Bella

The next morning, I wake up half expecting Jacob to be already gone, but when I open my eyes, I see his bronzed arm thrown over me. I jerk to look at him and I see him lazily grin with his eyes still closed.

In a rough whisper, I say, "Jake, it's morning! Charlie is going to find you in here and kill both of us!" I sit up straight and start pulling on his arm to get him up so he can leave, when he wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me back down beside him.

"Relax, he left to go fishing with my dad early this morning. It is just us."

I roll over to look at him and breathe a deep sigh of relief. Looking at him laying here in my bed, seeing him in this way for the first time, I can't help but feel love and contentment bloom in my chest, but also, weirdly, in my stomach. I reach up and place my hand on his cheek, "So we have the house all to ourselves?"

"Mmm," He mumbles.

I look at the clock behind his head and see that it is only 7:45. "Wow, It is still early, what time did he leave?"

"Oh, around 4:00 or so. I know my dad wanted to go early, so I knew he would be leaving early."

"I'm shocked he didn't check in on me."

"Oh, he did. But when I heard him coming, I laid on the floor. Once he had left the house, I finally climbed back into bed."

"Mmm. Well, I am glad you did. I like waking up next to you."

"Well, if you get that house on the Rez, we can wake up next to each other every morning... and not have to worry about Charlie." The thought of this both thrills me and terrifies me at the same time. For a while, I was waking up next to Edward... now, I am facing the possibility of waking up next to someone different... and if this imprint thing is real, then it would be the same person for the rest of my life.

"Jake..." I down at my hands in my lap, "How are we going to do this?"

"What do you mean?" He props himself up on his elbow to see me better.

"If I move to the Rez... Like what all will be expected of me... of us? Will we be expected to get married?" I fiddle with my fingers as I continue, "I mean I love you, I do... but I don't think I am ready for that yet. Edward brought it up to me once... that before he would change me... he wanted to get married..."

Jake takes my hands in his one free one, "No one expects us to be getting married any time soon. Even Sam and Emily aren't married and they have been together for a couple years. As to what is expected of you... there really aren't any expectations. This has never happened before. I mean the true alpha and his mate accepting the bond? It is all uncharted territory. But, like I said, the legends say that the true alpha's mate will be a kind of mother to the pack. She will lead the pack with her mate and together they will make decisions and do whatever it takes to make the world safe for our tribe and the humans around us."

I look at the man who has changed my entire world, "so basically, I will do what Emily has been doing? Helping out around the pack? Cooking all the time? Keeping house? Heaven knows I know how to do that thanks to my time here with Charlie."

"Well, I don't think that will be all you will be doing. I mean, according to the legends, you will help lead the pack. Seeing as how Emily is not a wolf, she can't exactly do all that. So, no, I don't think you will be taking that role. Not entirely I guess. I think once Sam steps down and I take the lead as alpha, Emily, as his imprint, will be the Beta mate. She will be expected to continue what she is doing. You may help out with that if you want, but for the most part, since you are taking a more centric role, you will have other responsibilities." Jacob sits up and moves into a cross legged position, facing me. "However, when the time comes, I hope that you will marry me and we will follow through with *other* responsibilities."

"Other responsibilities... like popping out a litter?" I laugh with the implication, but the thought of having kids... I find myself stunned at the sudden possibility. With him, I came to the understanding that I would never be able to have children... "Wow. Kids."

Jacob turns, lays back down, and takes me in his arms, "Bells, I want you to know, I will NEVER pressure you into anything before you're ready. If it takes 20 years for you to be ready to get married and have kids, then it takes 20 years. I want you to be ready for it. I don't want to push you. I love you. I've loved you for as long as I can remember... I think I loved you back when we were making mud pies together."

I can't help but snort a laugh, "Ha! Mud pies! Jake, I don't think you even knew what love was back then."

"Maybe not, but something told me you were special."

Conversation died out, but laying there in Jake's arms, I felt like life was finally beginning to make sense. Maybe my time with Edward was supposed to happen to get me to this place. If I hadn't been through what I went through, would I be open to this life when it came around? Who knows.