Chapter 8

Jacob glanced up as Bella’s angry voice carried across the empty stadium. He could see Bella standing near the edge of the stage surrounded by Mike, Paul, Emily and Leah. She was still ranting about something while Mike tried to calm her down. The others clearly looked uncomfortable about whatever it was that had Bella fit to be tied.

He watched the little interchange for a few moments before going back to working on the boards in front of him, trying not to appear so interested in her any longer. After all, she had barely said one word to him since they had all gathered in Toronto the day before. Despite the fact that there had never been a moment when they were alone, she still hadn’t said a word to him even when he was purposely making eye contact with her or standing close by.

Now it was the next day, when everyone was back at work for a sound check rehearsal and Jacob was positive that Bella had meant what she had said the last time they had been together. Just like he had told Embry, that had been their last time to be together.

Bella was no longer interested in sleeping with him.

He tried not to let it get to him, but he couldn’t help but feel a little hurt by the fact that she hadn’t even given him a small smile or a quick, welcome back greeting. He had seen her wave to others, even if it had been a little nonchalantly, it was still a wave. Yet, she continued to ignore him no matter what he did.

Once more, he chided himself, tucking his hurt deep inside so that he could concentrate on doing his job. Embry was right. He needed this job too much to lose it. His parents depended on him too much, plus he was still intent on moving out of his family home as soon as he could afford to.

Focusing on the boards in front of him, he began to check them over, falling into his familiar routine in no time at all. He was actually finished by the time Bella was ready to do a sound check with the band. Luckily her temper didn’t seem to affect the session since it went smoothly without any more tirades from her.

Once it was done though, she quickly thanked everyone for being there then stormed off the stage to where Mike and her bodyguards were waiting for her. As she left the arena, the rest of the band began leaving too, while their roadies took care of the instruments.

Jacob finished shutting down his electronics, making sure they would be ready for the night’s performance before he walked towards the stage area. As he turned the corner, he saw Leah listening to a frowning Emily.

“I don’t know what she’s going to do now, Leah, but it better be solved soon or we’ll all have to deal with her drama until it is! Ugh, what a headache! I think I’m going to go lie down now, see you tonight.”

Leah nodded as Emily walked off with a wave.

Jacob approached Leah, giving her a concerned look. “Is everything all right?”

Leah sighed as she lifted her hand in a brush-off motion. “Yeah, we’re all just a little tired of Ms. Diva’s dramatics over the latest vacancy. It’s not as bad as she makes it seem, but you know how she can get.”

He raised an inquisitive eyebrow. “What vacancy?”

Leah gave him an incredulous look. “Did you not notice that Emily was the only backup singer on stage today?”

Jacob nodded. “Yeah, but it’s not the first time this has happened, so I heard.”

Leah scoffed. “That’s true, but this time it’ll be permanent unless a replacement for Eric can be found.”

“Wait, replacement? Why? What happened to Eric?”

Leah rolled her eyes. “The idiot missed his flight to Toronto and couldn’t get another one until tomorrow. Bella told him not to bother ever coming back since she found out the reason he missed his original flight was because he was partying at a friend’s house the night before. He got so drunk and high that he didn’t wake up until late in the afternoon. But get this! Even when he did wake up, he just stumbled his way back home to crash again, totally oblivious to the fact that he had missed his flight!”

Jacob shook his head. “Seriously? So, when did he realize that he had missed it?”

“When Collin called him to find out why he hadn’t checked into their hotel room yet. They were supposed to meet up, I guess, so when Collin went to meet him and there was no answer, he called Eric’s phone. Eric was still sleeping off his night when he answered the phone. Needless to say, he couldn’t get another flight, so he had to call Mike to let him know he wasn’t going to be here on time. Once Bella found out, she called him back and told him he was fired.”

“Ouch! That sucks.”

Leah nodded. “Yeah, but it was his third strike, so I wouldn’t feel too bad for him. Still, now that he’s gone, Bella has to find a new back-up singer to replace him. Where the hell is she gonna find one who would be willing to join this late in the tour, plus learn all the vocals as quickly as possible? Ms. Diva has no patience for that, I tell you.”

At Leah’s announcement, Jacob suddenly had an idea but quickly schooled his expression.

Instead, he simply shrugged. “I dunno, guess we’ll have to wait and see.”

Leah groaned. “Yeah, that’s the worst part too! Ah well, I’m going back to the hotel for a bit, you want to share a ride?”

Jacob shook his head. “Nah, I’m gonna hang here for a bit longer. Got a few more things to check before I can go.”

“Okay, then. See you tonight.”

Jacob waved to her before he took the stairs leading to the stage, his mind full of the possible scenarios of approaching Bella with his idea.

*****************************************************

Jacob sat at the bar, taking a swig of his beer while his eyes remained glued to the stairs leading up to the VIP section. He knew Bella was up there, since he could see her bodyguards at their regular stations even though he couldn’t see her. Still, he was hoping she would eventually emerge to take to the dance floor like she normally did when she attended these after parties.

He would have tried to go up to the VIP section, but he knew unless he had been personally invited by someone on the list, he wouldn’t be allowed up there. Not even Paul got on the list that often and he was the lead tour technician.

His persistence finally paid off though, when Bella came down the stairs with Emily in tow. He watched as the two of them walked onto the dance floor and proceeded to move to the music. Her skintight, red mini-dress left nothing to the imagination even though it covered most of her body. Add those fire engine red, fuck-me heels into the mix and Jacob was harder than a rock as he watched her rubbing up against Emily as they danced together.

He knew he wasn’t the only one who was snared by her looks and movements because she was soon approached by another brave man who laid his hands on her hips and proceeded to dance behind her. Luckily for the guy, Bella glanced demurely at him over her shoulder before leaning back against him, thus allowing him to be her partner for the rest of the song.

Emily danced nearby until the song was over before she returned to the VIP section, leaving Bella on the dance floor. Jacob watched as she turned in her dance partner’s arms, then proceeded to rub up against him as the new song began.

Deciding it was now or never, Jacob swigged the last of his beer for a bit of added encouragement, then set the bottle on the bar before sauntering towards Bella and her partner. He came to a stop right next to them, tapping the guy on the shoulder before leaning in enough so they could both hear him.

“Mind if I cut in?”

The other guy lifted his head with a scowl, but immediately changed it to a wide-eyed look as he took in Jacob’s height and stance. “Sure, not a problem.”

Bella on the other hand rolled her eyes as the guy backed away with his hands in the air. As Jacob moved in to take the guy’s place, she muttered to herself.

“Gee thanks for scaring my treat for the night away, Jake.”

Ignoring her remark, Jacob settled his hands on her waist, pulling her into his body until there wasn’t room for anything to slide between them. Leaning over, he spoke to her.

“I have a proposition for you.”

Bella sighed. “Not interested.”

He slid his hands to her lower back, making sure she could feel all of him against her body. He moved them both to the music as he smirked at her.

“You haven’t even heard what it is yet.”

She shrugged as she turned her head to the side to stare at nothing in particular. “So? I doubt I’d be interested.”

Jacob didn’t say anything for a few moments. Instead, he continued to move them both to the music that swelled around them. Then, he decided to go out on a limb, risking his job to shamelessly flirt with the woman he knew could ruin everything for him.

Leaning down so that his lips brushed against the shell of her ear, he spoke in a husky voice. “Heard you’re looking for a new back-up singer, but you’re having trouble…coming…up with one.”

Bella did her best not to shiver in reaction to the tone of his voice or the way his hot breath fell on her skin, yet when he paused to put emphasis on that one word she nearly lost her footing as her knees suddenly went weak. There was no way she would ever admit to herself nor to him that he could get under her skin so easily with just a word or anything else for that matter.

Swallowing, she quickly got hold of herself to reply to him, hoping that he couldn’t tell how much of an effect he was having on her. “I have a few lined up for auditions.”

When she tried to step out of his arms, he wrapped his body tighter around her and pressed his lips closer to her ear. “Really? Well what if I told you I know of someone who could be here for you at a moment’s notice. Someone who is…perfect…for what you need.”

He resisted the urge to smile when he felt her groan vibrate against his skin. He knew what he was doing to her, but refused to acknowledge it or he’d risk her slipping away from him again. Instead, he continued talking.

“Just say the word, Bella…and I’ll make sure you are…satisfied.”

Deciding two could play that game, Bella lowered her lips to his collarbone as she answered, “How are you going to do that, Jake?”

“I have something in mind.”

“Tell me,” she pleaded as she ran her hands up his cloth-covered chest.

Now it was his turn to shudder as his eyes went to half-mast. “My sister is a singer and is currently between jobs right now.”

“Is she now?”

“Mm hm,” he replied as his lips moved from her ear lobe to her neck. “If you’re interested, we could go somewhere…quieter to discuss my…proposition.”

Bella leaned in closer to him, curling her fingers into his shirt. As her tongue snaked out to lick along his collarbone, Jacob loosened his hold on her for a moment. That was all Bella needed to step out of his embrace to glare up at him.

“Is your sister really a singer?”

He sighed as he looked her in the eyes. “Yes.”

“And she needs a job? And would be willing to fly out to St. Paul the day after tomorrow to audition?”

“Yes,” he repeated as he reached out for her, so he could resume their dancing.

She avoided his hands as she stepped back some more. “Fine! Have her fly to St. Paul then. Mike will give you more details in the morning. Good night Jacob.”

With that, she turned on her heel and walked off the dance floor. Jacob strode after her, but somehow she managed to dodge between the bodies easily as she escaped back to the VIP section before he could catch her. The tall, bulky bodyguard at the bottom of the stairs whom Jacob now knew was named Emmett, gave him a sympathetic look, obviously recognizing him despite holding out a hand to prevent him from going up the stairs.

With a sigh, Jacob nodded his understanding before turning around to head back to the bar. He was hoping Bella would come down to dance again, but a few songs later, she left the club with a few members of her entourage in tow while surrounded by her bodyguards.

That night, he returned to his hotel room alone, never knowing that Bella had done the same.

********************************************

Bella sat next to Mike in the chairs that had been arranged in front of the stage. They also had a small folding table in front of them so all of the resumes of the auditioning back-up singers could be within reach. All morning long she had felt Jacob’s eyes on her back, but had refused to acknowledge him as she continued to audition all of the singers who had wanted the job bad enough to fly out to St. Paul, Minnesota to audition on New Years Eve.

Emily stood on stage waiting for the next singer to join her since she was there to coach the singers as well as to see if the singer’s voice harmonized with hers to Bella’s liking. When Bella had asked Emily to take part in the auditioning process, Emily had been stunned that Bella had even wanted her help. She knew that normally, Bella liked to do things herself. Still, it made sense that the next back-up singer to work with Emily should at least help enhance the performance rather than detract from it.

As the next woman to audition came to a halt in front of the microphone stand next to Emily, Bella’s voice rang out loud and clear.

“Your name, please?”

The slender woman with black hair that she wore in a braid down her back tilted her head so that her voice carried through the microphone. “Rachel Black.”

Bella blinked as she took in the sight of Jacob’s sister for the first time. Admittedly, she had been very skeptical of Jacob’s claim that Rachel could sing, thinking he was only using that as an excuse to get close to her again. While he had copped a feel on the dance floor, Bella had shut him down as soon as he had given her the opening. She had also agreed to audition his sister, only so he wouldn’t have another excuse to try to corner her again.

Now that the woman was there, it was time to get the audition over with and move on with things, hopefully without another incident like the one at the club the night before last. Bella shuffled through the stack of audition resumes until she found Rachel’s.

Setting the papers down between herself and Mike, she nodded towards Emily. “Go ahead and brief her Emily, we’ll tell you when we’re ready.”

As she and Mike looked over Rachel’s resume, Emily handed Rachel the sheet of music for the song she was to sing. At first, Bella gave the resume a half-hearted glance until Michael made a humming noise.

“Wow, Bella, looks like this one spent most of her young life singing. If she made all those accomplishments and received all those awards, why did she go to vet school instead of pursuing singing?”

The admiration in Mike’s voice made Bella seriously look at the resume again. By the time she was done perusing it, even she had to wonder why Rachel didn’t pursue singing as a career. The woman had some serious accolades listed, all of which had been received before she went off to college to be a veterinarian of all things.

Her interest suddenly peaked, she looked up to see Rachel and Emily with heads bent over the sheet of music, quietly whispering together. Raising an inquisitive eyebrow, she cleared her throat and spoke loud enough for them to hear her.

“Okay, Rachel, Emily, whenever you are ready, we’ll begin.”

The two women turned around towards the microphones to take their places. Emily made sure Rachel was ready before indicating to Jasper to begin playing the piano. The first few notes of the song began to waft around the area as Rachel held up the sheet at an angle where she could both see it clearly, yet still be able to sing into the microphone.

Knowing her song by heart, Bella waited until the time when Emily’s voice joined the piano’s notes. A few moments after that, Rachel’s voice joined Emily’s in a way that made Bella sit up and take notice.

It was as if Rachel and Emily had been singing together for years. Rachel’s voice was a little huskier than Emily’s, allowing her to take the range of an alto to Emily’s more soprano voice. Since they could both reach that mid-range too, their voices blended well together, coming together then separating into their unique sounds with ease throughout the song.

By the time it was over, even Mike was leaning forward, his gaze transfixed on the two women on the stage. Silence reigned in the area for a few moments until Bella once again cleared her throat.

“Okay, Rachel, that’ll be all. Thank you for singing with Emily. If you’ll go back to the waiting room, I’ll let you know once I’ve heard the rest of the singers.”

Rachel simply nodded before handing the music sheet back to Emily who gave her a smile and a wink when Bella was busy writing notes on Rachel’s resume. As the next singer walked onto the stage, Mike leaned over to whisper in Bella’s ear.

“If you don’t give Ms. Black a second audition I will personally disown you.”

Bella didn’t even look up at him as she continued making notes while simply replying, “Your statement is duly noted.”

********************************************

Bella took a deep breath before walking into the club with her bodyguards. Once inside, they dispersed since the club had been shut down to the public for the night. Instead of hosting her own New Years Eve party or performing for one of the popular shows around the world, she had chosen to spend New Years Eve in St. Paul.

Luckily for her, there had been plenty of venues willing to host a private party for the rich and famous who were in town for the night. This particular club had wooed her the moment they found out she was performing in town for two nights after New Years Eve. Since she wasn’t the only celebrity there, there was plenty of security thus allowing her bodyguards to mingle among the crowd while she didn’t have to be secluded in a special VIP section. Tonight, she was free to come and go as she pleased within the club walls.

Granted, it had been a long day of auditioning back-up singers for her, but she hoped to at least hold out until midnight before going back to her hotel to crash for the night. Despite all of the auditions, it had actually been easy to narrow it down to five singers whom she called back for a second audition which had taken place after she had conferred with Emily and Mike over lunch.

That second audition had required the auditioning singers to sing on stage with both Bella and Emily, thus letting everyone hear if one of them could work with Bella’s voice the way they worked with Emily’s. In the end, it was no surprise that the one that worked the best…and the one who seemed to have the most confidence in her own skills was Rachel Black.

Still, Bella hadn’t let the five singers know who she had chosen yet, telling them she would confer with Mike and Emily overnight then let them know her decision come the morrow. That was part of the reason why she was a little late to the party since it was now ten at night.

After the last audition, she had met with Emily and Mike, then had a bit of dinner before going to her hotel room to take a nap. By the time she had woken up, it was after seven and she was hungry again. Eating a light dinner in her room, she then took a shower and waited for Alice and Jessica to come help her get ready for the night.

By the time all three of the girls were ready to go, it was nearly ten, making them rush into the limo that took them all to the club. Her entourage had entered the club before her, allowing her guards to make sure she could get out of the limo without being hassled. Now, as she walked through the entrance, she could see members of her entourage spread throughout the club, clearly already enjoying themselves.

With a sigh, she smoothed her blue halter dress down then proceeded to mingle with the rest of the crowd.

**************************************************

Jacob did a double take when Bella walked into the club wearing the sparkly blue halter dress that barely reached mid-thigh. Like always, she wore a pair of shiny silver fuck-me heels that matched the silver on her wrists, neck and ears. The shortness of the dress and the high heels showed off her tanned, long legs to perfection, giving him images of those legs wrapped around his waist the way they had been in her dressing room once.

He swallowed hard, hoping his sister didn’t catch him drooling over the vision in blue that was now mingling with the crowd around the dance floor. He was standing with Rachel, Paul, Leah, Quil and Aaron along the balcony that overlooked the dance floor which allowed him the perfect view of the entire downstairs area from the entrance to the bar which disappeared beneath the balcony he was standing on. That area beneath the balcony was also where most of the seating was located.

The balcony itself ran along three sides of the club and was only wide enough to provide more seating along the walls, as well as thick ledges to stand and enjoy drinks as he and his group were doing when Bella entered the club. He watched her out of the corner of his eye while he pretended to follow along with the conversation Rachel was having with Leah next to him.

However, when Paul turned to Rachel and asked if she wanted to dance with him, Jacob’s attention returned fully to his sister. He was just about to interject when he felt Leah’s hand against his bicep. She subtly shook her head, letting him know it wasn’t a good idea to interrupt Paul and Rachel, so he simply stood by and watched as Rachel shrugged nonchalantly in answer before heading to the stairs with Paul following behind.

Aaron chuckled as he held out his hand to Leah. “Before one of these two goons asks you to, you wanna dance with me?”

Leah rolled her eyes as she answered him. “Okay, Parker, I’ll grant you that, but you keep your body parts to yourself or you’ll soon find them in pieces, you dig?”

Aaron’s grin widened. “Understood, milady.”

Jacob watched as the two of them joined Rachel and Paul on the dance floor, leaving him and Quil as the only two left on the balcony. They stood side by side, surveying the scene below them until Quil elbowed him with a grin.

“Think I found my dance partner for the night, I’ll see you later.”

Jacob nodded as he continued to watch Bella talking to Alice and another woman who looked familiar, but he couldn’t place her. He knew she had to be a celebrity of some sort since she seemed to be catered to the way Bella was by the waitresses around them. He wondered if he should take the chance to go down and ask her to dance, but decided against it when Rachel and Paul returned to his side. The last thing he wanted to do was allow Rachel to see him cozying up to Bella Swan since he knew once Rachel saw, word would get back to his parents.

As the night went on, he continued to watch Bella as she alternated between dancing and talking to people she seemed friendly with. When Rachel called it a night around eleven thirty, both Leah and Paul tried convincing her to stay at least until midnight for the countdown. Rachel still begged off since she had been up at the crack of dawn getting ready for the audition which had taken its toll on her energy levels.

Jacob asked Rachel if she needed him to escort her back to the hotel, but she waved him off, telling him to stay and enjoy ringing in the New Year. She was a big girl, she insisted. She could get to the hotel on her own.

After she left, Paul and Leah went downstairs to mingle with other friends of theirs while Aaron hung around with Jacob for a bit longer. Finally, when Aaron, spotted a cute girl he was interested in and excused himself, Jacob decided it was time to try his luck with Bella.

She was currently on the dance floor, but didn’t seem to be dancing with anyone in particular, so he decided to join her. Finishing off his beer, he set the bottle down on the ledge, then headed to the stairs. Keeping Bella in his sight, he descended to the ground floor, then made his way through the crowd that surrounded the dance floor.

Since he could no longer see her once he was within the crowded ground floor, he hoped she remained in the area he had last seen her dancing in. He couldn’t stop the smirk from forming when he finally found her right where he’d hoped she’d be.

Her back was to him, allowing him to admire the smooth skin of her shoulders and upper back, as well as the way the skintight dress molded the subtle curves of her hips and behind. He moved up to dance behind her since no one else was currently close to her, settling his hands on her waist as his body closed the distance between his and hers.

He felt her tense when she looked over her shoulder at him, the slight smile she wore slowly disappearing as he tugged her even closer to him. Leaning over to speak into her ear, so only she would hear, he asked, “May I have this dance?”

She sighed as she turned around to face him. “I was wondering when you were going to make your move.”

He quirked an eyebrow at her as he pulled her front to his own, inwardly thrilled that she wasn’t trying to pull away at the moment. “You were waiting for me, then?”

She shrugged. “Not really. But I could feel your eyes on me from the moment I got here. Figured you were just biding your time like the last time.”

He smiled at her as he slid his arms around her waist. “Hm, you were right.”

She shook her head as she placed her hands on his chest, as if making sure he didn’t pull her any closer. “I told your sister and the others that I would let them know my answer tomorrow Jacob, so trying to seduce it out of me this way, isn’t a good idea.”

He chuckled. “What makes you think I’m trying to seduce you for that reason?”

This time, she was the one who quirked an eyebrow. “Don’t you want to know if she got the job?”

He shrugged. “Sure, but that can wait.”

She frowned. “For what?”

He grinned. “Till after.”

She rolled her eyes. “Stop being vague, Jacob. What are you getting at?”

He looked down at her hands that were still pushing against his chest before gazing into her eyes again. “Just thought it would be nice to reconnect again since the last time we did was before the tour break.”

She began to frown again. “Jake…”

He twirled her around, then pulled her back to his front before leaning over to speak huskily into her ear. “Just dance with me, Bella.”

Bella sighed as she gave in to him for the moment, dancing with him for the rest of the song. However, when it was over, he still wouldn’t let her go. She was about to say something to him when the DJ made the announcement.

“All right, people, it’s time for the countdown! I’m starting at fifteen and now you say…ten…”

As the DJ continued counting along with the crowd, Jacob pulled her to him and leaned his face closer to hers. He brushed his lips over hers until the crowd roared around them.

“Happy New Year, Bella.” Jacob whispered against her lips before closing in for a real kiss.

*********************************************

Bella curled her fingers into the hair at the nape of Jacob’s neck as he pushed her against the door of her hotel room. Their tongues dueled for dominance as his hands ran up her thighs until they cupped her ass to lift her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist, tightening her hold on him.

When he finally moved his mouth to suck on the skin of her neck, she took huge gulps of air, trying to find some semblance of coherency. “Jake…”

She groaned when his mouth found that sensitive spot at the juncture of her shoulder and neck. “Jake, we shouldn’t be doing this.”

“Mm, yes we should,” he mumbled against her shoulder.

She curled her fingers in his hair and yanked hard enough to bring his head up until she could look him in the eyes. “I’m serious, Jake. This is a bad idea.”

He sighed as he lowered his forehead to her shoulder. “Why is this a bad idea?”

She tilted her head back until it rested against the door. Looking at the ceiling, she said, “Because, you know the rules I have.”

“Yeah, I know them.” He lifted his head again to look at her. “I get why you have them too, but Bella, I’m not asking for anything from you that you can’t give. I meant what I said the last time. I don’t mind being here for you, at all. I know it can get old and tiresome having to look for someone to warm your bed, especially when it ends up not being what you hoped it would be. So, instead of you running the risk of being disappointed, I’m offering to let you have me when you need me. No strings attached, for as long as you want, whenever you want.”

She stared at him in disbelief. “You’re serious?”

He nodded. “Yeah, what’s wrong with that?”

She sighed. “It’s just…I’ve tried it before, being with a guy more than once and they tended to get…attached.”

He quirked an eyebrow. “Maybe you weren’t that clear on what you wanted. Or maybe they just were too excited about being able to brag about being Isabella Swan’s man. I don’t know.”

Before she could respond to that, he continued. “But let me make this clear to you, Bella. I know you don’t want a relationship. I know it’s just sex, okay? I also know to keep this between you and me. I’m not about to go shout it from the rooftops, I value my privacy too.”

She stared at him for a few moments, just letting his words sink in. Then, with a sigh, she said, “So, only when I want it, huh?”

He nodded. “Yes, you make all the calls.”

“And you understand that this will never be anything else, just sex. And no one can know about this.”

Again he nodded. “Agreed. What happens in your bed stays in your bed.”

When he grinned at that, she couldn’t help but grin back. “Okay, fine. It’s a deal.”

He chuckled. “Deal, so, want to seal the deal against the door or in the bed?”

She threw her head back and laughed. “Bed.”

With that, he carried her into the bedroom, then somehow managed to twist around so that he landed on his back while she straddled him. Her grin widened as she looked down at him, glad that he seemed to understand what she liked.

Leaning over him, she ran a finger along his jaw. “I think I’m going to enjoy this.”

He nipped at her finger, making her laugh before she continued. “Oh, and since you seem to be good at keeping your word, I’m going to let you in on another secret.”

He smiled against her finger. “What’s that?”

“Mike, Emily and I have all agreed, we’re going to hire your sister as the new back-up singer. She was the one we all seemed to like the best, so I’ll be telling her that she got the job tomorrow.”

His eyebrows went up. “Really? Well, that’s good news! I won’t let on that you told me though.”

She leaned down to brush her lips over his as her hands began to remove his clothes. “Mm, good boy. Now, enough talk, time to ring in the new year with our brand of fireworks.”

“Mm, yes,” he moaned as he cupped her breasts through the thin material of her dress. “Ring those bells.”

Needless to say, they produced lots of fireworks that night and by the morning, Jacob had definitely made bells ring.

Bella's dress for the after party. Front and back.

Bella's New Year's Eve dress.

Chapter 7

Jacob lay in the bed with his eyes closed, pretending to still be asleep. He could hear her moving around the room probably getting her stuff together. He knew she had a plane to catch soon, which made him wonder why she hadn’t attempted to wake him up yet.

He had woken up when she was in the shower, but had remained where he was just listening to the water running as thoughts of the night before replayed in his mind. He had been surprised when he had gotten the note from one of the stadium security guards before the doors had opened to the public. The note had been sealed, so that only he would open it to read that Bella wanted him to stop by her hotel room that night once he had packed up things.

Grand Rapids, Michigan was the last concert before they all went on a one week vacation and Bella’s note hinted that she wanted a sort of last hurrah with him before they parted ways. She had given him the option of turning her down, but Jacob hadn’t even thought about doing so.

After packing up all of the equipment and signing out with Paul for the week, he had gone to his hotel room to shower and pack up his own belongings so that he would only have to check out the next morning. Then, leaving his belongings in his room, he had made his way up to Bella’s room to see the same two bodyguards he remembered from the last morning he had walked out of her room. The taller, bulkier one had nodded at him as he opened the door before knocking on it, then indicated that he should go on in.

Bella had been pleased to see him, giving him a smile as she asked if he had been able to pack everything up okay. They had made more small talk as she took his hand and led him to the bedroom. In between making small talk, they had undressed each other then gotten into bed where she had let him enjoy her body for a while. Once he had given her a couple of orgasms with his mouth and hands, she had pushed him onto his back so she could ride him.

Jacob now knew that had to be one of her favorite positions since she seemed to do it almost every time they had come together. Not that he was complaining of course, especially since it got them both the results they needed to feel completely satisfied.

Now it was morning and she was getting ready to fly back to L.A. soon while his flight to La Push, Washington didn’t leave until later that afternoon. He finally felt the bed shift as she sat down next to him and gently shook his shoulder.

“Jacob? Um…you need to get up and get dressed. I’ve got to check out soon.”

He sighed as he rolled onto his back and rubbed his eyes. “Why didn’t you wake me up sooner? I could have been gone then.”

She shrugged. “No reason really, thought you might like a bit more rest after last night. I know you have a flight to catch too.”

He sat up, letting the sheets fall to gather around his hips, leaving the rest of him bare to her gaze. “Yeah, but so do you. When are you gonna get your rest?”

She smiled. “On the plane, but mostly when I get home. I have nothing planned for the rest of today and I get to sleep in late tomorrow.”

He grinned. “Really? Lucky you.”

“What? Don’t tell me you’re gonna be busy from the moment you get to La Push?”

He shrugged. “Probably will be. When I talked to my best friend a few days ago, he informed me of the things I had waiting for me to take care of.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Do you need more than a week to handle your business?”

He shook his head, then scrubbed his face with his hands. “Nah, I can handle it.”

“Okay, but let me know if you need more time and I’ll see what I can do.”

Jacob waved her worried look away. “Won’t happen.”

Bella got up from the bed to resume her packing while Jacob watched her for a few moments. He could see the look of concentration she had on her face as she went through her mental list, but that didn’t deter him from his ogling.

She was actually dressed more demurely than she usually did, in faded jeans and a black and white graffiti shirt. He knew her normal attire was usually more racy and tight-fitting, although the jeans weren’t exactly that loose-fitting. At the moment her hair hung loose around her shoulders and she was barefoot, but he could see a pair of worn converse sneakers near the luggage by the door.

When he caught himself admiring the way her golden tresses caressed her shoulders as she tucked a strand behind her ear, he knew he had to get up before he completely lost himself in his daydreams. It was very easy for him to remember the way that hair felt when it flowed through his fingers or along his bare skin. Shaking his head of the image, he slid out of the bed and walked towards the bathroom.

“Do you mind if I shower?” he asked.

Bella shook her head and waved him off as she continued packing up, not even noticing that he was as naked as the day he was born.

It took him less than ten minutes to shower, but as he stepped out and wrapped a towel around his waist, he realized that he had left his clothes on the bedroom floor. He ran his hand through his wet hair as he padded out of the bathroom while holding the towel to his waist with his other hand.

“Jacob? I’m almost ready to…” Bella’s remaining words died in her throat as she looked up to see him walking out in the towel.

She unconsciously licked her lips as she watched a few beads of water trail from the wet hair at his neck down the smooth expanse of his bronzed torso. Her pupils widened at the sight of those droplets that caught in the grooves of his abs, suddenly giving her the urge to lick them off. As her eyes trained on the water that pooled in his navel, before it trickled along the trail of hair leading to his groin, her brain finally registered that he wasn’t moving.

She blinked and flicked her eyes up to his face to see him looking at her with that smirk of his.

“Ready to what?” he asked in that seductive, husky tone of his.

She sighed, trying to ignore his flirting. “To go…why aren’t you dressed yet?”

He pointed to his clothes that littered the floor. “Forgot my clothes.”

She rolled her eyes as she turned back to her handbag. “Well then hurry and put them on.”

Jacob frowned at her exasperated tone. “I thought there was time.”

“There was…just not anymore.”

He stood staring at her back for a few moments until she looked up and huffed. “Jake? Would you get dressed!”

“Fine,” he mumbled as he bent over to snatch up his jeans before reaching for his shirt.

As he did, the corner of the towel slid out of his grasp and exposed him to the room. He heard Bella’s swift intake of breath, making him straighten to look over his shoulder in time to see her ogling his ass. He grinned unabashedly as she gritted her teeth.

“Oh for God’s sake, Mr. Black, now is not the time to be playing around!”

He dropped the towel completely as he turned to face her, aware that her gaze refused to leave his face. “Okay, what gives? A few minutes ago you were fine, now you’re acting all twitchy.”

She lifted her chin. “I’m not twitchy! But if you must know, I’m rather anxious to get going. I just want to get back to L.A. already.”

When he didn’t move to put on his jeans she sighed. “Really, Jacob, it’s time for me to go…and for you too.”

She paused for a moment before saying, “It’s just time for us to go…on.”

Jacob opened his mouth to reply but she shook her head. “I’m taking my bags out now. When you’re dressed, just leave okay? Have a good vacation…until the tour resumes in Toronto.”

With those words, she was out of the bedroom calling to the guards to let the valet in for her bags. Jacob scowled as he grabbed the rest of his clothing, then ducked into the bathroom to get dressed knowing Bella had just told him goodbye.

************************************************

Embry craned his neck, trying to see if he could spot his best friend among the crowd of arriving airplane passengers. Although he was tall enough to see over the heads of most people, there were still too many swarming the Seattle terminal. He continued to make his way towards the gate for the flight from Grand Rapids when he finally saw Jacob heading in his direction.

They grinned at each other as they bumped fists in greeting, then quickly did a one-armed hug.

“Hey man, thanks for coming to pick me up,” said Jacob.

Embry stepped back with a shrug. “Not a problem. Besides, who else was gonna make the nearly four hour drive to get your hairy ass, huh?”

Jacob chuckled as he shifted his duffle bag over his shoulder.

Embry jutted out his chin. “That all you got?”

Jacob shook his head. “Nope got a couple of things to get from baggage claim.”

“Okay then, let’s go get them, then hit the road. Figured we’d stop in Port Angeles for dinner before heading home.”

“Sure, you know I don’t wanna spend four hours non-stop with your ugly mug,” quipped Jacob as they made their way to the baggage claim area.

The first part of the drive was filled with Embry filling Jacob in about all of the happenings going on in La Push since he had left for the tour. Most of it wasn’t really important news, but the light-hearted chatter kept both of them occupied while laughing enough to make the two hours fly quickly by.

Once in Port Angeles, Embry drove them to one of their favorite hamburger joints where they slid into a booth to chow down on their dinner. It wasn’t until they were almost finished with their hamburgers that Jacob began to ask about Seth.

“So, what’s Seth been up to since he’s been home?” he asked.

Embry chuckled as he reached for another fry and dabbed it in the ketchup on his plate. “Would you believe he’s actually looking for a job now?”

Jacob paused from taking a sip of his soda. “A job? What’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing in itself, but he’s told his parents he’s not going to finish with college.”

“Oh,” replied Jacob as he set his glass down and sighed. “How’d his parents take it?”

Embry scowled. “How do you think? Harry’s disappointed, but trying not to show it while Sue’s fit to be tied. She went off on Harry as soon as Seth told them. Said if he’d only told Seth he couldn’t go backpacking across Europe for nearly two years with his so-called college buddies, then he would’ve been in Med school by now.”

Jacob grimaced, “Ouch! I’ll bet Harry’s ears haven’t stopped ringing yet.”

Embry grinned. “They haven’t.”

Jacob shook his head. “So what kind of job is Seth looking for?”

“Not really sure. He says he’s not picky, but he’s still wickedly good at carpentry. I do know he’s applied to a couple of travel agencies coz he says he’s been all over Europe enough to do a job like that.”

They both laughed at that. “A travel agency? Seriously? Man, what the hell happened to him over there, I wonder?”

“No clue,” answered Embry, “but whatever it was, it certainly made him even more laid back and happy-go-lucky than he already was. And we both know he was enough of that before he left.”

“Yeah,” agreed Jacob, “Well, maybe I’ll find out once I talk to him, I’m sure we’ll hang out while I’m home.”

Embry nodded as he finished up his meal, then pushed his empty plate away.

Jacob waited until they had left the burger joint, stopped for gas and a restroom break before he brought up the next subject. He and Embry were now on the last leg of the hour and a half drive to La Push when he broached the subject.

“Have you seen Rachel yet?”

Embry glanced at him out of the corner of his eye before turning back to watch the road. There were a few moments of silence before he answered.

“No, not really,” he hedged. “I don’t think many people in La Push have actually, except for maybe your parents. If she leaves the house, she goes to Forks or Port Angeles for whatever reason.”

Jacob pursed his lips. “Did he come with her?”

Embry scowled at his friend. “Don’t you think I would have already told you if he had?”

“Well, that’s good news at least.”

“Yeah,” replied Embry.

The two of them remained silent for a while as Jacob lost himself in his thoughts of his and Rachel’s past. Embry drove the van for quite a while as the radio played softly in the background. Finally unable to help himself, Embry brought up the one subject he had been dying to talk about since he had picked his friend up from the airport.

“So, how’s Bella?”

Jacob’s pensive countenance turned into a frown. “She’s fine.”

Embry raised an inquisitive eyebrow. “Okay, your tone and face say otherwise.”

Jacob stiffened for a moment before he suddenly snapped, “What do you want me to say, Em? I slept with her last night, then this morning she told me goodbye and I think this time she really meant it!”

Embry’s jaw dropped. “Well, shit!”

Jacob didn’t say anything as he continued to scowl out of the windshield.

Embry sighed. “I thought you told me the last time we talked that you weren’t going to sleep with her again after that night.”

“Yeah well, she asked me last night and I said yes,” he shrugged.

“You said yes,” repeated Embry.

“That’s what I said!” snapped Jacob before looking down at his hands in his lap.

Embry remained silent for a while before softly saying, “Bro, what is going on?”

Jacob sighed as he continued to stare at his hands. “Nothing…I don’t…I don’t know, Em. She’s just…I swear she would say something to make me think that was the last time, then she would contact me again for another get together.”

“Mm hm, and you go to her every time.”

“She’s always given me the choice to say no.”

“So why haven’t you?”

“Wish I knew…” Jacob paused for a moment then added, “It’s weird, I know, but I get why she’s the way she is. In that business, there’s no time for long term things, but she’s still human. She needs companionship, even if it’s just a warm body for the night. And…I don’t mind being that for her.”

Embry didn’t speak for a long time, letting his friend’s words sink in. “How long is she going to need that from you?”

Jacob ran a hand through his hair as he expelled a breath. “If I understood her last words, I think she’s done, but that’s what I thought the last time.”

Embry slowly nodded but didn’t respond otherwise.

Finally Jacob confessed, “I told her that I didn’t mind being that warm body for her, that I knew there were no strings attached. If she wants me, I won’t say no, Embry.”

Embry pulled into Jacob’s parents’ driveway and put the van in park. Turning to his best friend, he let out a sigh.

“So, if she asks again, you’re gonna go?” At Jacob’s nod, Embry continued. “Okay then, obviously nothing I can say will matter, but you’re my best friend and I have to look out for you. I know you, bro. I know you think you’re doing this with the best intentions and your eyes are wide open, but things can go so wrong.

Your parents need you Jake, you’re the only one who’s been there to help your mom care for your dad since Rebecca could care less and Rachel’s fiancé is a dick. This job is the best thing you’ve ever had happen, but if you carry on like you’ve been doing lately, how long’s that gonna last?

I know you think you’re helping Bella out in a way, but believe me when I say, if your little secret rendezvous is ever made public, she won’t think twice about cutting ties with you and letting you take the fall. She won’t suffer any backlash, Jake, but you will. And it will just trickle on down to your family. You made them a promise, remember?”

Jacob closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the seat. “I know Em, I know. Look, maybe it really is done. Maybe she’s moving on now. If she is, then you don’t have to worry about me. It’ll work itself out, Em. I know it will!”

Embry nodded as he shut off the ignition and began to climb out of the van. “I’m gonna pray that you’re right, Jake.”

The conversation was clearly over as they both got out of the van and proceeded to gather Jacob’s belongings so that he could enter the little red house that had been his home since his birth.

*************************************************

Bella pulled up into the driveway of Ben and Angela’s new home and glanced up at the sight before her. As she turned off the ignition, she couldn’t help but smile at the cozy looking home. It was a simple one-story California Bungalow with a large welcoming front porch and a simple, yet lovely front yard. While the house and yard were well-maintained, it had an understated charm about it.

It was just the type of home Bella could envision Angela living in with her husband where they could raise their future family in. She knew the house had three bedrooms since Angela had filled her in a little about the house when she had called a week ago.

Angela had babbled excitedly about the early Christmas present she and Ben were getting since they had been approved and could move in sooner than they had expected. Despite that, Bella was sure that once she got inside she would see some décor that would reflect the warm, friendly and playful couple’s style among some still unpacked boxes.

Grabbing her huge bag full of notebooks and other stuff necessary for an on-the-go musician from the passenger’s seat, she exited the car and made her way up the sidewalk to the front door. Ringing the doorbell, she waited until Angela opened the door with a welcoming smile.

“Bella!” she exclaimed, “Oh, I’m so glad you made it!”

As Angela ushered her best friend inside, she asked, “Did you find the house okay?”

Bella grinned at her flustered friend. “No worries Angie, your directions were flawless as usual.”

“Oh good! Well come on, let’s go to the kitchen, I just put on some tea and there are some freshly made sugar cookies too! You can help me decorate them!”

As she let Angela take her coat and bag from her, Bella quirked an eyebrow. “Sugar cookies? You’re getting into the Christmas spirit way too much this year Angela!”

Angela finished hanging up Bella’s coat as she tsked at her. “Oh come on now, you know I love Christmas! And this is the first one Ben and I will have in our new house, so of course it’s special!”

Bella followed Angela into her kitchen where they made themselves comfortable at the small table tucked into the corner. Once they had their cups of tea, the two of them began catching up on things.

For a while the two of them easily chatted and sipped their tea before Angela brought out the sugar cookies and other supplies. Together, they began decorating the cookies in festive colored icing and other toppings until they ran out of the cookies. Bella helped Angela carefully pack away the cookies and Angela gave her a small container to take home with her, then led Bella around the house for her grand tour.

As they walked, Bella took note that she had been right. The house indeed reflected both Angela and Ben’s quirky personalities. There were even plenty of figurines and wall art announcing their love of anime and Japanese culture. The colors of the furniture and the rest of the décor also blended in well, making it a very cozy home with pops of color here and there.

They ended up in the living room where the Christmas tree stood in front of the picturesque windows which probably made it a welcome sight at night from the road. Sitting down on the cushy couch, Angela waited for Bella to join her before she started a new conversation.

“So, what are your plans for Christmas?” she asked.

Bella shrugged. “The usual.”

Angela scrunched her face in disgust. “Ugh, no Bella, you are not spending the day in bed watching ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ again! I think you should come spend the day with Ben and I!”

Bella groaned, “Angie…”

“I’m not taking no for an answer, girlfriend! You know it’s just gonna be Ben and I here, so having you over will make it more fun! You can come early to help me cook, then we’ll all gorge ourselves on the fixings and then later we’ll drink egg nog and play board games until we pass out! It’ll be just like old times!”

Bella chuckled, “Yeah, it sounds like it.”

“So? Is that a yes?”

Bella sighed. “Okay, you twisted my arm, I’ll be here.”

“Yes!” shouted Angela as she threw her arms around Bella, prompting Bella to laugh along with her.

It didn’t take long after that for the two of them to begin planning the Christmas feast they were going to make together.

************************************************

Jacob hugged his mother before leaning over to greet his father in the same way. As he stepped back, his father beamed up at him.

“How was the flight? Embry didn’t make you wait at the airport too long did he?”

Jacob chuckled. “It was fine and Embry was actually already there when I arrived.”

His mother smiled, “Well that’s good, but why didn’t he come in with you?”

“He said he had some work he had to get finished before it got too late. He sends his apologies and says he’ll be here on Christmas Eve just like he promised.”

Sarah laughed, “Good for him! Are you hungry? I could whip up something while you get settled.”

Jacob shook his head, “No thanks, I’m good. We stopped for dinner in Port Angeles.”

“Okay, well go get settled then. We’ll be watching TV out here if you need anything.”

Jacob kissed his mother on the cheek before hauling his stuff to his small bedroom. Dumping his bags and guitar case on the end of his twin-sized bed, he sat down next to them and looked around the cluttered room. Granted, most of the clutter was clothes and junk he’d collected over the years, but had no real use or value. He could probably fit everything he really wanted to save into his old, red Volkswagen Rabbit if he wanted to.

Sighing, he realized just how small his room really was, especially after living in spacious hotel rooms for the last few weeks of the tour. He hoped that with the money he was pulling in from the job, he’d be able to finally afford a place of his own, yet still help out his parents from time to time. He knew his mom depended on him to help with the bills and the care of his dad, but he was a twenty-four year old man who still lived with his parents.

He needed to move out to start a life of his own and this job provided the perfect opportunity to do so. Hopefully, once the tour was over he would be able to get the ball rolling. In the meantime he would continue to help out his parents while trying to find out what was going on with Rachel.

Getting up, he went into the living room where both of his parents sat watching television. He folded himself into the couch next to his mother while his father remained in his wheelchair on the other side of her.

Sarah looked at her son with a warm smile. “All settled?”

He nodded. “Yep, I see you’ve already gotten a Christmas tree.”

He indicated it with a sweep of his hand. It was situated in the far corner of the room and already had several presents sitting beneath it.

Billy grinned at him. “Embry showed up about a week ago with it. Wouldn’t take no for an answer. He even helped Sarah and Rachel decorate it.”

“I’ll bet he did,” replied Jacob as he looked at the tree.

It didn’t take much for him to figure out that the tree was Embry’s excuse to come and ogle his sister without anyone being the wiser. Obviously his friend had prolonged that visit by staying to help decorate it. Apparently nothing had dampened Embry’s boyhood crush on one of Jacob’s twin sisters even though she had been with her fiancé for several years now.

He turned to look at his parents once more. “Speaking of Rachel, is she still here?”

Jacob caught the pinched look on his mother’s face as his father answered him. “Yes, she’s in Port Angeles right now, I think. Said she was going to spend the day doing some last minute Christmas shopping and would be home late. Told us not to wait up for her.”

Jacob tried not to sound condescending or too curious as he said, “So she’s staying through Christmas then?”

Billy gave him a full blown smile. “Yep, she’s even got a huge dinner planned for us! It’ll be nice to have us all together for Christmas, don’t you think? Too bad Rebecca couldn’t come down too.”

“Yeah,” mumbled Jacob, “too bad.”

Billy seemed too happy to pay attention to the dark looks on Sarah and Jacob’s faces. “Oh and Rachel invited both Embry and his mom to join us, but I think Embry’s only gonna be here for Christmas Eve. He said his mom wants to spend Christmas Day with her relatives on the Makah reservation.”

Jacob nodded, he knew Embry’s mom always liked to be with her family on Christmas and Embry usually got roped into carting her around even though he didn’t like to. Embry would rather be holed up in his room with his computers or following Rachel around like a puppy.

Jacob tried not to scowl as he asked, “Frank’s not spending Christmas with us, is he?”

Sarah scoffed. “No, Rachel claims he actually has to work on Christmas.”

Billy sighed, “Sarah…”

“Imagine that,” muttered Jacob, ignoring his father’s chastising glare.

“Now come on you two,” Billy interjected, “nothing wrong with working, especially if he’s trying to save up for a wedding.”

Jacob rolled his eyes. “Yeah, so what if he’s been trying to save up for the last three years running.”

Billy pursed his lips, “Son, all that matters is what Rachel wants. If he’s making her happy and that’s what she wants then we should all accept that and let things be.”

Jacob refused to say anything else since he knew how his father felt about Rachel, or Rebecca for that matter. Unlike Sarah or Jacob, Billy couldn’t see the reality that was his daughter’s lives. Either he didn’t really know what was going on or he had convinced himself that everything was fine. Either way, he refused to let Sarah or Jacob talk bad about the twins and their lives.

Not wanting to talk about it anymore, Sarah got up from the couch. “Well, it’s getting late and I’m ready to turn in.”

She leaned over to give her son a hug and a kiss on his cheek. “Welcome home honey, I’ll make your favorite breakfast tomorrow morning, okay? Or do you want to sleep in?”

Jacob smiled up at her. “I’ll be up mom. I’m hoping to go spend some time with Seth tomorrow or the day after.”

Sarah chuckled. “Good, maybe you can talk some sense into that boy because Sue’s at the end of her rope. She’s this close to making the rest of Harry’s life miserable.”

Jacob couldn’t help but chuckle with her. He knew she wasn’t kidding. Sue had a temper on her and if Seth was disappointing her, she would be taking it out on Harry for the rest of his life.

Sarah said goodnight to them, then retreated to her bedroom leaving Jacob and Billy to watch television in silence. When jet lag finally caught up with Jacob, he yawned and rose from his seat, asking his father if he needed anything before he retreated to his bedroom. Billy waved him off, saying he was going to bed too and he’d see him in the morning.

Once Jacob had but away all of his belongings, then changed and slid into bed, he simply lay there thinking of all he had learned that day. His close friend Seth had returned home only to surprise everyone with his new life plan. Then there was Rachel, one of Jacob’s older twin sisters. She had shown up alone for the Christmas holidays and appeared to be tight-lipped which was the total opposite from the bubbly, friendly person everyone had known her to be.

It made Jacob wonder what was going on. Was there something in the water at La Push? People were suddenly turning into complete opposites of what they once were. Plus, even he felt a little different now that he was home. As if this place was too small, too crowded for him. He wanted to be back on tour, traveling and seeing new places. He liked the freedom he had felt on the road and the fact that his parents weren’t there, breathing down his neck or looking to him for his support.

He loved his parents, he really did, but he knew the time had come for him to spread his wings and leave the coop. The taste he had gotten while working on the tour had been the spark that ignited the fire within him. It had made him more than ready to have a life of his own.

That last thought made him wonder about his sister again. Just like her twin, Rachel couldn’t wait to fly the coop and the family had been thrilled when she had gotten the scholarship to Washington State to become a veterinarian like she had always dreamed of. As soon as she had graduated high school, she was gone. Rebecca had left the same time even though her choice had been to Hawaii.

Last everyone had heard, Rebecca was married to a professional surfer and was enjoying the beach life too much to care about her roots back in La Push. Rachel had visited La Push a few times while at school, but those visits had stopped once Frank had become a part of her life. Although the family had initially welcomed her new boyfriend, things had quickly changed once they had met him, then Rachel’s visits had become fewer.

Even Jacob had tried to reason with Rachel about the bad vibes he had been receiving from the guy and the excuses she gave to the family for not being able to make it home to see them only further proved that something was off with Frank. No one had been happy when Rachel had announced her engagement and no amount of pleading by Sarah or Jacob could get her to come see them or change her mind about being with Frank.

Jacob wished it was just him being a protective brother, but he knew it was more than that. The few times he had been with Frank had left a bad taste in his mouth. Plus, Jacob had seen the way Frank treated women in general. Even Sarah had been put off by Frank’s uncouth behavior towards her. After all, the one time they had met Rebecca’s husband, he had been polite and cordial, more than what they had expected from a laid-back surfer.

Jacob knew there had to be an underlying reason as to why Rachel was visiting her family during the holidays for the first time in years. Not only that, but she was here without the loud, controlling brute of a fiancé too! Frank had never let her go out of town without him before and she was here for two weeks.

Yes, something was going on and he wanted to find out what it was.

**************************************************

Bella smiled as Ben helped her finish packing her car with leftovers and the gifts she had gotten from her friends. Once they were done, she turned to give him a fierce hug which he returned.

“Thanks for everything, Ben. I had fun today!”

He chuckled. “You sure you can drive?”

Bella laughed as she backed up. “I’ll be fine! You know the eggnog has already worn off.”

She turned to Angela and hugged her just as fiercely.

“Don’t be a stranger, okay girlfriend?” Angela murmured against Bella’s shoulder.

“I won’t, I promise!” She pulled back to grace them both with a full blown smile. “Thanks again for inviting me to spend the day with you two! It’s been a while since we’ve had the chance to have this much fun together!”

Angela chuckled as she looped her arm in her husband’s. “Yeah and today Ben was officially inducted into our club.”

Ben mocked a groan, “Okay, if you two start calling me girlfriend, this’ll be the only time I join in your reindeer games!”

They all cracked up laughing before Bella managed to say, “No worries Ben, Angela will make sure you always carry your man card!”

“She’s got that right, handsome,” replied Angela as she planted a kiss on his cheek.

Bella giggled over their playfulness as she slid into her car and buckled in. Once she had started the car, she waved to her friends then backed out of their driveway to head home.

Christmas day had turned out to be much more busy and fun than she had thought it would be. Just like she and Angela had discussed, Bella had arrived just after dawn with all of the ingredients and other items she had agreed to donate for her share of the meal. Angela was already in the kitchen with a fresh pot of coffee when Bella arrived, so the two of them began working immediately while festive music played in the background.

Occasionally they would break into song while they worked until Ben woke up and joined them. He had set the table too, then once everything was ready, they all quickly went to clean themselves up before sitting down to the meal at the small dining table.

As they ate, they had chatted and laughed while they took their time savoring all of the food. Finally, after over an hour, they got up and began boxing up the leftovers and cleaning up the mess. Ben did the dishes since the women had done most of the cooking, allowing the two of them to go relax in the living room.

Eventually Ben joined them to watch Christmas movies until all three of them fell asleep where there were. Angela was the first to wake up from their nap and she immediately woke the others up, then dragged Bella into the kitchen to prepare the eggnog while Ben got the board games set up in the living room.

Once they had opened all of their presents, the rest of the day had been spent playing one game after the other amid laughter, eggnog and sugar cookies. All three of them had seemed to let loose, reverting back to their childhood days of carefree laughter, daring antics and friendly banter.

It wasn’t until Ben and Angela started acting like a cutesy couple that Bella decided her time was up. So she said goodnight and began packing up to go home. She loved them both, but she just wasn’t in the mood to watch them be all lovey-dovey with each other. It made her feel like she was intruding on their time together, plus she felt like a third wheel.

Once she arrived home and unpacked everything, she made herself a cup of tea and curled up in a chair in her bedroom. As soft classical music came from her bedside radio, she sipped the tea to help her unwind from the full, eventful day. She tried not to think of the fact that she was now alone in her huge house while Angela and Ben were surely curled up in front of a fire.

She was glad Angela hadn’t brought up the fact that Bella and her parents still hadn’t talked to each other in years. Bella hadn’t spent a single holiday with them since she had moved to L.A. to begin her music career and they had never bothered to get in touch with her either. Honestly, it never bothered her since she was always so busy anyway or tried to remain busy so that lonely feelings didn’t sneak up on her.

Luckily, she had enjoyed the day with Angela and Ben enough that thoughts of her absent parents hadn’t bothered her. Still, her thoughts turned elsewhere once she climbed under the covers of her huge, comfy bed.

She wondered how Jacob was doing in La Push. Had he been able to take care of all the things he had mentioned the day they had parted ways or was he still dealing with them? Had he been able to spend Christmas with his family or was he too busy to enjoy it? She wondered what La Push was like since she had never been there. The farthest she had ever gone was her hometown of Seattle which was where her parents still lived.

Nowadays, the only time she liked going to Seattle was when she performed a concert, otherwise she was happy claiming L.A. as her new hometown. But as she thought of Jacob, she couldn’t imagine him living in a place like hers. He seemed too down-to-earth for all of the glitz and glam of the city of angels. Then again, he seemed too laid-back to live the life of a tour worker too. Plus, he had a family he clearly was a huge part of and having a family always got in the way of a job that required constant traveling.

As she imagined what his family life was like, she began to drift off to sleep until her dreams were filled with images of Jacob and a family she subconsciously longed to be a part of.

*******************************************

It was the day after Christmas when Jacob decided enough was enough. His family had skirted the issue long enough and if his parents weren’t going to confront Rachel, then he most certainly was. He had managed to get up bright and early that morning, so he quickly got dressed and silently made his way out to Rachel’s car.

He was sitting on the hood, leaning back on his hands when Rachel came slinking out of the house, clearly thinking no one was awake to see her sneak out again. The moment she noticed him waiting for her, she froze, looking like a deer caught in the headlights.

Jacob shook his head as he slid off of the hood, then walked towards her. He plucked the car keys out of her hand and strode to the drivers side as he called to her over his shoulder.

“Come on, I’m driving us to a place where we can talk. Alone.”

Rachel just stood there watching him start the car for a few moments before she gave a resigned sigh then went to the passenger’s seat. Jacob drove them to First Beach where he parked the car then got out to look for a place for the two of them to sit in comfort. Throughout it all, the two of them remained silent until they were sitting side by side on a pile of driftwood while staring out at the ocean.

Jacob knew he had to be the one to break the uncomfortable silence. “So, you gonna tell me what’s going on?”

Rachel squirmed besides him, she should have known her little brother wouldn’t beat around the bush. He had never done so before, why start now?

When she still didn’t respond, Jacob turned to face her. “Come on Rach, I know something’s not right. Frank never let you go anywhere without him before.”

She sighed. “I know, Jake.”

He waited, just staring at her until she caved.

Finally, letting out another sigh, she softly replied, “I left him.”

Jacob just looked at his sister’s profile. He could see the pain she tried to disguise in her eyes. Pain…and something else.

He had no idea what to say to that, but it was okay since she suddenly found her voice.

Without looking at him, Rachel told him the truth. “It was about a week before I came here. I just…I just couldn’t take it anymore, Jake. He pushed me too far.”

She paused as her eyes scanned the ocean, as if searching for an answer. Finally, she went on. “You were right…”

Jake sighed as he turned away to stare at the horizon. He hadn’t wanted to be right.

Rachel didn’t stop her confession. “You were so right to try to warn me about him, but I thought I was in love and I didn’t want to hear the truth about him. I thought maybe, if I stayed and proved to him that I loved him, he would change. But he didn’t. He just got worse, so I left.”

She went silent at that, leaving Jacob to wonder exactly what had happened to push Rachel into leaving her fiancé. He didn’t know if he should ask or if she would volunteer the information. Unable to wait, he asked it.

“What did he do?”

Her answer was immediate. “He got abusive.”

Jacob stiffened as his head whipped around to stare at her. He hissed, “What?”

She shrugged. “Not physically, but verbally. Sure, I know he was rather controlling before, but he had never raised his voice to me or berated me or anything like that. But the moment he began to call me names, to belittle me, you can be sure I didn’t just take it.”

Her expression changed into a scowl. “I think he thought I would just take it, the way I took his controlling demands. He was clearly surprised when I snapped back at him, then told him I was leaving if he didn’t stop. He immediately tried to apologize, but it didn’t last. A few days later, he started it again but that time I didn’t respond to him. I just let him rant. Then later, while he was out, I packed my things and left.”

Her words had made him sit back in amazement. So, he had been right about the douche bag, but what amazed him was that Rachel had stood up for herself. She had handled it all with grace and toughness.

“So you left and came here?” he said, voice full of awe.

She shook her head. “Not right away. I still had to deal with work and all. But I did finish moving out the rest of my stuff when he wasn’t home. Put it all into storage and stayed with a friend until I quit my job.”

Jacob gaped at her. “You quit your job?”

She nodded. “Yes. I decided it was best to get out of there, as far away from him as I could get. I talked to him after I’d moved everything out. He begged me to come back, of course, but I refused and told him not to contact me ever again or I would go to the authorities. He knew I wasn’t bluffing and I haven’t heard from him since then.”

“Wow,” breathed Jacob, “but it was such a great job..”

Rachel gave a strained laugh. “Yes, it was, but it was still just a job.”

“So…what are you going to do now?”

She shrugged, “I don’t know. I just figured I’d come home for a while, not only to be with my family for the holidays, but to figure out what I want to do now. I’ve been in Port Angeles applying for jobs though.”

“Really? How’s that going?”

“As well as can be, I guess. I have more than enough in my savings that will hold me over for quite a while, but you know me…I don’t like to be idle for too long.”

Jacob nodded. “True,” he paused for a beat before asking, “Why haven’t you told mom and dad yet?”

She sighed. “I don’t really know. I guess I just didn’t want to see the disappointed looks on their faces.”

“Oh Rach, they won’t be disappointed! You got yourself out of a bad situation, so I think they’d be proud of you. You’re their daughter and they love you. You know they’d help you out any way they can.”

“I know Jake, but that’s the thing. They shouldn’t have to help me, I should be helping them. I know they’ve been relying on you for years and I just didn’t want to add to the problems, you know? I just want to do this on my own.”

Jacob reached out to wrap his arm around her shoulders. “Rachel, I know you like your independence, but sometimes it’s nice to have a shoulder to lean on. You know none of us will ever begrudge you that.”

She turned a grateful smile on him. “Thanks, little brother.”

He nodded as he hugged her closer to his side, glad that things seemed to be looking up again. At least now he would be able to go back to work with a clear conscious.