Nessie's Life

Chapter 30

Once everyone had gone home after my show, Jacob and I drove to our favorite restaurant. Actually, it was the only restaurant I ever went to. Jake had somehow convinced me to come here a few years ago, and I had discovered that their watermelon salad and sweet potatoes weren't half bad. It was an odd order, but the waiters were used to me by now. It was becoming a trend that if I was going to eat human food, I preferred it to be sweet.

When we arrived, I started walking to our usual table automatically, but the waiter actually grabbed my arm and pointed towards a private room at the back of the restaurant. Jacob smiled. "I asked them to reserve it. I thought we could change it up a bit tonight."

We walked in, took off our coats, and sat down. The small room only had one table and was separated from the larger dining room by a shimmering curtain. On the opposite wall, there was a huge window overlooking the lake that the restaurant sat on.

"This is really nice," I said.

"Right?"

The waiter asked, "Same as usual?" We nodded and he left.

"You look so beautiful, Nessie. The room suits you." I smiled and brushed my hair behind my ear.

"I have to tell you something," said Jake. "Don't laugh."

"Okay. I won't."

"Earlier tonight, when you were on stage, I might have... cried. Just a little."

I grabbed his hand. "Wow, I don't think I've ever seen you cry at anything. You really liked it that much?"

"I don't even know how to describe it. You just have a way of... communicating and reaching people. Whether it's with words or through your gift or with dancing. I just think you're honest about your feelings and you're brave enough to let other people in. It's one of the things I love about you."

I kissed him. "Next time you're gonna cry, make sure I'm there, ok?" I joked.

"It will happen sooner than you think," he said. Before I could ask what he meant, our food arrived. I smiled and thanked the waiter. Jacob was a fourth of the way through his steak before we were alone again.

"Slow down, babe. You'll choke or something."

He laughed. "Ok. I'll slow down if you take more than one tiny bite a minute."

I grimaced. "Fine," I said and started eating.

While we ate, we talked about our upcoming trip to Arizona. Summer break was starting in a few weeks, and Jacob and I had decided that we wanted to go somewhere sunny for once. This would of course mean no vampires were allowed. I had always been interested in visiting my mom's hometown, as well as seeing red rock country and the Grand Canyon. Jake was also quite interested in the local coyote.

Jacob finished, leaned back, and sighed. "I'm so happy I convinced you to like this place. I don't know where I would be without that steak."

"Ok, now I'm laughing at you," I giggled. He reached out and ruffled my hair.

"Hey!" I said, laughing and pulling back. At that moment a song came on in the restaurant that we both loved.

"Sorry love," he said, smoothing my hair back down. He stood up and held out his hand. "Dance with me?"

He pulled me up. We held hands and jumped around, and I flung my head around enough to mess up my hair once again. I didn't care. I was so happy for the private room and for good music and good food and Jacob. At one point he picked me up and swung me around in his arms. I put my hand to his cheek to show him just how happy I was. He got that almost drunken look in his eyes that happened whenever he experienced both his happiness and mine at the same time, like it overwhelmed him.

When the song ended, he put me down and sat back down to keep eating. I wandered over to the window and looked out at the water. As I stood, I thought about how lucky I was to have Jacob. Without thinking, I started telling him.

"I know we haven't really had to say this out loud to each other because I've known it, intrinsically within me, from the very first moments I can remember. But I want to say it now because it has new meaning. I love you, Jacob. I love you as my in-built friend and protector, but more than that. I love what I have seen in you as I've become more aware of how ugly the world can be and how good you are within it. I know you've been lost, had your heart ripped into pieces; I know you've suffered grief and faced battles I can't even imagine. But your intrinsic goodness is so much who you are that it will never go away, and I simply love that. I adore your smile and your warmth. I'm grateful that I will never have to face anything alone. I love that even when I feel insignificant, I realize that you are somehow happier because I exist and that gives me purpose. So I'm going to say it now, and many times for the rest of forever, to express just a little bit of what it is to me to have you. I love you."

I saw his reflection in the window move, and I turned around in time to see him go down on one knee. My hand flew to my mouth and a tear fell immediately.

"My Nessie, you are everything. You're the reason I have a place in the world. I can travel the whole world and I'll never find anything as beautiful as you. I want to laugh with you, talk with you, dance with you, love you forever." He pulled out a small black box and opened it, revealing an intricately twisting silver ring with a small but perfect diamond in the center. "Renesmee Carlie Cullen, will you marry me?" He let a tear fall to match my own.

"Yes, of course. I love you Jacob." He stood and slid the ring onto my finger, and then kissed me long and hard. Then he started laughing and squeezed me, spinning me around. Before I landed again, a heard Alice's tinkling laugh and saw the curtain move. Suddenly the small room was crowded with my whole family, a few werewolves, Charlie, and Billy. My head was still spinning even after my body was still, so I held Jacob's hand tightly.

Before anyone could say congratulations, Alice had already excitedly described the engagement party we would be going to next. I laughed and thanked her. I hugged everyone and looked at the pictures that Rosalie had secretly taken of the proposal before I knew everyone was there. We payed our bill, got in our cars, and drove to a penthouse Alice had rented for the party. I held Jacob's hand the entire time.

When the elevator doors opened, I saw the faces of more friends than I realized I had. There were old friend from high school and even older friends from Forks, mainly Jacob's people. There were also new friends, people we had met since coming to college.

I spent the next few hours dancing, laughing, and accepting congratulations from everyone. Jacob spent a lot of time with his wolf brothers and sister, whom he hadn't seen in a long time. Alice started telling me all of her plans for the wedding. She couldn't see it past all the wolves, but she could and would still plan every detail to be perfect.

After several hours, there finally came a moment when no one was talking to me. I drifted towards the window, marveling at the city lights far below. After a few minutes, a pair of huge warm arms wrapped around me from behind. He kissed the back of my neck.

"Hey love."

I leaned into him. "Hey. I missed you."

"Me too," he laughed. We were quiet for a minute, listening to our party and all the people we loved behind us.

Eventually Jacob asked, "How do you feel?"

I sighed. "I've never been happier"

"Me either," he said.

I stood there, wrapped in Jacob's arms, and dreamed about the day when I would finally become Renesmee Cullen Black.

THE END