Two weeks had passed since we'd gotten the damn invitation to Bella's fucking wedding. I couldn't believe that she was actually going to let the leech marry her. I was pissed that they were getting closer to the humans, but more than anything, I was fucking livid that they would technically be a part of her family. The good news was: that counted for nothing. Absolutely nothing. Because Annie was my family and they would never get to claim her.
By the grace of God, the leeches had agreed that Annie could have Leah there with her and the stupid fucking dress salon. I had given Annie the truck keys and made sure that the tank was full before she and Leah had left to make the trip to Olympia for the damn dresses. I watched them drive away before I went to go check on Nate. That was the deal. If Leah was going to make sure that my imprint was safe, I was going to protect hers while she was gone.
"You good, man?" I asked as I walked into Leah's house.
"Does anyone on this reservation knock?" he asked.
"Nah; too time consuming. I have to go run an errand in town. You good?"
"I'm not going anywhere if that's what you mean. Sue says the sink's been pretty shitty for the last little while, so I thought that I'd take care of it for her," he explained.
"You know anything about plumbing?"
"Yeah," he grunted as he crawled under the sink. "Are you going or are you going to talk to me?"
"Okay, point taken. I'll catch you later, Nate." I jumped in the Rabbit, ducking my head to keep myself in the car. It would be easier to run, but not for where I needed to go.
Carlisle and Sam had come to the agreement that we could work together more, allowing us into Forks. Naturally they would come to this agreement after Annie and I had gotten back from Port Angeles. But then again, a lot of things had changed after we got back. Leah and Nate had finally gotten their shit together, which was good for them. But more important than Leah and her imprint, was mine. I had spoken to Annie about the wedding. We had decided as a pair that we would go to the wedding.
But as I laid in bed that night, I wasn't nearly as happy as I thought I would be. I'd had the greatest weekend with the most beautiful girl and had it been ruined by her sister. And I was kind of pissed off at Annie. I loved the girl with everything that I had in my body, but damn if she wasn't rolling over and submitting to her sister. She was the mate of an Alpha, whether I had claimed the birth right or not. She was not one that should be rolling over to her sister. I was more than a little pissed that she'd failed to tell her father the truth.
Physically, any of my brothers could protect Annie just as well as I could. They may not have the passion for it that I do, but they could do it if the occasion called for it. But what they couldn't do was protect her emotionally. That was something that I only I could do and that only I should be responsible for. I pulled up to the Swan house and jumped out of the car, glad to find that the cruiser was in the driveway.
I knocked on the door, waiting for Charlie to open the door. Normally, I would just walk in, but this was more than just a normal visit.
"Jake, what's on your mind?"
"We need to talk about something, Charlie," I said seriously.
He pushed the door open a little wider and turned to walk into the living room. He detoured through the kitchen and grabbed a beer and soda before settling in his world famous chair.
"You're not here to ask for Ryanne's hand are you? Because I'm not ready to let go of that one just yet." I smiled and shook my head. I wanted to inform him that he had kind of just said that Annie was his favorite.
"She'd kill me before she'd let me ask you just yet. Hopefully one day, but that's not what I'm here for." Charlie just nodded and tipped his beer to his lips.
"That's good; it's hard enough saying goodbye to one of them." I just kept nodding. "Is that what you're here for? Bella's wedding?"
"It's part of it. I'm, uh, concerned about Annie."
"Isn't that why you two went away?"
"It is, but this is not related to that. I'm concerned about her and Bella, Charlie. She didn't know anything about this wedding, and she doesn't want you to worry about them."
"What are you talking about Jacob?"
I sighed. I didn't want to be the one to burst the bubble, but someone had to take care of Annie. And since she would never do it, that made it my job.
"Annie didn't know that Bella was getting married and Bella never asked her to be a bridesmaid. She doesn't want to get her sister in trouble, Charlie. So she's going along with it."
"But they're sisters."
"They are sisters, but there's a lot that you don't know Charlie. Like the real reason that Annie is so uncomfortable here is because of Bella. She can't get along with her, Charlie. It sucks to be stuck in the middle of, trust me I've lived in that territory. And that is exactly why Annie has kept it from you so insistently. They hate each other and there are things that have happened that have made me dislike Bella."
"You two have been thick as thieves since her first couple of summers here." I just nodded and opened my mouth to tell him that Annie and I were more than that.
"But you and Ryanne have been joined at the hip since the beginning of time. So I guess it would make sense that you would choose Beans." I nodded. "Why are you telling me how much they hate each other? I'm not stupid. I know they don't get along. Why now? Why tell me that they don't like each other now?"
"Because Annie is not happy and I don't want her to think that she has to play second fiddle to anyone. I understand that it's Bella's wedding day. And we both know that Annie will do everything she can to make the day perfect. But Annie is not the kind of girl to roll over and give in to someone and that's exactly what she's doing with Bella; and it's tearing her apart."
"So what do you think should happen?"
"Annie's worried about not going to the wedding, Charlie. And I really don't think that she should after everything that's happened. I'm not going." Charlie just nodded like he was thinking. "She's stubborn as a bull, so I'm sure that she'll still go. But I wanted you to know that she... that this is more than just a sibling rivalry and that Bella is deceiving you."
"I'll talk to Ryanne," he said simply. I knew I was going to have to be satisfied with that. There was nothing more that I could ask him to do than to talk to her. I could only hope that she would be honest with him and tell him just how shitting Bella had been to her in the last year and a half.
Leah was phased in when I hit the tree line for patrol. Which was exactly what I needed.
How'd things go tonight?
The little leech pissed her off, she pissed off the blonde leech and Bella couldn't give two rotten fucks about this wedding.
I have something that I need to ask from you.
What's on your mind, almighty one?
If I go to this wedding, I'm giving Bella exactly what she wants. And I want to protect Annie, I really do. But if I keep giving Bella what she wants, it's only going to hurt Annie in the long run.
I'm with you so far.
I need you to go to this wedding with her, Leah.
Fuck no; you lost me.
I'm serious Leah; if I go, I'm doing exactly what Bella wants and I'm hurting my imprint. I know that you'll protect her and I know that you can do it just as well as I could. But I'm the one that has to hold her when she cries and if this is what it takes to make her stop crying, then this is what has to be done.
Ryanne doesn't cry.
Besides the point, Leah. Wouldn't you do anything to protect Nate? I've seen it all through your memories, Leah. You would do anything you could to go back and save him from everything that happened. But you can't. It's what we do as wolves. We want them mentally and physically safe. Bella has tried to kill her, but that is nothing compared to the mind fucks that Bella puts in place. Please Leah. I need you to protect her for me and go to this wedding for her.
There was nothing but silence for a while and then Leah spoke.
You owe me big, Black.
Understatement of the century.