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Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.
Part Six-A Surprise Proposal
Jacob strolled into Bella's bedroom holding Ethan. Bella sat up in the bed, her hair falling around her shoulders like a satin wave, as she held out her hands for her son. Jacob passed Ethan to her carefully before sitting next to her on the bed.
Bella blew raspberries on Ethan's belly, making him laugh. "You're my good boy." She cooed at him as she did it again.
"Um, Bells, we have a problem." Jacob hated to interrupt the moment.
Bella glanced up at him curiously. "What?"
"Your dad just saw me." Jacob admitted.
Bella froze while she glanced at her mostly naked best friend and winced. Her good mood vanished like a puff of smoke. "Oh no, he's not going to be able to get over this."
"Come on, honey. We're both adults and we have a child together. It's not like he doesn't already know that we've had sex before." Jacob shrugged, not too sure what all the fuss was about.
"I know that, but Charlie doesn't know that we did it under his roof." Bella whined.
"But we did." Jacob was trying not to laugh at her overreaction.
"We know that." Bella responded testily. "But Charlie doesn't. It's just something a girl's dad doesn't want to have shoved in his face. As far as he was aware, I went to bed last night alone, and suddenly you're here."
"Do you want me to talk to him?" Jacob offered.
"No way." Bella shook her head vehemently.
"Bells, I think you're making too big a deal out of this." Jacob tickled Ethan, making him laugh again. "Charlie may have been embarrassed, but he won't say anything."
"You wanna bet?" Bella picked up Ethan and climbed out of bed. "I need to get Ethan his breakfast."
Jacob took her face in his hands and kissed her gently on the lips. "It'll be fine."
Bella sighed. "I hope so." She began to leave the room and then turned back to face him. "Thanks for last night." She muttered, not able to meet his amused gaze.
"My pleasure, darlin'." Jacob quipped as he watched her cheeks burn in embarrassment, before she fled the room carrying their son.
Charlie's face was still flushed a deep red when finally ventured down the stairs. Jacob and Bella were both fully dressed and playing with Ethan when he joined them.
"Good morning." He greeted them gruffly as he went to get some breakfast.
Bella sighed as she handed Ethan over to Jacob. "I'm going to have a talk with him and try to clear the air." She whispered.
"Shouldn't I be part of this discussion?" Jacob asked, frowning slightly. "I mean we really need to talk about what happens now."
"I know we do. But now is not the right time." Bella evaded the question.
Jacob tried to reign in his irritation. "We will talk about this, Bells."
"Yes, I promise. Just let me square things with my dad first." Bella begged him.
"Alright." Jacob conceded, still annoyed that she was cutting him out of the conversation. He watched her head off to the kitchen, before turning his attention back to Ethan, who was holding a teething ring in his hand, sucking on it. "Your mommy can be so frustrating at times; do you know that?"
Ethan pulled the teething ring out of his mouth and waved it at Jacob, accidentally batting him on the nose.
Charlie was sitting at the kitchen table, hiding behind his paper when Bella walked in. She tried to keep a straight face as she sat opposite him and cleared her throat. "Can we talk?" She asked politely.
"About?" Charlie mumbled from behind his paper.
"You seeing Jacob early this morning." Bella came straight to the point.
Charlie coughed uncomfortably. He put his paper down, folding it in half. "When did he turn up?" He muttered.
"Late last night. I'm glad he did, we really needed to talk." Bella told him.
"Really? This discussion couldn't have waited until a more appropriate hour." He questioned sarcastically.
"I know I should have let you know...but come on, Dad. I'm an adult now, remember?" Bella flashed him a weak smile.
"I'm not an idiot, kiddo. But don't you think you and Jake are moving a bit too fast? You only told him about Ethan yesterday and suddenly I find him half naked in my house early in the morning." Charlie stated irritably.
Bella felt her skin burn again. "I understand what you're saying, but..."
"But what?" Charlie interrupted, his tone serious. "I'm just worried about you both. I would hate to see this all fall apart because neither of you are looking at the bigger picture. I think you should both take a step back and really think about what you are doing, for Ethan's sake, if nothing else."
Bella felt deflated. Her euphoria at waking up next to Jacob that morning dissipated. She knew her father was right. She and Jacob had just literally jumped back into bed together. The emotional reunion of the day before had made them reckless. She cursed herself in her head as she realized they had once again not used any protection.
"Bells, did you hear what I said?" Charlie asked her. "You zoned out just then."
Bella shook herself. "Sorry, Dad. Yes, I heard what you said. Jake and I will talk today."
"Do you want me to look after Ethan for you? I could take him over to see Billy, give you two some much needed space." Charlie offered.
"Thanks, Dad." Bella smiled gratefully, the difficult conversation had gone much better than she had expected.
"I just want you to be happy, kiddo." Charlie said earnestly.
Bella nodded. "I know." She gave him one last smile before leaving the room.
"Bye Ethan, be good for your Grandparents." Bella made sure her son was securely strapped in his car seat, before giving him a gentle kiss on his head. Ethan was already falling asleep, a habit he had whenever he went on a car journey.
"See you soon, little guy." Jacob stroked Ethan's head before backing away and shutting the car door. "Thanks for this, Charlie. Bells and I will be over later."
"Just make sure you talk." Charlie said pointedly as he gave them a quick wave and started the engine, before backing out of the driveway. Jacob and Bella waited outside until they could no longer see the cruiser before heading back into the house.
Bella made some coffee for them both. She passed a steaming mug to Jacob while they made themselves comfortable at the kitchen table. They looked at each other, neither one knowing how to kick start the awkward conversation.
Bella stirred her coffee, trying to find the right words. Jacob watched her for a moment, trying to work out what she was thinking. She seemed deep in thought and he worried she was beginning to regret last night.
"What are you thinking, Bells?" He finally asked. "You were in such a good mood earlier, now you just seem out of it. Are you regretting what happened between us?"
"No, of course not." Bella assured him quickly.
"Then what?" Jacob pressed her.
"We didn't use protection again last night, Jake. I'm not on the pill." Bella confessed.
Jacob ran a hand through his hair. "Shit, it just didn't occur to me. I just got carried away."
"We both did." Bella said wryly as she took a sip of the hot coffee. She winced as it burned the roof her mouth when she swallowed.
Jacob reached across the table and took her hand. "Whatever happens, Bells. We'll deal with it. I mean we wouldn't have Ethan now if we had used protection the first time."
"No." Bella agreed as she thought of her son.
Jacob was quiet for a moment as he tried to think of the best way to phrase his next question. It was a big thing he was going to ask her and he was worried that she would back away from him again, especially as it was the imprinting issue that had made her run the first time. He hoped that his reassurances had been enough to convince her that it would not affect them.
"Bells, I need to ask you something."
"What is it?" Bella gazed at him pensively, she could see he looked worried.
"I know this is all happening so fast, but I think we've wasted enough time already. You know I love you." Jacob squeezed her fingers gently.
"I love you, too." Bella replied warily. A panicky feeling began to swell in her stomach, he looked so serious.
"You know I always pictured doing this in a more romantic way, but..." Jacob got up and walked around the table and took Bella's hand again, dropping down on one knee.
"Jake, what are you doing?" Bella asked, even though it was plainly obvious what his intentions were. Still, she felt shocked by his impulsiveness.
Jacob gazed up at her with love, his special smile playing about his lips. "I don't have a ring yet, but I don't want to wait anymore, honey. So, Bella Swan, will you marry me?"
Billy jiggled Ethan up and down on his knees making him laugh. He smiled happily as he giggled and Billy was once again struck by how much he looked like Sarah.
Charlie noticed, too. "He takes after your Sarah, doesn't he? She was always happy and smiling."
"Yeah." Billy agreed wistfully. He was lost in memories of the wife he had adored so much. "Jake gets his sunny nature from her. I think Ethan will grow up just like both of them."
Charlie patted Billy on the back before sitting on the sofa. "How do you think Jake and Bella's talk is going?" He asked his friend worriedly.
Billy sighed. "Hopefully they may have sorted out some sort of visitation arrangement for Jake to see Ethan."
"It will be difficult with Bells living in Jacksonville." Charlie mused. "Maybe she could be persuaded to move closer. I mean after last night..."
Billy laughed. "I bet seeing him was a shock."
"Yes, you could say that." Charlie grimaced at the memory. "Your son has a habit of walking around half naked. Why is that?"
Billy looked at Charlie in amusement. "Oh, you know these youngsters."
"Not so young anymore." Charlie said regretfully. "When did our kids suddenly become adults?"
"Feeling old, Chief?" Billy tickled Ethan's chin, making him giggle again. "I know I am. I can't believe we are grandparents already."
"True." Charlie held out his hands and Billy passed him Ethan. "Although having this little one added to the family is worth the passing years."
"I second that." Billy said with a smile.
They heard the front door open and then shut with a loud bang. "Looks like our offspring have arrived early." Billy frowned. "Is that good or bad do you think?"
Charlie shrugged. "It's hard to tell, but I guess we're about to find out." He looked toward the entrance to the living room as Jacob and Bella appeared, they were holding hands and kept shooting each other knowing glances.
"What's going on?" Billy asked straight away.
Jacob glanced down at Bella, then lifted their joined hands and kissed the back of hers. "We've got some good news." He said happily.
"Come on then tell us." Charlie was getting impatient.
"Do you want to or shall I?" Jacob checked with Bella.
She blushed. "No, you tell them."
"Well one of you tell us or we'll die of old age at this rate." Billy complained irritably.
"Alright, old man, calm down." Jacob looked at the two men and took a deep breath. "Bella and I are getting married." He announced with a bright smile.
A/N-thanks for reading!