Enchanted | Jacob Black

twenty-one

The last few weeks had felt so amazing.

Jake and I had fallen into a rhythm that was easy and effortless. We went to the beach, sometimes just the two of us, sometimes with Quil and Embry tagging along. We hung out with the pack and sat around bonfires. We'd go to Port Angeles to watch a movie or just take walks and end up at the cliffs, where the sun would hit his face just right, and I'd think to myself how gorgeous he is.

The first couple of nights, we stuck to my dad's rules, Jake would only come over when he was home, and he would not sneak in anymore. Fortunately, he couldn't make any rules at Jake's house, so instead of Jake sneaking into my room, I was sneaking into his.

Nearly every night, we ended up together, tangled under a shared blanket, pretending we could stay like that forever. Until I would have to leave early in the morning to get back home before my dad would check in on me.

We hadn't heard a word from Bella. Nothing from the Cullens either. And it had started to feel like things were finally settling down. No vampires. No chaos and no danger.

We were sprawled out on Jake's couch, a movie playing on the small television, when the front door creaked open.

Paul didn't bother to greet us. He casually walked into the living room, grabbed the open bag of chips off the coffee table, and walked straight down the hall into Rachel's room.

I blinked, looking at Jake. "So he lives here now?"

Jake groaned, dropping his head back against the cushions. "He might as well. Ever since Rachel came back, he's been glued to her."

I sat up a little, brushing popcorn off my shirt. "I still can't believe your perfect, put-together sister got imprinted on by Paul."

"I know, my dad hates it too, but it's keeping her around longer, so he puts up with it," Jake muttered.

"So that's why I haven't been seeing him lately." I laughed and stood to get a glass of water. The kitchen was quiet, lit only by the fading light outside and the single warm bulb overhead. As I reached for a cup, my eyes caught on something sitting neatly on the counter. A small, cream-colored envelope with delicate, cursive writing.

Jacob Black

"Hey," I called out, picking it up. "What's this?"

Jake's voice drifted from the couch. "What's what?"

"This envelope. It has your name on it. Did you open it?"

He paused. "No. I haven't seen that before."

I turned it over, "Can I open it?" I asked, holding it up, curious as to why something that looked so fancy was for Jake.

"Yeah, sure," Jake replied.

I slid my finger beneath the seal and unfolded the thick cardstock inside.

I stared at the text in shimmering gold ink.

You are cordially invited to the wedding of Isabella Marie Swan and Edward Anthony Cullen.

My fingers tightened around the invitation.

Oh," I said, my voice quieter than I expected. "It's from Bella and Edward."

Jake was silent for a moment before he asked, "What is it?"

I looked up slowly. "It's a wedding invitation."

He stood up, eyes furrowed in confusion as he walked towards me.

Jake took the invitation from my hands and stared at it for a long second, his jaw tightening just slightly. He didn't look angry, just surprised. He ran his thumb along the edge of the card before setting it on the table.