Chapter 29

It was a beautiful first day back in Washington. An autumn aura, and the unpretentious scent of pine set deep inside the spiced woods resettled the lost feeling of home. I looked down at my glowing hand, luminescent and pale. The pearls on my engagement ring shone as well, matching the tone to my sunlit skin.

I was over at La Push now, sitting cross-legged atop a huge black rock lodged between the waters. Jacob waded around me, popping up from the water every now and then to say something.

The rest of my family was back home, away from the rest of the world, while the rare sunlight shone upon them and created a dazzlingly beautiful reflection. In some ways I was glad my skin didn’t shine exactly like theirs. It was on these days Jacob and I could discover the hidden wonders of Forks that just barely ever came around. For instance, the clear aqua waters of First Beach shimmering a fiery red close to the glowing sunset.

With a splash, Jake jumped up from the water, this time coming to sit next to me.

“You got me all wet”, I complained with a smile.

Deliberately, he put an arm around me, and stared up towards the horizon.

The beach became two shades darker as the sun slowly made its way down the side of the Earth, leaving streaks of white, orange and pink while we watched the day relax. I snuggled into Jacob. Near us, a few other couples did the same.

My appearance now edged towards sixteen , which made everything just a little less awkward.

“This has been a really nice day”, I breathed.

“Eh, I’m not such a special guy, Ness. But it means the world to me that you came.”

I laughed, remembering that line from a movie we’d watched on our plane trip home. He joined in, and it died down with a kiss. As the sun continued to lower past us, I realized we were almost directly in the center of the ocean. I sighed as I released my lips. He’d done this on purpose. Jacob could be so romantic.

At that moment, a familiar electric beat echoed from Jake’s shirt lying back on the sand. He rolled his eyes.

“Be right back”, he mumbled.

I slowly ran my hand down his arm, muscles still glistening with drops of water.

A few seconds later, he stood by the sand, yelling unnecessarily into the receiver.

“Who gave you my number, Blondie?”, I heard him say.

It was Aunt Rose. I shook my head, and jokingly moaned. It seemed every hour or so someone was calling to make sure I was alright, though from what little information I was permitted to know of Alice’s vision, the first few weeks of our homecoming would be calm and quiet, for the most part. But I guess since it was still hard for my aunt to see either of us, it helped to check in every once in a while.

“Yeah, yeah. She’s fine, and she’s been fine all day! I would never let anything happen to her. Oh, would you just…”

Suddenly I tuned Jacob out. Something caught my eye.

A small group of girls, around their mid-teens to early twenties were all bunched together, gazing over to Jake. At first I didn’t understand exactly what was going on. For some reason I instantly became irritated at their incessant giggling, their little waves to Jacob. My Jacob. I clutched the side of the rock hard, feeling the little pieces chip underneath my fingers, and splash gently into the water.

“Hey”, one of them called, walking slowly over to where he stood. She was tall and slightly dark-skinned, with large cleavage purposely revealed in a leopard print bikini.

The girl was no more different than any other girl. So then why did I feel so intimidated?

Jacob turned around, spotted the girl, and said a quick hello. He then proceeded back to me, a casual expression on his face. Both I and the girl stared back at him, confused for different reasons.

“Just the vamps checking in on us again”, he said, kissing the top of my head. I felt horribly guilty that moment, as I stared back at the girl, who watched us with a defeated stance. I felt pleased that she had gone unnoticed. That Jacob had ignored her, and wanted me.

“Jake?”

He looked to me. He was so…beautiful. Hmmm. That was an embarrassing thought.

“Have you ever…regretted imprinting on me?’, I asked in a small voice.

He stared back wide-eyed, as if I had gone crazy.

“Renesmee, I had no life before I imprinted on you. I broke apart from my pack, I didn’t know where to live, or what to do. There was absolutely no purpose to my life then to stay by your mom's side through the pregnancy. And that was because I needed to be with you. Always. You gave me a purpose.”

His face reflected only pure honesty.

“So…when you see…other girls…I mean…”, I stuttered uncomfortably, motioning my head towards the girls from before.

He turned for a second, and then rolled his eyes.

“Wait. You were jealous? Of those wannabe’s?”

I sighed.

 “I guess I was.”

He grinned showing all his teeth, clearly pleased.

“Nessie, have you even noticed all those big shot guys who like to stare at you? Boy, I gave ‘em such a look, think I sent ‘em straight to hell”, he laughed.

I couldn’t help but give a giggle too.

“I just feel bad for tying you down all these years.”

Jake slowly pulled me down until I lay flat against the rock, and gave me a gentle kiss. I reached up, running my fingers in his short dark hair.

“And five years was well worth the wait”, he said.