Hands on Me (A Twilight Fanfiction written by IndependentIndividuality)

Chapter 37: In Which Jake Doesn't Fling Dollar Bills

A/N: This is a . . . transitory chapter. It shows the changes in their relationship with the engagement and a lot of fluff which is good for everyone, I think. Things start to change in the next chapter, in more than one way but some things need to happen/be shown first.

I've had some reviews/PMs expressing the pace of the story - just so y'all know, it's going to be a long one. I promise not to drag it out for the sake of it, but it's turning out pretty long. Things are already all planned out, mostly written out and everything is in order. The Volturi aren't just an excuse to get Jake and Nessie away from home and will come in later, but Nessie won't know things she's not involved in/told about because I don't switch POVs. Jacob, of course, will be told/know a lot more.

Oh - and I got my first flame! Cool, right? I feel like it's a right of passage - like I'm a real writer now. Now, I don't mind constructive criticism - like it actually - but being condescending is just not cool. No fly, Ms. Barbie. Anyway, there's that.

Disclaimer: I do not own any Hilary Duff songs or Twilight. But you know what would be cool, though? If I did. But I don't. :(

Dedication: This chapter is going out to ceci9293 because seriously, y'all, this girl is going through Hands on Me and Undeniable and leaving detailed reviews for each chapter. Seriously. So to sum up, she rocks.

In Which Jake Does Not Fling Dollar Bills

don't ever ask me for reasons i can't give to you

don't ever ask me for reasons why i live for you

i just do

- hilary duff, love just is

The next few days were kind of like floating on a cloud. Even more so than when I found out Jake loved me and kissed me for the first time or any of that. Jake wanted to marry me. Marry me.

He loved me and wanted me to belong to him and wanted me to be his wife and that just solidified all of it.

We talked a lot more over the next few days, conversations that were sometimes awkward but always worth it. The physical stuff, we toned down. I did, really, more than Jacob and I was proud of myself. I stopped putting myself in situations that would help get me so frustrated. I was an engaged woman and I had to learn to be responsible - I felt extremely grown up.

I made the habit of randomly asking Jake questions, things that popped into my mind that I usually ignored but now felt it was important to ask. If we were going to be married, after all, I couldn't be shy from him.

"What's your perfect life?" I asked him one night as we watched TV. Actually watched TV. An episode of COPS, of course. "If everything could be exactly the way you wanted it to be?"

"Anything with you in it, Ness," Jacob said, which was to be expected. "Anything where you're with me and happy."

"Yeah, okay, I know that," I told him, pushing off his chest a little to look back at him. "Me too. But you have me, forever, and I'm ridiculously happy. So from now, the future, if you could have anything you wanted, exactly how you wanted, what would it be?"

"All this stuff would be over with," Jacob said, after he had taken a moment to think. His warm fingers were winding themselves through my hair. "You would be safe and we would be married. And . . . I don't know, just . . . together. Maybe - later, in the future . . . "

He trailed off and I guessed at what he meant. "Do you want kids, Jacob?"

His face flushed pink. "Only if you do."

I took a second to study his face, to think about his words a few seconds ago. "That's not true."

"I - I mean I guess I do," Jake stuttered, his face going a little darker. I knew he did. My mind swam with images of toffee-skinned, dark-eyed children and my heart swelled. "But if . . . if you didn't want . . . that, of course, I wouldn't mind. I just want you, first of all."