The Consequences {Jacob Black}

Chapter XCI

"Seriously, Jake, where are we going?" I asked after fifteen feet of silence.

"You couldn't even last two minutes," he laughed.

"Jake," I moaned. He pulled me closer against his side, allowing me to avoid a tree root. Of course, he didn't push me away afterwards.

"Aren't you even going to give me a hint about this?" He was silent. I could've been talking to a statue for all he gave away; a beautiful statue with the body of a Greek god and a eight back to drool over, but still a statue.

"My feet hurt," I complained.

Before I could say anything else, he had me lifted high in his arms and off the ground.

"I was kidding," I said, sliding one hand up his shoulders and around his neck.

"I know," he said with a wink. I rolled my eyes and leaned my head against his shoulder.

"How'd your sister take the news?" he asked.

"She screamed, made a scene, threw a fit; you know the normal." He smiled brightly. "I'm sure you'll see it all through Leah's head in a little while. I wouldn't want to spoil the fun."

"I'm glad to see your back to normal," he said.

"What are you talking about?"

"You've always been a strong girl, Annie. Bella took that part of you away. I don't know if it was the fact that you were so tired, that you were afraid of hurting her, or what. But that part of you died. Well, maybe not died. Because she's back, right here in my arms. And I'm glad to see her," he explained. "Here we are."

He dumped me on my feet and turned me around to see the same little clearing that we'd had out first date in. A boom-box that was probably from some time in the eighties was sitting on the large boulder that we had rested against that one night. There were large candles set up around the little sight, casting a glow around it.

"What is all this?" I asked as I looked around.

"You got all dressed up for a wedding and I didn't get to dance with you," he said. "And if figured, if you got all dressed up, it might as well not be for nothing." I slipped the heels back on my feet, raising myself almost five inches of the ground and putting myself a few inches over six foot. But standing next to Jake, I was still half a foot shorter than him.

"That's a double negative," I informed him. He smiled and moved closer.

"What's a double negative?"

"'It might as well not be for nothing.' That's the same as saying that I dressed up for something," I explained.

"You're such a nerd," he laughed. "And it was for something. It was for this." He left me where I was and turned on the radio. I heard the brief introduction chords of Toby Keith as Jake pulled me close. His hand rested on the slope of my hip, just below the small of my back. His hand clasped mine and pulled it out.

"Just like my mom taught us, huh?" he laughed.

I brought my hand to the back of his neck and allowed my fingers to toy with the hair at the nape of his neck.

"How long have you been planning this?" I asked, looking up at him. His thumb smoothed over the small of my back. I cocked my head to the side to look at him with a discerning eye.

"Since I decided that I wasn't going with you to the wedding," he chuckled. "I didn't want to go with you to your sister's wedding; I didn't want to let her win. But I did want to dance with you at a wedding. And this is the next best thing." Huckleberry finished and faded into the next song. There were no words, just piano. But I recognized the song.