The Carver Café [Edward/Jacob]

30

Jacob hadn't really spent a lot of time thinking about his future. Ever since he'd been promoted to detective, everything else had seemed trivial. He'd gotten what he wanted out of life and he just wanted to spend from then 'til retirement making the most out of it. He'd thought he'd made it. That was it. That was his peak. He hadn't planned on letting it go so soon. 

So, he'd never thought to prepare himself for the uneasiness that came with the hour before he was supposed to get married. They hadn't planned anything massive, just a quiet gathering in their backyard, but Jacob could still feel his stomach rolling with anxiety. He could see Jasper and Emmett following Rosalie and Alice's instructions as they moved the wedding arch and placed the tables and chairs. He could hear Leah and Bella heating the food and moving the cake.  He could feel Sara's excitement as she's handed a little basket with flower petals inside. They were working to get everything perfect and Jacob was standing upstairs panicking.

"Hey, leave the worrying to them. You should be getting dressed." Quil prompts, pushing him away from the window and towards his clothes that are hanging on the bathroom door.

He steps into the bathroom, putting on the tux he'd picked out a month ago on autopilot, only to stop abruptly as he stares down at the pants. He's not even sure how long he's just standing there, but a knock on the door has him attempting to button the pants again. Nothing. 

He can't. They'd just fit a month ago and now he was struggling to even get the button towards the hole. He tries a couple more times, ignoring the insistent knocking as he tries not to panic.

"Jake?" Quil calls, "You need some help?"

He stops breathing for a second, sucking his stomach in before attempting to button the pants. He could just get the button through, but it felt like his stomach was in a band.

He yanks the door open, eyes finding a worried looking Quil and an unbothered looking Ember standing on the other side. They're both dressed, Quil in his slightly ill-fitting tux, altered to accommodate for his steadily growing stomach and Ember in his tiny suit. 

"You good?" Quil asks, eyes running over Jacob as if he could find the problem if he looked hard enough.

"They don't fit." He blurts out, breathing coming out in huffs as if he'd just run a marathon. 

He'd agonized over this day. Despite his nonchalant attitude, he couldn't help but contemplate every small detail. He wanted it to be a lax ceremony, one that felt more like a fun family gathering rather than an actual serious wedding. He didn't want the focus to be on him so he made sure to get an average looking tux, despite Edward's gripes against it, and tried it on several times to make sure it fit. He was aware enough to recognize that he'd put on some weight during his leave from work. He was conscious enough that it hadn't help that he'd then popped out a baby and then put all of his attention onto taking care of and protecting that baby. It had taken a full year for him to finally let go, to finally find some time for himself, to finally start running with Seth and Embry again. He was struggling to get back to who he was before, but that was to be expected, but this...

"What?" Quil asks, perplexed as he once again runs his eyes over Jacob.

"My pants don't fit." He grits out, popping them open and letting his stomach relax. 

He'd somehow gained weight. Admittedly, he'd gotten big during his pregnancy with Sara, bigger than he had been before, bigger than Quil had been when he was pregnant with Ember. It was a lot to work off. Though, once he'd finally started, he'd lost most of that weight fairly quickly. He'd been back to the size he'd been in the police academy. He'd looked good. 

Now, his stomach looked like it was slightly swollen, not distended enough to hang over his pants but big enough to make buttoning them a challenge. Quil steps forward, yanking Jacob's dress shirt up and they both just stand there staring down at his stomach before Quil glances up at him.