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.He stood and walked right up to me, waving Leah and Seth off when theystarted to follow.Renesmee reached out to him, but I hugged her more tightly to me.“I toldhim, ‘Trust me,you don’t want to know about this.But if you can ignore all the strangeparts, you’re going tobe amazed.She’s the most wonderful person in the whole world.’ And thenI told him that ifhe could deal with that, you all would stick around for a while and hewould have a chance toget to know her.But that if it was too much for him, you would leave.Hesaid as long as noone forced too much information on him, he’d deal.”Jacob stared at me with half a smile, waiting.“I’m not going to say thank you,” I told him.“You’re still putting Charlie ata huge risk.”“I am sorry about it hurting you.I didn’t know it was like that.Bella, thingsare different withus now, but you’ll always be my best friend, and I’ll always love you.ButI’ll love you theright way now.There’s finally a balance.We both have people we can’tlive without.”He smiled his very most Jacob-y smile.“Still friends?”Try as hard as I could to resist, I had to smile back.Just a tiny smile.He held out his hand: an offer.I took a deep breath and shifted Renesmee’s weight to one arm.I put myleft hand in his—hedidn’t even flinch at the feel of my cool skin.“If I don’t kill Charlie tonight,I’ll considerforgiving you for this.”“When you don’t kill Charlie tonight, you’ll owe me huge.”I rolled my eyes.He held out his other hand toward Renesmee, a request this time.“Can I?”“I’m actually holding her so that my hands aren’t free to kill you, Jacob.Maybe later.”He sighed but didn’t push me on it.Wise of him.Alice raced back through the door then, her hands full and her expressionpromising violence.“You, you, and you,” she snapped, glaring at timဆthe werewolves.“Ifyou must stay, getover in the corner and commit to being there for a while.I need to see.Bella, you’d bettergive him the baby, too.You’ll need your arms free, anyway.”Jacob grinned in triumph.Undiluted fear ripped through my stomach as the enormity of what I wasabout to do hit me.Iwas going to gamble on my iffy self-control with my pure human father asthe guinea pig.Edward’s earlier words crashed in my ears again.Did you consider the physical pain you’re putting Bella through, even ifshe can resist? Orthe emotional pain if she doesn’t?I couldn’t imagine the pain of failure.My breathing turned to gasps.“Take her,” I whispered, sliding Renesmee into Jacob’s arms.He nodded, concern wrinkling his forehead.He gestured to the others, andthey all went to thefar corner of the room.Seth and Jake slouched on the floor at once, butLeah shook her headand pursed her lips.“Am I allowed to leave?” she griped.She looked uncomfortable in herhuman body, wearingthe same dirty t-shirt and cotton shorts she’d worn to shriek at me theother day, her short hairsticking up in irregular tufts.Her hands were still shaking.“Of course,” Jake said.“Stay east so you don’t cross Charlie’s path,” Alice added.Leah didn’t look at Alice; she ducked out the back door and stomped intothe bushes to phase.Edward was back at my side, stroking my face.“You can do this.I knowyou can.I’ll helpyou; we all will.”I met Edward’s eyes with panic screaming from my face.Was he strongenough to stop me if Imade a wrong move?“If I didn’t believe you could handle it, we’d disappear today.This veryminute.But you can.And you’ll be happier if you can have Charlie in your life.”I tried to slow my breathing.Alice held out her hand.There was a small white box on her palm.“Thesewill irritate youreyes—they won’t hurt, but they’ll cloud your vision.It’s annoying.Theyalso won’t matchyour old color, but it’s still better than bright red, right?”She flipped the contact box into the air and I caught it.“When did you—”“Before you left on the honeymoon.I was prepared for several possiblefutures.”I nodded and opened the container.I’d never worn contacts before, but itcouldn’t be thathard.I took the little brown quarter-sphere and pressed it, concave side in,to my eye.I blinked, and a film interrupted my sight.I could see through it, of course,but I could alsosee the texture of the thin screen.My eye kept focusing on themicroscopic scratches andwarped sections.“I see what you mean,” I murmured as I stuck the other one in.I tried tonot blink this time.My eye automatically wanted to dislodge the obstruction.“How do I look?”Edward smiled.“Gorgeous.Of course—”“Yes, yes, she always looks gorgeous,” Alice finished his thoughtimpatiently.“It’s better thanred, but that’s the highest commendation I can give.Muddy brown.Yourbrown was muchprettier.Keep in mind that those won’t last forever—the venom in youreyes will dissolvethem in a few hours.So if Charlie stays longer than that, you’ll have toexcuse yourself toreplace them.Which is a good idea anyway, because humans needbathroom breaks.” Sheshook her head.“Esme, give her a few pointers on acting human while Istock the powderroom with contacts.”“How long do I have?”“Charlie will be here in five minutes.Keep it simple.”Esme nodded once and came to take my hand.“The main thing is not tosit too still or movetoo fast,” she told me.“Sit down if he does,” Emmett interjected.“Humans don’t like to just standthere.”“Let your eyes wander every thirty seconds or so,” Jasper added.“Humansdon’t stare at onething for too long.”“Cross your legs for about five minutes, then switch to crossing yourankles for the next five,”Rosalie said.I nodded once at each suggestion.I’d noticed them doing some of thesethings yesterday.Ithought I could mimic their actions.“And blink at least three times a minute,” Emmett said.He frowned, thendarted to where thetelevision remote sat on the end table
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