Chapter 15

BELLA P.O.V

Christmas was always my favorite time of year. I also loved the fact that I got a month off of school. Charlie had gotten a Christmas tree the week prior to me coming home but insisted on waiting for me to get home to decorate it.

So while he was finishing up his shift, I made chili and there were sugar cookies in the oven. Jacob, Billy, Paul and Rachel were also coming over to help us decorate. Next week we would be going to Sue's for Christmas Eve, then Billy and Jacob were coming to sleep over so we could all open presents together the next morning. Rachel would be joining us later in the day after they visited with Paul's family.

Jacob came into the house wheeling Billy.

"Hi." He smiled kissing me. In the last month things were good. Extremely busy, but good.

"Hi." I smiled wrapping an arm around him. "Charlie is almost home. Hope you're hungry."

"Always." Billy answered. As if on cue, Charlie walked in, hung up his belt and greeted us all. He rushed upstairs to change while I got bowls and filled them. I set them all at the table before we all sat together to eat.

Thankfully between Paul and Jacob there were no leftovers so I didn't need to worry about putting them away. I pulled out the cookies while Rachel washed the bowls.

"Worry about those later, come decorate the tree." Charlie said to us. He had dragged the boxes down from the attic. They had been sitting there for well over a week waiting for us to open them. I opened each box and carefully laid out the tree topper before pulling out ornaments. Jacob and Paul decorated the top half of the tree while I did the bottom with Rachel.

It felt nice. Being here, even though not surrounded by many people, it felt like home. It felt like family.

The day before Christmas, Leah, Rachel and I headed into Port Angeles to get Christmas presents. Charlie was easy, he enjoyed pretty much anything. I got him a few shirts and a new pair of boots. He had also mentioned needed a new fishing pole so I had Mike's mom at their store show me a good one. I also got boots for Jacob and a sound machine. I also got Jacob a stocking and filled it with all of his favorite candies. Paul jokingly added condoms to it while I was putting it together.

Us girls wrapped the gifts together in my room. It felt nice being with them. Easy.

"How's Hawaii?" I asked Leah as I was trying to wrap Jacob's sound machine but it was awkward to wrap. She right away blushed making me laugh. "That good huh?"

"It's been really great. I met someone." She smiled.

"Like, imprint met someone?" Rachel asked. She had no filter. I closed my eyes for a half second before Leah spoke.

"No. But we've gone out a few times. She taught me to surf." I smiled at her words. I was so happy for Leah. It was nice to see her so happy.

"How come she didn't come back with you?" I asked.

"Her family was there. She wasn't quite ready to come back. Maybe next year." She answered.

"Is this one of the girls you live with?" She shook her head as she set a bag to the side.

"It's my roommates friend from college." I nodded as she talked. "We're just seeing where it goes." She shrugged.

"But you have feelings right?" Rachel asked.

"Could you be any more blunt?" Leah asked. Getting them together in one room sometimes made my head spin. Rachel, who had no filter, and Leah who didn't take shit from anyone. "I have feelings, yes." Leah answered.

"Can I ask something kinda personal? Maybe." I asked biting on my thumb nail.

"Of course."

"Are you still phasing? Does she know?" I asked sitting on the bed. She was quiet. Almost like she was trying to figure out how to answer the question. "I didn't mean to pry!" I rushed.

"No no! You're not prying. It's just been a really difficult decision.She doesn't know. But I haven't been phasing." She commented. "You know the only one who has reached out is Seth. And that's just because he's my brother."

"Jacob hasn't?" I asked. I knew that Jacob was never close with Leah but he still could have reached out to her to see if she was okay. Even I reached out at least twice a week to check in. I wanted her to know that if nothing else, I supported her.

"None of them." I frowned. "It's okay. It makes it easier." She answered. "I appreciate you reaching out."

"I knew getting out of this little town would make you happy."

"And what about you?" She asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean, are you going to be stuck here?" I sighed.

"It's not really being stuck. It's more of, I came, fell in love, and don't want to leave." I shrugged laying back. "I want whatever Jacob wants."

"You know, my dad has a ring." Rachel said.

"What?"

"He has my moms engagement ring. He always said he would give it to Jacob when the time was right."

"Oh god." I groaned. "We're way too young to get married."

"He wants to you know." She laid beside me prepping her head on her hand. "He really is in love." I smiled and covered my face. "And so are you." Leah sat at the bottom of the bed while we chatted. Charlie knocked on the door.

"It's lovely seeing all you ladies together." He smiled leaning against the door frame. "Wanna do dinner? I was gonna order some Chinese food."

"Sure." I answered. "I'll just have my regular."

"Leah? Rachel?" He asked. They put in their orders before Charlie headed back downstairs.

"Should we have a movie night?" I asked.

"I have to head home after dinner. We're prepping for tomorrow." Leah answered. I already knew that but forgot. She had been making lists all day on her phone.

"Let me know if you want me to come over early tomorrow. I can help." I answered.

"I think we're all set but I'll call you if we need it." She answered.

"I have to help Paul's mom. I'm going to stay there tonight." Rachel answered.

"Thank god. Maybe my boyfriend will finally get some sleep." I joked.

"We're not that bad." She rolled her eyes. "As if we don't hear him on the phone with you." I laughed and shook my head. I knew he was purposely loud. I'm sure he would be crawling in my window tonight just like he does every night. Even though Charlie told him that he could use the front door.

"Not my fault that he has pent up frustration." I just couldn't imagine Billy having to deal with it. "Is it good?" I asked her.

"Of course it's good." She waved me off. "All imprints are made for each other. He knows exactly what I need when I need it." She answered. "I've been meaning to ask, are you on birth control?"

"Yeah." I answered. "I got the thing in my arm. Jake calls it a thot rod." I answered rolling my eyes. I hated that he called it that because I for one was not going around sleeping with people. Even if I was, the birth control was preventing me from getting pregnant.

"I'm thinking of going on that one too. Paul is not mature enough to have a kid." She commented.

"Neither is Jacob." Of course we tried to use condoms as often as we could. He claimed it felt better without. I couldn't really tell a difference. "Do you use condoms?" I asked.

"Um. Not usually." She admitted.

"Jesus Christ, Rach." Leah groaned and threw herself on the bed. "Do you know how stupid that is? It's one thing to be on birth control and not use condoms but no protection at all?"

"Well, Bella do you use condoms?" She questioned.

"Most of the time yeah. There were a few times we didn't but like I said, I'm on birth control." I shrugged. It was weird talking about this with them. I never talked about this with any of my friends, let alone my boyfriends sister.

"I should probably get on some huh?" She questioned.

"Just call your doctor. They did mine right in the office. Took like three days to heal."

"I'm sure my father would have a heart attack if I got pregnant before we got married." She commented.

"Do you have plans to marry Paul?"

"Of course I do." She answered right away. "We've been looking at some one bedroom houses on the Rez. Hoping that the bank will give me a loan. But of course I also have about 30 thousand dollars in student loans."

"Can Paul get one?" I asked.

"Probably not." She sighed. "We'll figure it out." Charlie then called us down for dinner. I sat on the floor with Leah while Rachel sat on the couch. We all dug into our meals. I think Charlie was loving the fact that I was hanging out with more people than just Jacob. He just enjoyed listening to us talk and Rachel flipping through the channels until she stopped on a rerun of Friends.

After we ate Charlie put the leftovers away while I said bye to the girls and made sure their cars started before I closed and locked the front door.

"Is Jake coming over?" Charlie called from the living room where he was finally able to change the channel to something he liked.

"Probably. I'm gonna go shower. Let him in if he comes over." I hadn't heard from him all day. I was assuming he was either with Sam or he was prepping for Christmas. I lit a candle in the bathroom so that I could relax. I planned to stay there for a while before getting into cozy pj's and getting into bed to read a book. Of course if Jake was coming over he would probably want to do something else.

I took my time in the shower before getting out and getting into warm pjs. Just as I got into bed with a book, Jacob flopped next to me on the bed. He wrapped both arms around me and pulled me into him. Although neither one of us said anything, we were perfectly fine sitting in the silence enjoying each other's company. I read my book while he rested beside me. It was where I wanted to spend my forever.

The next morning, Jacob's snoring woke me up. I groaned rolling out of his arms and covering my head with a pillow. It was way too early to be getting up. I glanced over at the clock that read just before 9.

"Jake." I shoved him. "You're snoring." He rolled over so he was on his stomach, one arm hanging off the bed and the other resting on my hip. I was just about to fall back asleep when the door opened.

"C'mon sleepy heads." Charlie said. I groaned. It was still too early to get up. "Merry Christmas Eve." I could hear the excitement in his voice. I knew how much this meant to him.

"Merry Christmas, dad." I mumbled.

"I was thinking we could get ready, go get Billy and then go to the Santa parade?" He asked. I sat up to look at him. He had a cup of coffee in his hands and was fully dressed.

"Yeah." I smiled. "When does it start?" I asked.

"At noon. Figured that would be enough time for you two to get dressed and eat something then get Billy." He commented. I looked back over at the clock. It was now 9:45.

"Okay, yeah." I rubbed my eyes and rested my hand on Jake's back as Charlie left. I kissed his shoulder as he moved his head so it was facing me. I kissed his cheek before kissing his lips. He pulled me into him and deepened the kiss. "Charlie wants to go to the parade."

"Show me a boob first." He grumbled. I giggled. His eyes were still closed but he opened one when he heard me pulling down the fabric of my shirt. As soon as I was exposed he flicked my nipple before bringing his teeth around it. I gasped and grabbed his shoulders.

"Charlie is still up here." I hissed. He chuckled before putting my shirt back. He rolled out of bed and walked to the bathroom. I got up and picked out something to wear. A simple pair of jeans, one of his band t-shirts with a flannel over it. Once he came back from the bathroom I went in to brush my teeth and go to the bathroom. When I came back he was digging through my closet. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"I left some clothes here." He commented pulling out a black shirt and a pair of jeans. "Put them on the shelf so you couldn't reach them. How did you even get that one?"

"I do your laundry sometimes." I answered pulling a brush through my hair. Once we were both dressed, we headed downstairs. He grabbed himself poptarts while I made myself a bowl of cereal. We ate in silence before Charlie came downstairs.

"Make sure you dress warm." He commented. I knew that all I needed was my jacket. Jacob was warm enough for the two of us. I did make a mental note to grab mittens.

After we ate, we got our coats on and headed to the car. Once we got to Billy's, Jacob rushed in, grabbed the presents and Billy and helped get him in the car.

"Merry Christmas Eve." He smiled.

"Merry Christmas." I answered smiling.

"So I hear that they went all out this year and got food trucks and stuff." Billy commented to Charlie as he drove. I leaned against the door and rested my feet on Jake's lap. He rested his hand on my ankle while looking out the window.

"What are you thinking about over there?" I questioned reaching out to run my hand over the back of his neck. His warm skin heated my finger's instantly. He looked over at me and smiled.

"You." He grinned. "Always." I blushed but smiled at him. Charlie pulled into the police station before we all got out. He helped Billy into his chair. "Anyone want some hot chocolate?" Jake asked as he walked ahead of us. Charlie was pushing Billy as Jacob dragged me through the crowd. We got in line to get hot chocolate while Charlie and Billy went to get a good spot. I handed Jacob cash to pay for them before we went over to our dads. I handed Charlie his and stood beside him.

I leaned into Jacob while sipping my hot chocolate. At some point Charlie moved away from us. Of course he knew pretty much everyone here, but he came back with fried oreos. He handed one of the plates to me before handing the other to Billy. I quickly grabbed one before Jake could get one.

The parade started shortly after. It was so cute seeing the little kids from the elementary school dressed up as elves. The dance team was amazing. Jacob really enjoyed the karate kids coming showing off their kicks and punches. He also enjoyed the fact that it seemed like some of the girls threw the candy right at him.

But still, when Santa came on the firetruck ringing jingle bells, he kissed me. Being wrapped up in his arms was where I was going to be spend the rest of my life.

Traffic was crazy as we were leaving but somehow we still made it to Sue's on time. Jacob got Billy inside while I put the gifts under the tree.

"Kids, come take a picture near the tree." Leah and I stood in between Seth and Jacob while they took pictures of us. Charlie then wanted some of just Jacob and I. I wrapped my arms around him while he rested his hand on my back.

"Cute." Sue smiled. We sat down to eat. Sue made an amazing roast beef with mashed potatoes and gravy. There were also rolls and plenty of sides to go along with it. We got on the topic of what Leah was doing in Hawaii. I loved hearing the stories of what she was up to. I also loved that she was finally finding herself.

After we ate we played a few games before opening presents. Sue got each of us something small and a little stocking filled with candy.

Paul and Rachel made an appearance for dessert which consisted of four different pies and vanilla ice cream. While eating dessert we decided to watch Elf. Seth claimed it was his favorite and none of us were going to hurt his feelings. We left around nine as Billy was seeming like he was going to fall asleep at any minute.

When we got home Charlie sent me upstairs so he could play Santa. When I came down to put my presents for everyone under the tree, it looked like the tree had exploded with presents. You could barely get into the living room. I smiled looking at the presents. This was the first Christmas that I have had with Charlie in a very long time. I was here last year but was so heartbroken that we didn't do much. I could tell her went all out this year.

I set up the couch for Billy so he would be comfortable.

"Want me to leave the tree lights on?" I asked setting the remote close to him in case he wanted to watch something.

"Sure." He smiled. I left the lights on for him before heading up to bed. Jacob was still downstairs making sure Billy didn't need anything while I changed into pj's and got into bed. In the 10 minutes that I was alone with my thoughts, they drifted to the Cullen's. I wondered if they were all spending Christmas together. If Alice threw a party with tons of decorations and made everyone dress nice. I wondered if they were happy out there wherever they were. I didn't think about it for too long before Jacob came in. He took his shirt off and hung it over the chair before taking his pants off and getting into bed beside me.

It was crazy that a year ago I never would have thought that he would be laying in bed, pretty much naked, cuddling me.

"I hope Santa brings you everything you want." Jacob smiled kissing me.

"You're all I'm ever gonna want or need." I smiled holding the back of his neck. I don't remember falling asleep but we woke to the sound of Christmas music playing from downstairs. Jacob got his pj pants on and we headed downstairs. "Are you gonna put a shirt on?"

"Nah." He answered. Billy and Charlie were both up and ready with their camera's. Billy was sitting on the couch and Charlie was sitting in the chair. Jacob sat on the coffee table and I sat next to sit. Charlie was taking pictures of pretty much anything. I'm sure we looked terrible in all of them but there was no way I was going to ruin his day.

He got me tons of books. Anything that he thought I would enjoy, he bought. I joked that I would need a shelf for them before opening a huge box that contained a 6 shelf book shelf. I was so excited.

"I'll build it for you later." Jacob smiled. Jacob had carved me a wolf that I planned to add to the book shelf. He also got me a few cd's. He very much enjoyed his sound machine and blushed like me when he opened his stocking and saw the condoms that Paul added.

After opening presents Charlie made us cinnamon rolls before I called my mom. We chatted for a little bit and she claimed that my gift from her was in the mail and said it would be delivered in a few days.

Rachel and Paul joined us a few hours later as we sat around watching t.v or talking or playing games. I couldn't imagine spending my Christmas any differently. I hoped we had many more to come.