Little Quileute

Cherry Pie

"Alright lovers, let's get this started," Embry announces, earning everyone's attention.

"Yeah, what is this celebration that JJ keeps mentioning?" Josie asks. Embry twists one of her curls around his finger and tugs slightly, earning a glare in return. But, the cocky boy only offers her a playful smirk and squeezes her side.

"Come here, love." Paul orders, holding his hand out for her. 

She doesn't hesitate to take it as he leads her into the living room to see snacks and drinks scattered on the coffee table. It was every candy and chip she could imagine. Paul sits her down in the middle of the couch, giving her the most comfortable spot. The curly-headed girl looks up at her imprint, giving him a confused smile. Embry comes around the corner without saying a word, setting a giant plate of pasta and four plates down. Josie goes to ask them what's going on, but both boys disappear around the corner before she can get a word out and she's left in silent confusion as she stares down at her favorite pasta. 

But, just as she's about to give into her curiosities and follow them, all three of them come back around the corner. It isn't long before she spots the cherry pie in Paul's hands with a single birthday candle making tears well in her pretty brown eyes. She puts a hand over her mouth as Paul places the pie down on the coffee table.

"Happy birthday, love." He wishes her, placing a kiss on her temple.

"Paulieee, you guys didn't...." She cries, hot tears trailing down her cheeks as the familiar and comforting scent engulfs her. He chuckles, pulling her into his side as he takes the seat to her right.

"Don't cry, sweet girl you have to make a wish." He says, running his thumb along her side to calm her.

"It smells just like mama's." She says, her breath stuttering as she inhales deeply.

"That's because it is your ma's," Jake says, smiling down at her. Josie sits up, her eyes widening in disbelief.

"What? That's impossible." She told them, looking down at the golden pie.

"We asked Charlie if we could do a look around and we found the recipe tucked away in the back of one of the kitchen drawers," Jake explains with a proud smirk.

"What? How? We've looked a million times." Josie questions, her butt practically on the edge of her seat now.

"It was stained and all torn up so it was easy to miss. But, I wrote it on a fresh paper and gave it to Paul here. I knew he was the only one who could do Penny's recipe justice besides you." He says giving her a charming grin. Josie jumped up from the couch, wrapping her arms around his waist in a tight hug as she cried into his chest.

"I love you so much. You don't know how much that means to me. I've been trying to find it for years." She rambles on without thinking. Everyone but her seems to freeze, Josie not realizing what she had said. But, Jake pulls away and wipes her face. Josie gives him a look of confusion as Jake takes her face into his hands, running his thumb over her lip.

"You what?" He asks, his breathing heavy as he stares into her honey-brown eyes. 

Josie frowns in confusion, her eyes darting to Paul and Embry only to see them watching her carefully. It looked as if none of them were breathing. But, she could tell from their flushed skin that they were very much alive and that seemed to be the moment she finally realized what she said.

"Oh. I-i'm sorry." Came Josie's automatic response, averting her eyes to the ground as she pulled away from Jake in embarrassment. But, he doesn't let her, taking her chin between his fingers.

"Are you or did you mean it?" He asks, his eyes never leaving hers. Josie stares back into his, her cheeks turning a dark red. But, that seems to be the only answer Jake needs as his lips turn up into a knowing smirk.

"Do you love me like I love you, Josephine Swan?" Jake confesses and Josie's lips part in shock as she searches his face for any sliver of insincerity. But, she couldn't find any. He was looking at her with such devotion that Josie felt her knees buckle.

"It's no lie, Bambi. I love you with every bone in my body and I have since we were children." Jake tells her, his voice firm as each word leaves his lips. He's been itching- yearning to say it out loud and Josie could feel it so profoundly that she wanted to cry for him.

"You love me? Say it." He presses, squeezing her face gently. There was no room for beating around the bush or stalling and at that very moment, Josie was thankful that there wasn't because she finally knew what she wanted. She wanted to tell this boy that she loved him and she wanted to do it for the rest of her life. So that's what she did.

"Yes." She finally sighs. The confession felt like a bag of bricks lifted off of her chest as she smiled.

"I love you. I've loved you for a long time JJ." She finally admits, tears trailing down her cheeks. Jacob lets out a deep sigh of relief and presses his forehead to hers, his eyes flickering down to her lips.

"Can I kiss you, Bambi?" Jacob blurts, his eyes darting to her eyes for permission. 

Josie nods without a second thought and Jake doesn't waste the chance, pressing his lips to hers without a warning. 

Josie gasps, taken back at first by his intensity. But, as his soft lips move against hers, she melts into him and he pulls her into his chest as if he can't get enough of her. Josie couldn't think about anything else, she couldn't feel anything else but him. He tasted like mint and felt like home. All she could do was follow his lead as her fingers desperately gripped the hair at the base of his skull and pulled him closer.

"Mmm." He groaned into her mouth, sending vibrations through both of them as he struggled to pull away. But, he lets out an amused chuckle as he watches Josie's face; eyes closed, skin flushed, and her lips bruised. Josie opens her eyes, turning even redder as he kisses her one last time before smiling at her.

"Hate to break up this special moment kids, but the candle just went out and the pie is getting cold." Embry announces making Josie pull away to look at him.

Jacob rolls his eyes, sending the younger boy a glare as Josie giggles, her eyes meeting Paul's only to find him smirking at her. She gives him a bashful smile before averting her gaze to the delicious-looking pie.

"Can I have a slice now?"