“Scooch over.” Jake practically picked her up then set her down on his lap so Alice and Jasper could squeeze onto the other couch.

So, she had moved on. Knowing it was what was best for her didn’t make it any easier to watch.

“Best for her?”

“Get out of my head,” I groaned full appreciating how irksome my gift must have been for my vampire family.

 “Don’t change the subject. I’m still trying figure out your logic.”

I threw up my hands. Talking to her was like dealing with an ape. “Don’t bother. Its not like it’s any of your concern, is it?”

“My, you are thick.” She slapped me upside my head leaving ham glaze in it.

“Have you no manners?” I snapped.

“Have you no brains?” she retorted. She poked me in the chest. “I have a job to do and I’m bloody well going to do it, so if I say that understanding your absurd thought process is important, then it is.!”

 She smoothed down her dress and cleared her throat. “Now, you left to keep her safe. So she wouldn’t become a monster, yes? Yet there she stands as dead as you are. The only difference  is that she’s with a werewolf instead of a vampire.”

I frowned at her. “Jake’s a werewolf?” When the hell had that happened? Leave it to Bella to find a replacement monster to run with. But did she have to choose a disgusting dog?

Esme handed Jacob a mug of dark beer and offered him an array of food.

“You better eat up. Esme’s made enough to feed a small army,” Carlisle commented softly, but it was enough to distract the two of us from our quarrel. Something in his eyes betrayed his emotions. He smiled like he should, but he was clearly bothered by something. Unfortunately, my powers were useless in this spirit world.

A pile of presents landed on Bella’s lap as Alice’s musical laughter filled the room. “Open mine first.”

“Which one’s yours?”

Alice scoffed. “All of those are from me, silly.”

She looked like she might argue for a second, then her face smoothed out and a lazy smile brightened her face. “Jasper,” she rebuked. “That’s just not fair.” But under his influence she didn’t really care. She opened one after another doing the proper amount of oohing and ahhing over each unnecessary trinket.