Jacob watched all the kids running around and chasing one another, looked after by Nessie, Claire, and Sam and Emily's oldest daughter, Meghan. Nessie and Claire were the same age-physically, at least-and Meghan was just three years younger, at fifteen. After a quick count, he saw all the nearly twenty kids scattered around.
Quil and Nina had brought their twin boys, who'd recently turned five, and their daughter, who was eight. Embry and his wife, Alexis, who was pregnant with their fifth, had bundled up their brood, ranging from eighteen months to twelve years. Jared, Collin, and Brady were there with their wives and kids, as well. And of course, Paul and Rachel were there with all of Jacob's nieces and nephews. Adding in Sam and Emily's two sons, and that made a hell of a lot of kids.
"Jake!" Nessie yelled from the field. "Come play!"
Without having to be told, Jacob knew the younger kids had to want a ride on the horse. He chuckled and stood, making his way into the crowd of kids. Since he was one of only two that were still shifting, he usually got roped into the job, but truly, he didn't mind.
When Nessie's family had moved to Alaska nearly fourteen years before, Jacob had moved with them. Seth and Leah-as part of Jacob's pack-had understood they could go with him, but he'd told them that if they wanted to stay in LaPush, they could rejoin Sam's pack. Leah had made her own choice, but Seth had followed him to Denali. It was there that he'd met his imprint, Layla. They'd been married just six years before and already had three boys. Shortly after finding out Layla was pregnant with their first, Seth had told Jacob and the Cullens that he and Layla were moving back to LaPush. With the Cullens gone, no one was having to shift anymore, and Seth wanted the option of growing old with his wife, like Sam and the members of his pack were all doing.
Leah had moved away from the reservation years before to attend college and unfortunately had only been back a few times. She was married and happy, but coming back to LaPush was just too painful to do more than once or twice a year. Instead, her family generally visited her and Michael in Seattle. No one begrudged her that, least of all her family, who just wanted her to be happy after so many years of bitterness and pain.
Almost seven years after moving to Alaska with the Cullens, Nessie was fully grown-an eighteen-year-old adult in the eyes of the law. After that, it hadn't taken long for Jacob's relationship with her to turn from that of best friend and protector to romantic loves, and within a year, they'd married. It had been a tense time, because Jacob and Nessie had wanted their Quileute friends and family to all attend, but the elders and former wolves were all worried the presence of the Cullens would set off the finally dormant wolf genes again. After lots of discussion and compromise, it was agreed that the wedding would be held in the clearing where the two groups had met with the rulers of the vampire world-the Volturi-and the Cullens would only stay in the area for a few days. Luckily, everything had gone perfectly. The wedding had been beautiful, all of their friends and family had been able to attend, and with a heavy heart, the Cullens-minus Nessie, of course-had left for Alaska shortly after. Nessie and Jake had stayed in LaPush.
Jacob wasn't alone in shifting, because Quil had planned to continue until Claire was an adult. Jacob figured he had another year-maybe two-before Quil stopped phasing altogether. He was all right with that. Yes, at the moment, everyone around him was growing older. He still looked around twenty-one, while Sam, Embry, and all his other pack brothers were aging like they should. He knew that at some point, it would become uncomfortable. When that happened, he and Nessie would join her family, where looking frozen for eternity wasn't an oddity.
When the kids all got tired of playing horsey, Jacob kissed Nessie, ruffled a few heads of hair, and then jogged over to where his father sat in his wheelchair off to the side of the open area they'd been playing in.
They were quiet as they sat watching the group split in three-the boys and a couple of the older girls pulling out a football, and the girls jumping rope, while the youngest were herded off for nap time.
"Do you ever wonder?" his father's voice asked from beside him.
Jacob looked up, surprised. "Wonder what?"
Billy looked back at the kids playing in the small field. "What your future might have held had you not been at Isabella's side when she had Renesmee. If you might've had your own children, been able to grow old, like your friends."
Jacob knew his father was only asking an innocent question. He hadn't meant anything by it. His father truly loved Nessie as if she were his own-half-vampire or not. He wasn't completely comfortable with Jacob hanging around with the Cullens, but Jacob knew that wasn't something his father would ever be okay with. It was too ingrained in him, no matter how often the Cullens proved to be different.
Looking around at all the children-their squealing laughter, cheerful energy, and utter innocence-Jacob took less than a moment to know the answer to his father's question. His eyes fell on Nessie, who was sitting with Claire and Meghan, showing some of the smaller girls how to make bracelets out of the long blades of grass from the field, and smiled.
"Never," he answered honestly.
There'd been a time before he'd imprinted on Nessie that he was sure he wouldn't imprint on anyone, that his one chance at happiness had been destroyed when Bella married Edward. But he knew now that his life-his entire reason for breathing-was sitting out there amongst the children of the reservation. All the heartache he'd been through before and the knowledge that his friends and family would grow old and die without him...none of that mattered when he looked at her. As Edward had said not long after they met-a story Jacob and Nessie had heard many times-she was his life now.
He wouldn't have it any other way.
