Author's note: This is a slightly boring chapter, please bear with me! I wanted to involve Edward and Bella in the story to give their perspective, but I'm having trouble integrating them… Please leave ideas or advice if you have any!

P-S: For the afromention of Renesmee's ex-boyfriend… I went with him considering the book description of being tall and muscular (that's probably Nessie's type, lol). Please ignore his casting in the movie!

Nessie's POV

As June unfolded, I smoothly settled into a pretty sweet routine here in Forks. My internship kept me busy during the day, and my nights and weekends were filled with the company of the Quileutes, Charlie, and Jacob. He and I had become quite close. Jake's hilarious banter, laid-back vibes, and eagerness to explore the area with me made him an awesome companion. The Quileute girls added a lot of fun to my summer as well. Even though Leah still needed to warm up to me, we often hung out together with Kaya, who was just as friendly as Seth. Jacob's sister, Rebecca, along with her buddies Emily and Kim – they were in their early thirties and gave me cooking lessons in exchange for helping babysit their kids here and there.

On the 15th, it had been decided that Charlie and I would be driving down to Victoria, Canada, to spend the weekend with my parents. I missed them and was excited to see them again. Feeling that the time was right to address any lingering tension between Jacob and my parents, I proposed the idea to my best friends, and much to my surprise, he readily agreed to join us on the trip. This is where we were driving back from now.

Bella's POV.

I had spent quite a bit of time mulling over the idea of running into Jacob Black again. My sharp vampire mind had more room for thoughts than I knew what to do with. At first, I was convinced such a reunion would never happen. Despite my keeping tabs on his life through my daughter and Charlie, Jacob never made an effort to reconnect, and my email sent in April received no response. So, you can picture my surprise when, one night in June, the phone in our cozy West Coast Canadian cottage rang, and there was Jacob Black on the other end of the line.

What he had to tell me was even more surprising. If Edward were capable of having a heart attack, I'm pretty certain he would have experienced one on the spot. Jacob had imprinted on our daughter, Renesmee, my only child. While my self-control had always been my forte, in that moment, it took every ounce of strength to refrain from rushing to Forks myself and administering a figurative slap of reason.

Upon reflection, though, it started to make sense. Both he and Renesmee would live for eternity. I had firsthand experience witnessing the binding force of imprinting when I spent time around Sam and Emily. I understood its purity, knowing that Jacob would go to great lengths to protect her and ensure her happiness. It became increasingly challenging to envision a more suitable companion for my daughter. Companion, ugh. We had only enjoyed 12 short years with her, and now Jacob believed he had some kind of wolfy claim over her?!

The weekend with my daughter and dad flew by faster than expected. I thought Edward would be in a bad mood the whole time, but surprisingly, he seemed pretty chill. I was dying to know what info he'd gotten from Charlie's or Jacob's brain to explain this mood change. When Renesmee left for college, we agreed that I'd shield her thoughts whenever she visited. If lack of privacy made her move away, I wasn't going to let it stop her from coming home.

Our guest had just left when I cornered Edward in our study, where he was lounging and checking out the backyard view.

"So, you seemed to be in a better mood than I thought this weekend," I asked him.

He responded with a subtle nod, gracing me with one of his trademark half-smiles. In the unique lexicon of our vampiric communication, words often proved superfluous. Edward discerned my thoughts as easily as if he could read my mind, without the need for preamble. Still, he always took a certain delight in teasing me.

In a playful bid to unsettle him, I plunged headlong into the topic I knew would stir discomfort within him. "Deciphering Jacob's sentiments for Renesmee directly from his thoughts must have been quite the uneasy experience for you," I remarked.

Edward, familiar with the nuances of my character, effortlessly deciphered my intentions. Even after twelve years of marriage, victory in a verbal sparring match with him remained a formidable task. Yet, I too knew his mind like it was my own. A mere flutter of an imploring gaze could unravel his resolve with unwavering consistency.

With a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, he finally acquiesced to my prodding. "Actually... It turned out to be less harrowing than I had anticipated. His thoughts proved to be remarkably innocent, far purer than the mental chatter of most men in her proximity."

"Oh. So, he hasn't fallen for her romantically yet?"

My thoughts meandered through the intricacies of the imprinting phenomenon, a subject that had captured my attention during my teenage years. The undeniable love between Emily and Sam, or Paul and Jacob's sister Rachel, stood as irrefutable evidence that imprinting was a genuine and profound connection. Its authenticity was so potent that even an outsider couldn't dismiss the reality of this phenomenon.

Recollections of Jacob's friend Quil imprinting on a young child flitted through my mind, providing a stark contrast. In that instance, the relationship didn't evolve into a romantic entanglement; instead, it manifested as a bond of platonic, familial love. Perhaps, the age gap between Jacob and Renesmee was still too big for him to view her as a romantic partner, yet.

Edward effortlessly grasped the conclusions I was drawing, sparing me the need to articulate them. "Not exactly. He does take notice of her in that way. I've caught Jacob on occasion, thoughts veering towards her beauty and such. But he's not... in love with her just yet, if that makes sense?" Edward explained his words in a thoughtful cadence. "The intensity of their connection is undeniable, but his sentiments towards her still lean more towards friendship. It's more akin to a crush, perhaps."

"Oh. I remember Jake telling me how imprinting takes the form of whatever the imprints needs the most. Perhaps, Renesmee is not wanting this type of relationship, yet."

Edward nodded in agreement, a subtle furrow appearing on his brows. Both of us had detected a shift in our daughter's approach to dating over the past year. In her younger years, she had driven us to the brink with her endless inquiries about boys. The stark contrast between Edward and my own teenage years was striking; she had been eager to embrace the dating scene. Enthusiastically, she had regaled us with tales of her early college dates and her first serious boyfriend, Felix Volturi – a revelation that nearly gave Edward a heart attack.

However, after about a year, she had ceased discussing matters of the heart I pondered the transformation in Renesmee's attitude toward dating, a subtle ache of concern nestled in my chest. She used to be so obsessed with the idea of dating, but something seemed to have shifted. A secret, perhaps, one she hadn't shared with us. I wondered if it was just a phase or if there was something more significant at play.

As the echoes of our conversation lingered in the study, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of uncertainty about the dynamics unfolding in Renesmee's life. Edward's insights had shed some light, yet questions lingered like elusive shadows in the recesses of my mind.