Falling for Autumn | Jacob Black

Chapter 52 [edited]

About five minutes before we arrived at Emily's, Jacob's phone rang in the center console. I glanced down to see Chloe's name flash across the screen before he picked it up.

"Hey, Chloe."

Jacob listened intently for a few seconds, a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he nodded along to whatever she was saying.

"Okay, gotcha. See you soon."

He hung up and put the phone back, reaching for the glove compartment in front of me.

"What are you doing?" I asked suspiciously as he rummaged around.

"I was given specific instructions," he said, pulling out the "Princess" blindfold triumphantly, "to make sure your eyes were covered before we arrived."

"Oh, Chloe..." I whined, my stomach beginning to knot. "She knows I hate surprises."

"I am also to reassure you that it's going to be okay and you're going to love this," he chuckled as I slid the blindfold over my head. "Chloe said just trust her."

"I do trust her." I let out a sigh of defeat. "Doesn't mean I like surprises anymore."

The car grew quiet as Jacob pulled onto the gravel drive, then cut the engine after shifting to park. Counting to ten to mentally prepare myself, I waited for Jacob to make his way around the car to help me out. The instant his hands grasped mine, the knots in my stomach turned into butterflies. It still shook me to my core just how much I loved him, and how much I meant to him.

The gentle squeeze on my shoulder let me know that Jacob knew what I was feeling, and I could hear the smile on his face when he spoke.

"We're coming up to the porch, Leaf. Three steps up, okay? One... two... three. Good, now take five steps forward. The door is right here, watch your step."

"Mmm," I took a deep breath as the smell of pumpkin wafted into my nostrils. "Emily's been baking something delicious."

"Just for you." Emily laughed as I felt her join us, her hands grasping my left elbow gently. "Okay, Jake, stop right about here."

"On the count of three, you can take the blindfold off, Leaf!" Chloe's voice rang out from the other side of the room. "One... two... three!"

As soon as the blindfold came off and my eyes readjusted to the light, I nearly jumped at the chorus of "Surprise!" Tears swelled in the corner of my eyes as I took in the faces around me; Chloe and Mom were standing in front of both packs, each of them with a huge grin.

"What is going on?"

"We know that technically it's not the right time for this, you still have a few months to go, but we all know you haven't had much time to celebrate the good news with all the help you've been giving the Cullens - not that anyone is saying that's a bad thing, you just love to do what you can to help out your friends," Chloe rushed out with a chuckle. "But you need time to yourself, to celebrate the moments of joy life gives you. So, we're throwing you an impromptu baby shower!"

"And even though it's too early to know if you're having a boy or a girl," Mom chimed in, "we stuck with neutral colors and other things you would need, instead of clothes. We can always get those later."

"You didn't have to do this." I sniffled, wiping away the tears from my eyes.

"Nonsense!" Mom wrapped me in a hug. "We want you to know that you two aren't alone in raising this baby. You have a village - well, a tribe - behind you."

"Thank you, Mom," I whispered in her ear, sniffling.

"We appreciate all of you," Jacob spoke a little louder, taking in the group around us. "Despite everything that's happened over the last few months... you are our family. We love you."