I was sitting at the kitchen table next to my dad. Jake was off running and Billy had made up some excuse for going over to Sue's. Basically, I was left at the house alone with my dad while my beef stew was cooking away.
"So Bella's tying the knot," I began, trying not to look at him. I knew that this wasn't something that he was happy about. But Edward should've been man enough to ask for her hand first... right?
"She already told me that you knew," he said with a sigh.
"I just wish that you would've given me a warning. Sisterly loyalty isn't going to protect me from a heart attack." Of course Bella would tell him that I already knew. That was probably Alice's or Edward's idea. That way, I couldn't act like I was shocked.
"I'm proud of you for agreeing to be a bridesmaid," he added. I shoved away from the table as lightly as I could, avoiding giving my anger away.
How could she do this to me? Did she just not care? Actually, this was probably all just some ploy to get to talk to Jake again. And damn did she know how to manipulate. There was no way that Jake was going to let me go to their home for the wedding unless he was there to make sure that no leeches could get to me.
"Although I'm not sure how I feel about seeing you and Jake together at a wedding," Dad said, talking to my back. I stared down at the stew, remembering all the times that Sarah and I had made it together. "It seems like yesterday that you two were running naked around the house." He laughed and then his face fell. "I don't want to see any of that, okay?"
"Dad," I laughed. "The last thing that we would do is run naked around the house," I promised him. There were other things that we would do, but not when he or Billy were around. No, Jake had the right idea. We could get away for that. I was turning into the worst kind of teenager. Jake and I still talked and hung out, but now that we had started things, I wanted more. And I wasn't talking about just sex. I liked it just as much when he would hold my hand or kiss my hair. I was turning into one of the mushy gushy teen girls who was addicted to being around her boyfriend. However, the rules were still in place. Jake and I were a strict no PDA couple when there were other people around.
Billy's wheelchair rolled loudly up the ramp. Dad pushed himself away from the table and went to hold the door open for Billy. As soon as he was in the house, I turned to look over at him. He nodded at me, silently telling me that Jake was coming back.
"He's outside." I nodded again.
"Don't let it burn guys," I said, sprinting out the door and coming to rest on the porch swing. Jake was pacing just beyond the tree line in his wolf form. He was pretty torn up that Bella was getting married. I wanted to say that I wasn't upset, but he was taking it so hard. And for someone that apparently didn't care about my sister, it didn't make sense as to why he was so pissed. I curled my knees up so that I could rest my chin on them and looked over at his form.
His head snapped in my direction. He turned back and probably phased out before sprinting to the porch. He paced by the railings and growled angrily.
"I can't believe that we all have to sit by and watch him marry a human. Is marriage between a woman and a monster even legal?"
"Calm down, Jake."
"You almost died; I almost died. All to save her and she doesn't even care. What does she want to do with him?"
"Jake, calm down," I repeated.
"Is she seriously considering marrying this guy? As soon as he has a ring on her finger, he's just going to suck her dry."
"He can't do that, Jake; it would go against the treaty." He growled at me. "I mean, if you'd rather work this out on your own, I can just head on back to Forks with my dad." I pushed myself off the swing, not willing to deal with his shit. He snarled and wrapped his arms around my waist, tossing me back against the wooden pillar of the house.
"Mine," he barked. I cocked my head to the side. His raised lip slowly fell until he was back to Jake instead of wolf.
"I'm sorry." I nodded and looked away from him. His lips latched onto my jaw. "I'm really sorry. I don't want you to think that I'm upset because it's Bella." Great, he can see right through me. "That's what you think, huh?"
"You're just so upset, Jake. I don't know what else you would expect me to think," I said with a shrug.
"If you're not upset because it's Bella, then why?"
"Because the vampires are getting closer to people. I know that they're all paired off and all that. I know that all the other ones have their mates. But what if that's not enough? What if Bella's not the first one that they get close enough to? There could be others, you know." I knew what he was saying. It was a legitimate fear. If Edward was so willing to risk exposure because Bella's blood was so alluring, what would the others do one day? What could the others be willing to do one day?
"Jake, there's something that we have to talk about," I whispered. His eyes flicked to mine with fear in their depths.
"It's nothing too bad, but you're not going to be happy."
"Spit it out, Annie. You're scaring the shit out of me," he begged.
I sighed and looked up into his eyes. "Bella told my dad that I knew that she was getting married." Jake snarled. "And she told him that I would be a bridesmaid."
"Like hell you will," he snapped.
"Jake -"
"No, don't Jake me. You are not going down to that house. You are not taking those girly trips. You can't do this to me, Annie."
"I'm not doing anything to you, Jake. You're making yourself worry, not me. Besides, when your sister gets married, it's expected that you are there at the wedding. No matter what I think of my sister, I can't do that to my dad. It's not going to be fun, Jake. And yes, I'll be with vampires. But it's what I have to do because we need to be normal, Jake. And this is the normal thing for sisters to do."
He sighed and reached up to cup my cheeks in his hand.
"I cannot lose you, Ryanne Lee. And if I let you be a part of this wedding, that's exactly what's going to happen." I din't say anything. "Why is she doing this anyway? She's made it perfectly clear that she doesn't like you either." I flinched, but it wasn't why he thought. He thought that I cringed because my sister couldn't give two grapes whether I lived or died. No, I had flinched because I was about to tell him the one thing that I didn't want to talk about: my sister and my boyfriend.
"She's doing it because she knew that this is how you were going to react, Jake. She's doing it because she knows that whether I like it or not, you'll go to the wedding with me because you don't want to see me around her family; her new family. In asking me to be a part of her wedding, she's pretty much made sure that you will be at the wedding. And she can have everything that she wants."
"And you think that she wants me?" I laughed.
"I know that she wants you, Jake. She's always wanted you. Bella will always want what she can't have and what she can't have right now is you." He narrowed his eyes.
"So you're going to this wedding?" I nodded. "And you're going to all the little planning events?"
"I don't think that I have to go to the planning stuff, Jake. Alice will have all of the things planned before I can even take a breath," I said with a small laugh.
"Babe, this isn't funny," he growled. It was the first time that he called me babe and I couldn't help but smile. "I'm serious, Ryanne. I don't like this."
"I don't like watching you go on patrol. But I still do it."
"That's different Ryanne. That is for protection," he growled.
"How is that any different from this? I'm doing what I have to, to protect my dad and you and everyone else that's going to be at that wedding."
"That's what I am built for, Ryanne. You can't protect yourself from vampires."
"That's not what I'm talking about. My dad would flip if he knew that Bella was marrying one supernatural being and I was the soulmate of another. Do you really think that would fly with him? 'Hey Dad, please don't hunt those wolves. They're Jake and all my friends.'"
"I never really imagined you saying it like that," he snapped.
"Look, you have a few options here, Jake. You can be the overprotective wolf and go storm into the house and explain to my father why I'm not allowed to attend my sister's wedding. You can let me go and trust that the Cullens won't do anything to me." He snarled at that one.
"Or you can go with me like a normal family friend that turned into a boyfriend. But I have to go either way you choose, I have to go."
He paused and looked beyond me, staring at the trees. I leaned up and pressed my lips to his chin. He tilted his down to meet my lips and kissed me, long and sweet, desperate and fearful.
"I don't hear talking out there!" Dad shouted. Jake chuckled and pulled away.
"We'll go. Together."