with snow, and he had no chance to escape. However, I also had help from David's gathered children. He had cried for help, but all the adults only meant that he, as the oldest among us, would have to assert himself on his own. He had not succeeded very well. But such an opportunity would not come again so quickly.

"Yes, please!", Marcus therefore said pleadingly.

"What?", I dug deeper, snow still in my hands, without moving down from Marcus.

She asked me to pick someone up at the airport in Portland. That would be totally sweet of me, she nudged in my cheeks.

Alice had planned and organized so much in the last few days that I naturally did her this favor. Dad still whispered to me that I should put on something decent. This confused me. Why should I? Wasn't it a coincidence that she had asked me of all people? Who else would actually come? Questions over questions, but I didn't get any of them answered.

I went along with Alice.

As soon as we were out of sight, I took off my clothes.

Alice would deposit my clothes at Rose and Emmett's house.

So, as a wolf, I ran over to our house in Saco and there to my room.

I had been advised something decent. Something decent was apparently already ready for me on my bed. Alice! Blue jeans and a dark gray buttondown shirt. Both were familiar to me from my closet. But instead of wearing my Chucks with them, black shoes lay there. They were new. So, with decent clothes on, I went to my Mercedes. There two wrapped bouquets from a flower store were ready. And numbered. What did that mean?!

The whole ride I pondered over it, but just couldn't figure out what it was all about.

At the airport, I remembered that Alice hadn't told me at all at which terminal I should pick someone up. Should I wait in front of the airport at the car?

I looked indecisively at the wrapped flowers.

Nah, that probably wouldn't have been the plan.

I pulled into the arrival parking lot, decided on the number one bouquet, and entered the building.

I looked at the arrival board.

There was only one flight that would land within the hour. From Boston.

I smiled and looked at the flowers in my hand. The number was written on a little card attached to the tissue paper on only one side. I turned it over.

As a welcome, but also as a bribe for backing you!

Was written there in Alice's unmistakable, equally ornate and squiggly handwriting.

I sank the tissue paper into a trash can while walking to the appropriate terminal.

It was just a little spray. Lots of greenery and three yellow tulips. Appropriate for a greeting, I thought. The only question was whether I was right with my assumption.

I stood at the large windows, watched a plane land, and then waited well-behaved for passengers to enter the terminal.

And there she was. Ciara Young. Becky's grandmother. In the meantime I had also thought about why she had probably been invited to the wedding, although Becky's parents were not on the guest list. She knew our secrets, so she wasn't a 'danger' to us, but she didn't really have anything to do with us. So maybe Alice had just taken the chance to introduce her to some people from La Push, if they were already here.

With my Sunday smile, I went to meet the tall, good-looking lady and she smiled as well. I wanted to reach out my hand to her, but she preferred to take me completely in her arms.

"Hello, big chief!" she said cheerfully, giving me a single squeeze. "You look fancy," she commented sympathetically on the sight of me.

"Hello, Granny. Welcome to Portland!", I said, holding out the flowers to her. I really liked Granny and she had told me to call her either Ciara or Granny if I was spunky enough. So I had decided on Granny.

She took the spray, smelled the flowers, and smirked.

"You little charmer," she chided me, chuckling.

I shrugged my shoulders.

I didn't have to tell her that Alice had set it up that way, did I?

She hooked up with me and we headed toward baggage claim.

"So tell me, Jake," she began in a chatty tone. "How's my granddaughter doing? I haven't heard from her in a few days. I'm sure your parents are pretty nervous, too, right? A wedding. And neither of them knew anything about it until this morning. Sounds pretty exciting, I'd say. How's Billy doing?"

Somehow I had the impression that the last question was most important to her. And by far!

"Billy made quite an amused impression earlier," I therefore commented.

"That's nice," was all she said, seemingly having already forgotten her other questions.

She smiled adorably the rest of the way.

We collected her suitcase, which I of course carried in a gentlemanly manner.

"Alicia said something ..." she said again just before the exit, but seemed to be still considering her words.

"You mean Alice," I improved on her for the moment.

"Oh yeah. Alice was the name of the bubbly girl who called me. There was an Alicia sitting next to me on the plane. She talked and talked and talked," she said, explaining the mix-up.

Mmm ... sounded kind of like our Alice.

"So. Alice said something about that I could help you. With a question you want to ask my son and that I could assist you with," she then said, whereupon I was so startled at first that I stumbled and slammed onto the floor.

Granny laughed as I awkwardly basked on the floor.

"Did she also tell you whereby?", I dig deeper mumbling. Bad Alice! Very bad Alice! Threw me here just like that into the deep end! Without warning, net and double bottom! And without me being even remotely prepared for such a conversation. Yesterday evening with Marcus and Brandon had not been very productive.

"No, she didn't. I have a very precise suspicion, but I would like to hear it from you personally," she said, still smirking.

I rose heavily, put her suitcase back down, and sorted myself out.

Internally and externally.

I took a deep breath, which didn't take nearly as much time as I had hoped. But at some point, I had to say it. And if I was honest, I preferred Granny to Becky's dad. I closed my eyes for a moment, saw my star in my mind, and as if on its own, thereby came the desire that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her.

"I want to propose to Becky and ask her father for his permission," I said clearly, looking Granny firmly in the eyes.

She looked towards me seriously.

I couldn't tell what she thought of it.

"Why?"

"Because I love her, and she means everything to me!"

"Yes, but why now? Why not in a few years? When you're a little older? When you're at least done with college? You're still young and have all the time in the world," Granny asked.

"Because the time won't change anything about my feelings. Yes, we are young. Both underage at the moment, but still, I'd rather walk down the aisle with her today than tomorrow. We're like two parts of a whole and I want to be connected to Becky in every way possible!"

"And you need a marriage license for that?" doubted Granny.

"No, not really," I admitted. "The marriage certificate, or even that our union is blessed by the church, is not particularly important to me. I'm more concerned with the ritual as such. At a wedding, you swear eternal love to each other. In front of your friends, your family, and everyone who is important to you. That's what I want to do. I want to commit to Becky in every way, show that we're not a teenage romance, but that our feelings go deeper."

"But aren't your feelings dictated by the wolf inside you?"

"I'm imprinted on Becky. Yes. But it just reinforced what was already there. I've been in love with Becky for about a year, but we've only been together since early September. And with each day we spend together, the feelings between us grow stronger ... I know Becky feels the same way about me as I do about her. So what should we wait for? Until we run out of time later or get stuck in our daily routine together? Because we might be busy at work? We want to have children together. Should they put a spoke in our wheel because we haven't been paying attention? Like they did with my parents? Because Becky might not want to be immortalized in our wedding pictures with a big pregnancy belly? Or should we wait for someone in our families to maybe not be well enough to be there? ..."

I literally talked myself into a rage, without getting really loud or aggressive, which I then noticed myself after a guy with a briefcase, who was on his way to the exit, looked at me very strangely.

But I still had to get rid of one argument.

"Should we wait for my mom to become immortal and have to stay away from us indefinitely?" I added quietly.

Granny smiled all at once.

The first time since I had stated my intention and it was a hearty smile.

"Let's drive over to my son, then," she said cheerfully.

I was a little irritated.

"Then you agree?!", I dug deeper.

"Of course, Jake. I'm going to be your very proud granny-in-law. But you don't have to convince me. It's Henry! And I'll help you with that as best I can," she smiled good-naturedly, and I hugged her just like that.

From sheer joy. In the middle of the airport.

But soon we were heading towards Saco.

"Do you already know when you want to ask my granddaughter?" she asked on the way.

"Yes. Next Friday," I replied curtly, as someone was just agitating me on the highway. He had pulled into the lane right in front of me to catch the exit, idiot!

"Mmm ... Valentine's Day," Granny smiled. "Then you must have a ring already?"

"Of course. It is at my house ... It is almost on the way. If you want to see it, we could drive by there," I suggested.

Granny was very curious about the ring, as she admitted.

So I drove home and led her into our living room. Toys from Ced were still available in front of the sofa, where Granny sat down.

Strangely, her gaze roamed over it. Sentimental, perhaps.

"My son still doesn't know about the baby?" dig deeper Granny.

"No. Hardly anyone knows about Ced. He's growing and learning too fast to introduce him to the uninitiated. He doesn't look like he's only six weeks old. So far, Eliza and Henry don't know my parents are getting married tomorrow either, unless you've told them."

"Since I didn't know what you told them, I also kept my mouth shut and just said I was coming to visit."

"So I won't take you to our other house where the wedding will be tomorrow?"

"Alice did offer it to me, but I turned it down with thanks. Several times, in fact. She was very persistent about it. I'd love to come to your parents' wedding tomorrow, especially since I'd finally get to meet your family. But actually I have no business there and should therefore leave your mother alone with her friends today. I'm here mainly to get to know my grandniece and to see Billy again. I'm also looking forward to spending some time with my family."

"Bryan is out with a friend though and won't be back until tomorrow night," I reminded myself of Becky's little brother.

"You know what the beauty of my age is?" she asked with a smirk.

I shook my head.

"I don't have to show up at a job on Monday morning, I can just stay here for a few days like that," she explained.

Completely forgotten.

I gave Granny a glass of water and drank myself the rest directly from the bottle, while I now fetched the ring from the drawer, where I had quickly hidden it last night. Wordlessly I put the little case on the table in front of Granny.

She set the glass aside and sat up straight before taking it in her hand. Slowly and with wide curious eyes, she opened the case.

"That is adorable!" she exulted.

She looked at it from all sides and took the opportunity to try it on right away.

While doing so, she did not stop saying how beautiful the ring was. How beautiful the pink stone shimmered. How artistic. How graceful on one side. How robust on the other. How emblematic. The playful love next to the solid foundation of marriage.

I had not seen it that way at all.

We finished our beverages without Granny really recovering from the ring and then drove on.

To Henry and Eliza Young.

Only now did I fully realize why I had the second bouquet from the flower store in the car. A bouquet for Becky's mother. With each mile I became more nervous. Pondering how I was going to get started. I had to do it today. There was no way around it. Valentine's Day was already next Friday, and who knows if I'd see Becky's parents - or at least her father - again undisturbed by then. Tomorrow, when I would pick up Granny for the wedding, would generally be another opportunity, but I was not aware of any details for tomorrow so far. Maybe I didn't have time for such an important conversation.

The way to Becky's parents' house was much shorter than I remembered.

My hands were sweating, and I ran my fingers through my hair for the countless time.

"Take it easy, Jake," Granny said from the passenger seat.

Well, that's all very well for her to say! I thought dejectedly and looked at the front of the house with a shiver running down my spine.

"Come on," she nudged me.

I puffed in surrender.

No time for backtracking.

I took the bouquet marked with the number two and removed the tissue paper.

A pretty little bouquet of mostly white flowers. No monstrosity, but it seemed rather unobtrusive.

I took Granny's luggage out of the trunk, and we were on our way to the front door.

I think I was shaking, and my mouth was strangely dry.

Granny rang the bell.

I swallowed several times during the much too short wait.

"Mother. There you are at last," Henry Young came through the door and hugged his mother happily.

Eliza came right after him and did the same.

"We were starting to worry about where you were. The plane must have landed over an hour ago," Becky's mother said.

They pulled her joyfully excited into the house. Henry also took her suitcase and the fact that I was also there was first lost.

I looked to my car.

Would it be noticeable if I just drove off? Probably yes.

The front door was open, so they must have noticed me after all. Hesitantly, I entered and followed the voices into the living room.

They asked about her general condition, how the flight was, where the grandchildren were ...

"Want a drink, Jake?", I was also immediately addressed by Eliza and asked to sit down.

I shook my head.

"I think it's very nice of you to pick up my mother from the airport, but I had assumed that you would have Becky with you," Henry, on the other hand, addressed me.

"Everything's a little messed up with us right now. I didn't even know who I was going to pick up at the airport," I replied.

"How come?" asked Eliza curiously.

"Edward and my mom are getting married tomorrow with immediate family and are celebrating separately from each other today, kind of like bachelor parties. Edward's sister Alice surprised us all with this, so we didn't know about it until last evening. My parents didn't even know until this morning. Becky is with my sister at my mom's and some other ladies of the family, while Alice asked me for this favor. That's why I drove without Becky," I explained, and my mouth became even drier, so that I now accepted the offered drink after all.

"They're getting married? Without them knowing about it? Must be exciting," Henry pondered.

"But also pretty relaxing," Eliza returned from the kitchen, handed me a glass of juice, and sat back on the sofa.

I drank it down in one gulp, but my mouth didn't feel any better.

"That way they didn't have to worry about anything. Do you remember our wedding, honey? The problems we had to deal with?"

"Oh, yes. The hall that had a burst water pipe. We had to find a new room for the celebration in just a couple of days. The band was stuck in traffic, so they were much too late. Some invitations came back undeliverable ...," Henry recalled.

I smiled at that, but felt kind of stupid.

I sat bolt upright on a stool, the now empty glass in one hand, the bouquet of flowers still in the other. I felt as if I had somehow missed my cue.

"But tell me, Mother. If Edward's sister arranges for you to be picked up from the airport, but Bella and Edward only get married in a small circle, what does that have to do with you?" he then dug deeper.

"Well, I'm not directly invited to the wedding. I don't even know the bride and groom. But I was asked if I would come, because there would be some people from La Push at the wedding. They said it would be a welcome opportunity because of the distance. My great niece Emily will be there. And Billy Black, Jake's grandfather," Granny explained.

So it was really because of her finally getting to know the Quileute, of which she was one.

"But then shouldn't I maybe come with you, at least stop by sometime later and say hello?" asked Henry.

"Tomorrow I would rather go to them alone. It still makes me uncomfortable after all these years that I just ran away like that back then. I have to take the first step alone. But I'm sure there will be an opportunity for us to meet again in the next few days," Granny said.

"That would make me happy. After all, I've never been to La Push, even though I'm half Quileute. Even Jake knows his way around better than I do, and I'll soon be three times his age," Henry grumbled playfully.

I chuckled at his tone of voice.

Like that of an offended child.

"Don't exaggerate, my son!" his stern mother reprimanded him, chuckling.

"Say, Jake. Why are you holding on to that adorable little bouquet so tightly?" then Eliza asked me.

"It's hardly going to be for Becky, after all, since my daughter is with you," Henry stated.

"No ... um ... I ...", I stammered.

I closed my eyes briefly and collected myself. Breathed deeply.

I put the glass on the table and stood up.

I don't know, but that somehow seemed more fitting to me. It's now or never!

"This one's not for Becky ..., it's for you, Ms. Young" I said, finally handing it to Eliza.

"Oh! That's so sweet of you," she stood up in surprise and accepted it. "But weren't we already on a first-name basis?" she reminded me.

Completely forgotten.

"Is there a particular reason for that, Jake?"

"Yes. There is," was all I said, nervously running my fingers through my hair. Come on, Jake. "I wanted to talk to both of you ... About Becky."

"Is there something wrong with her?" asked Henry.

"Did something happen?", Eliza dug deeper.

"No, no. She's fine," I immediately reassured.

Once again I took a deep breath, while Becky's parents just looked at me indecisively.

"Go on, Jake. Dare you!" muttered Granny to herself.

Henry looked irritated at his mother.

Don't know if he had a concrete guess on that now, but he also got up from the sofa and stepped to his wife.

"I want to ask you for your daughter's hand!", I finally spoke it. Infinite silence. Perceived eternities. Thereby Eliza and Henry looked into my eyes, as if I hadn't said anything at all.

"Excuse me?" then opined Henry.

"I love Becky more than my own life and I want to spend the rest of my life with her! I want to marry her ... With your permission."

"With our permission?!" repeated Henry. Tonelessly and matter-of-factly.

"You are so young!", Eliza remembered to say.

"But not forever and ever," I countered. "I'll be a legal adult on Friday, and Becky too in May ... Of course, we're still pretty young, I won't deny that. But what's different now than maybe two or three years from now? Except that we'll be in the middle of college and two or three years older?"

"Who also knows how I will be in two or three years. At sixty-six, three years is a very daring period of time," mused Granny, alluding to one of the arguments I had made to her earlier.

"Don't exaggerate, mother. You're doing just great," Henry turned to his mother.

With warning raised index finger. Funny picture.

"A lot can happen during college. You meet new people. Maybe ...," Becky's mother was just pondering.

"Or is Becky pregnant?" thundered Henry, however, looking at me sharply.

"I should have insisted that she get a prescription for the pill!", Eliza then reflected.

"No, no. We're not having a baby," I smiled with my arms raised defensively. "We want children, lots of them in fact, but not yet now. We actually still feel too young for that," I relented in this regard.

"What does my daughter actually say to your request?" asked Henry with very raised eyebrows and a skeptical look.

"Becky doesn't know about my intention yet ... We talked about it a few months ago, after what happened with Mike, more as a joke. In the process, she let slip that she felt it was appropriate to ask the father's permission. BEFORE! I hereby do, before I propose to Becky."

"And what do your parents say?" asked Eliza.

"They agree. They keep saying that we should enjoy and savor our youth without the responsibilities of being parents or working adults. But they also say that a marriage certificate wouldn't change that. One doesn't preclude the other, they say."

"Very wise words!" interjected Granny again, giving me an encouraging wink.

"And this is said by Edward, of all people, who is no older than he is!" mused Henry dramatically to the heavens.

"I'm not sure Edward was ever a real teenager," I reflected on that. I couldn't picture my dad hanging out with others his age, fooling around, talking stupid stuff, maybe having one too many beers or joints, going to a club or bar.

"Isn't it possible that you're rushing all this, Jake? Maybe driven by your parents getting married so suddenly?", Eliza wanted to know.

"No, it is not because of that," I replied, however.

Granny had advised to bring the ring. To substantiate my honorableness, if necessary. So it dangled in my pants pocket. Now I pulled out the little jewelry case and handed it to Becky's mother.

"I've had this for a few weeks," I said.

"Oh, how pretty," she gasped, "Look, darling. Isn't he adorable?" she held the open case out to her husband.

He only glanced at the ring for a moment, bristled in disbelief, and then looked at it more closely.

"It doesn't look like it came out of a gumball machine," he stated matter-of-factly.

"No, it didn't," I confirmed, but smirked as I did so.

Henry then peeked at me very suspiciously.

"Excuse me for laughing. I once gave Becky one from a gumball machine. In fact, I sort of proposed to her with it. It was a pretty silly situation and at the time I wasn't serious. Neither my question nor her answer to it. But I made her a promise to have a real ring one day and to make her a real proposal. It is incorporated into the plush wolf as a heart," I explained my hilarity.

"I see," Henry now smirked himself.

"Sweet story," Granny smiled rapturously.

"Then that's why she hardly lets him go at night when you're not around," Eliza reasoned.

"Possibly," I shrugged with a smile. I knew it was more because of the wolf itself than the ring inside, even if the plush wolf was far too small and not nearly warm enough.

"Let's get back to the subject at hand, Jake. Becky and you ... you haven't been together very long," Henry brought the conversation back at my request, but now offered to sit me down again.

I sat between Granny and Becky's parents.

"Tomorrow will be exactly five months," I replied. "Five wonderful months."

"That's a pretty manageable amount of time when you compare it to over twenty years of marriage," he reflected.

"I wouldn't disagree with that," I admitted.

"So long I didn't even know your father!" interjected Granny.

"That's not much help, Mother!"

"Yes, but for Jake!" she grinned.

Henry rolled his eyes.

"Why are you so sure it would be the right thing to do? You're young, your whole lives are still ahead of you. You've known each other for some time, but you just haven't been together very long."

"Like I was going to say earlier: Who knows who you'll meet in college or later at work. Maybe you will regret this step later. You still have time for a lifetime," Eliza also wanted to know.

"Because I love Becky from my deepest soul. She is the most important person in my life. Even more important than my mom or my twin sister. It's like she's my soulmate and like I've just been waiting for her all my life. Yes, we are young, but time will not change our affection," I vowed.

Again there was silence in the house.

"You have my blessing, Jake!" said Granny devoutly, putting a hand on my shoulder from behind.

"Thank you!", I said sincerely, covering her hand with mine and nodding my thanks over my shoulder.

Henry and Eliza, on the other hand, looked at each other, but Eliza smiled.

That made me feel confident.

"Becky is not your little girl anymore. She's old enough to know what she's doing," she told her husband.

"Yes, but why did it have to happen so quickly?" he complained.

I smirked and behind me it almost chuckled.

I knew such complaints. From my parents. And it seemed very familiar to Granny, too. Probably from herself.

"Well, Jake," Henry then said, rising.

Made somehow a solemn impression, which is why I also stood up.

"I've said it before at Christmas: As a father, I can't ask for more than that my daughter be happy, and I've realized that she is with you ... You have our blessing!" he said clearly.

"I promise that Becky will be happy!", I replied, somehow feeling as if I had said it that way before. Also to Henry.

"We're sure of that!" said Eliza, pushing past her husband and giving me a delighted hug.

"So when are you going to ask my daughter?" however Henry dug deeper as he put an arm paternally around my shoulders.

"On Friday, Valentine's Day and I invite you all sincerely to be there. Leah and I have a birthday that day, but because of the game schedule, our actual party is postponed until Saturday. My dad invited us to 'Jezebel' as a substitute to celebrate a little with the family," I explained.

"The 'Jezebel'? Isn't that that establishment out the back facing the beach? The one with the dubious reputation?" asked Eliza.

"Yes, that's the one. Because of that shady reputation, we've always been very curious about what kind of place it is. That's why my dad reserved several tables there. Edward's parents say that this miserable reputation is not justified and is probably just because hardly anyone dares to actually enter the place. They've been there a few times, though," I said.

"And who will all be there then? We don't want to disturb your private birthday party," Henry asked.

"It's not going to be that private. My parents will be there, as well as Edward's parents. But also my grandfather Charlie and his wife. And our neighbors David and Sonya. Granny, you're hereby warmly invited, too, if you're still here then," I immediately turned to Granny.

"I'd love to, Jake. Provided my son will accommodate me until then," she looked invitingly at her son.

He just rolled his eyes at this remark, but then agreed that they would come.

I was really happy that they would be there. After all, I took their daughter away from them, so to speak, so that the parents belonging to her should not be missing on such an important day.

I said goodbye, but reminded everyone again not to reveal anything to Becky.

I drove home, hid the ring, and ran back as a wolf to my dad's bachelor party.

It sounded kind of weird. Oh well.

I arrived just as Dad and Sam were having a spectacular chess match.

I also quickly recognized the fight around it, which took place rather between the lines. All the wolves and Native Americans were standing behind Sam and looking at the playing field. All the vampires were gathered behind my dad. Only Charlie sat with a chair right in between. Marcus was also sitting on the vampire side.

"You're on the wrong side of the table!", Sam then explained to me.

"I'm sticking up for my dad!", however, I declared and demonstratively stayed on that side. However, I had to realize that my dad was apparently not invincible after all. He gave up the game.

"Why did you give up?", I asked as we walked a bit together to collect some of this afternoon's stuff already.

"Are you disappointed, then?"

"Not disappointed ... My whole worldview just vanished into thin air!", I said.

"Your worldview, my dear son, is in Becky's hands, not on a chessboard!", was explained to me with a played stern face.

"True!", I admitted and laughed happily.

"So? How did it go?" my dad asked after all.

"Did you actually know that before?"

"How much did I even know about the day today?"

"True again."

"I overheard in Alice's mind who you were supposed to pick up and just drew what seemed to be the right conclusions. However, since you are beaming all over your face, I guess I can withdraw my question."

"I have their blessing!", I said in response, letting Dad share some of my memories of those last two hours. "They're coming with us on Friday, too," I added.

Dad nodded benevolently.

He had made this suggestion. Since our party had fallen through due to our away games, Dad had thought about how we would celebrate Valentine's Day instead. With Becky and I at a romantic dinner or something. But then what would happen to Leah? She definitely wouldn't be going on a date. So we had thought that we would at least celebrate a little with our family together then, and somehow we had come up with the 'Jezebel'. The place had been around forever, but hardly anyone knew exactly what kind of establishment it was. It really seemed very shady. It was in an old factory building, where there were no other restaurants or clubs or anything like that. Nothing indicated what was behind the big door. Only the writing above this door proved that there was really something there. Many thought it was a swingers club or something and avoided the street. But it stirred up our curiosity from time immemorial.

"Then nothing stands in the way of your proposal now," Dad stated.

"Becky's answer maybe still," I pondered.

"Becky knows her answer!"

"That's so easy for you to say," I countered. What would Becky say if I was absolutely serious? Would she maybe think it was way too early for that, too? Maybe she'd say no at first out of fear.

"There's only one way to find out," Dad said. "Even if you have doubts, I don't," he added, and I hugged my dad for his encouragement.

With the collected tobogganing equipment we went back.

"You might want to go to Mommy soon," Dad mused as he took a seat in front of Ced, who was once again sitting on the table.

Ced liked to sit on tables. From up there, he had a better view of everything. I suspected that he was thirsty.

"I'll do it!", I immediately stood by him.

At the same time as Marcus.

So I put Ced on my shoulders and marched off with Marcus.

As we stepped through the front door of our glass palace, we peeked at each other a bit skeptically.

Woah ... that was some yakking!

We took off Ced's thick winter jacket, as well as his gloves, boots, and cap. His chocolate brown hair was really impossible. It was sticking out in all directions.

Then we stood in the kitchen doorway.

Thirteen women were in the process of cooking a substantial dinner.

"Good evening!" we said politely.

This was followed by a veritable shriek when everyone now saw my baby brother.

Mom immediately rushed toward me.

Well. Maybe less me than her baby.

She immediately took him from my arms and cuddled him.

"I'm here, too, by the way!" I said jealously. Really I had not been jealous for a long time, and not now either.

Mom then hugged me with her free arm and pressed a kiss on my cheek. She repeated the gesture with Marcus.

As soon as Mom let us go, a star stood in front of me.

"How's Granny?" asked Becky, grinning.

"How do you know I picked them up?", on the other hand, I asked in surprise.

"Because Alice said so. Already this morning," she said.

Then I had therefore felt that she was withholding something from me.

"And we have another surprise for Granny," she continued, pulling me further into the kitchen with one hand.

I couldn't believe it. There sat Orenda Young. Mother of Celina and Ciara Young. Grandmother of a total of four grandchildren, one of them Henry Young. Great-grandmother of several great-grandchildren. Among them Emily Uley, née Young and Becky Young. At ninety-eight years old, she sat imperiously at the end of the kitchen table. I had run into her a time or two when we were in La Push.

As Becky pulled me closer, Orenda stood up and looked me in the eyes even more imperiously.

She was quite an intimidating personality. Even my grandfather had a lot of respect for this old lady.

"So you're the little wolf who's claiming my great-granddaughter for yourself!" she said snottily.

Her usual and ubiquitous tone of voice.

"Woe to you if you don't treat her well!"

"You know me, Orenda!", I reminded her. Well. Ninety-eight years. Who knows how her mind worked these days.

"Yes, I know you Jacob William Black! But only now have I met my delightful great-granddaughter. She deserves only the best! Do you think you could meet those demands to my satisfaction?"

"What's with the question? I'm arguably the best thing that could have happened to Becky!", I said in no uncertain manner.

"I doubt it," she mumbled and sat down again.

She could not stand for too much longer.

She commanded me to sit down.

I did it, put my hands on the table and without expecting it, she immediately put her hands on mine. She looked at me for a long moment.

"The fire," she murmured.

I nodded.

She was so old that I had no doubt that she knew very well about the fire of the wolves.

"So you'll be able to protect my great-granddaughter!" she stated perhaps more to herself.

"I will!", I promised.

"But apparently that has not turned out too well for you so far. After all, tomorrow a Cold One will marry into our tribe in some way!"

"Mom's not a Quileute after all," I reasoned.

"But you and your sister! And Becky!" she said, slightly angry.

"Orenda. Not all Cold Ones are inherently evil," Becky interjected, and sat sideways on my lap.

"Oh. You're still young, chit," Orenda said.

"You spent half the day with three of them," Emily joined us as well.

"Excuse me?" asked Orenda skeptically now.

"Esmé, Alice, and Rosalie. They belong to Edward's family," Emily pointed in their direction, who were standing at the front of the stove, just letting Emma try various things.

Orenda looked very closely at the three ladies.

"You've got to be kidding me. Esmé is such a kind-hearted young woman, she can't possibly be one of them," she said with conviction.

"Yes, she is. She's sort of Edward's mother. Alice and Rosie are his sisters," I explained.

Orenda was silent on the subject, but barely took her eyes off the vampires.

Suspicious. Patterning. Evaluating. I didn't have too long before the spareribs would be ready over at the men's, and I wanted to have my star to myself for a little while longer.

So I said goodbye to Orenda in all due politeness, but then finally greeted the rest of the ladies I had not yet seen today.

I had also seen my Aunt Rachel, Seth's wife Anna, my Grandmother Sue, Emily of course, and Emma and Sonya only briefly through the window at the pool today.

When I was through with the welcoming ceremony, Becky was upstairs in my room. She was in the bathroom, but had also spilled while snacking and was putting on a new sweatshirt. She came down the stairs in one of mine where I received her.

"So what else are you guys going to do right now?" asked Leah as the four of us stood on our little patio and Marcus and I told them some of the day so far.

"No idea. David has his ribs on the grill, but I guess we won't spend the whole night out there in the cold," I reflected.

I had Becky in my arms so she wouldn't get so cold, while Leah and Marcus stood casually next to each other.

"Actually, a stripper should be part of a bachelor party, but that's not Dad's style," Leah reflected.

I agreed with that.

Thank you for reading!