The Pack was still reeling from Bella's revelation. They kept staring at the petite woman as if she'd vanish into thin air. Knowing how broken she had been, they felt like they'd have to treat her like spun glass, or she'd break completely.

Bella was still in the same spot; sitting under the tree. After a few more minutes of talking, Angela had to excuse herself so she could go find the bathroom. Most likely to go and find a place to process everything she heard. A ringing could be heard coming from Bella's bag. She leaned over and retrieved her cell phone. She smiled when she saw the name of whoever was calling her. That made Jacob and Paul twitch. They wanted to know who the fuck was making Bella Swan smile like that. They were relieved when they hear the sound of a woman's voice.

"Little Bell!"

"Pepper Potts!" Bella mimicked. She was chuckling at the nickname.

"Hey Little Bell, I just wanted to check in. I had to make sure our favorite girl made it in safely. How's everything so far?"

"I'm good Pep. The flight was fine. I gotta thank Tony for upgrading my ticket. Flying first class was unexpected, but nice. The car was nice too. I was a bit shocked when they rolled out an Escalade when I reserved a Corolla, but whatever. At least now I can easily shuck around the Webber family. I have plans to go see Angela's parents and her brothers."

"That's so nice. It's good to hear that Tony is taking care of you. I wish it wasn't so hard to spoil you, ya know. If you'd just accept our gifts we wouldn't have to resort to sneaking behind your back to make all these upgrades. So, tell me, have you had the chance to meet up with any of your friends?"

"Gah, If I let Tony spoil me, he'd build me a solid gold statue of myself to have for my bedroom. He's insane Pep. Absolutely insane!" Bella said while laughing.

She continued, "I'm at my Dad's engagement party. I've already seen a few familiar faces. I've only had the chance to talk to a handful of people though. I said hi to Dad and met Sue in person, finally. Sue introduced me to her kids. Seth, her son, is a fan of Tony. Wants an autograph. He's cool. I like him. Leah, though, hates me, but oh well. I'm trying not to dwell on it. Angela and Ben are here. I've been talking to Angela mostly. I'll catch up with Ben soon."

"That's good. I'm happy you had a chance to see your dad and Angela. And don't let that Leah girl get to you. You won't even have to see her much after your 3 months are up. It'll be best if you just ignore her." Pepper paused before continuing, "So, Bella, tell me, how are you really? And don't try to lie to me. You're a horrible liar."

"Ahhhh Pep. You know I hate when you pry. I can never say no to you. And you're right. I am a shit liar." Bella huffed and then continued, "They're here. At the party. I knew they would be, but it was harder than I thought to see them. I didn't remember them being so big. I didn't remember there being so many of them! Seth and Leah are a part of their little gang so it makes it even worse. Seeing Jacob really sucks Pep. I'd rather take a punch in the face from Natasha any day. Paul still scares me. I know he wouldn't try to physically hurt me or anything, but he's just so good at being an asshole."

"Are they being mean to you?! Are they—"

The sound of shuffling and mumbling could be heard through the phone. Suddenly, another voice cut in.

"Little Bell! Are those mean boys harassing you? Do you need Uncle Tony to come down and kick their butts, hmmm? You know I'd do it. Just say the word and I'll build a teleportation machine to hop over there in an instant."

"Tones, no. They're fine. It's me who's freaking out. Do not and I repeat DO NOT come over here. I don't need your brand of chaos right now."

"Little Bell, haven't you learned by now? My chaos will always be exactly what you need. Look, if those boys give you any trouble, just say the word and I'll airdrop Banner to you. I'll shove him in a jet and then push him out the door myself. His landing will be a little rough, but the big guy would love the exercise. You know he loves meeting new people and he loves his Little Bell."

Bella groaned, "Oh god. Please don't. Leave Dr. Banner alone. He's such a nice guy. I don't know why you pick on him so much.

"You're only saying he's nice because you have a crush on him," Tony said in a mocking voice.

Bella spluttered. Her voice went a bit shrill when she replied, "I do not have a crush on Bruce!." Bella did indeed have a teeny tiny crush on the older scientist.

"Oh, it's Bruce now huh? Not Dr. Banner? I'll have to ask him when you guys got so familiar with each other. I always thought you two only had a professional relationship."

Bella's cheeks were flaming. "We do not have a relationship! He's a brilliant man and I respect his work effort. I'm a scientist and he's a scientist. We work on science together! That's all!" Bell huffed.

"Oh, Little Bell, I'm just poking fun at you. I won't let good ol Brucey find out about your little crush. After all, I can't have my employees overheating from all the blushing going on in my Lab." Tony said through his laughter.

"Argh, Tony. You better watch yourself, mister. If you keep messing with me, I'll swap all your whiskey for diet soda."

"You, you, WITCH! You stay away from my whiskey." Tony spluttered.

"Ah ah ah, Tony, quid pro qo. You leave me alone and I'll leave your whiskey alone." Bella chuckled.

"I was only trying to be a good Uncle. I never knew my niece was such a menace." Tony said in a mockingly stern voice.

"That sounds like a you problem Uncle Tony." Bella teased.

There was more shuffling and murmuring that could be heard. Pepper had clearly snatched the phone back.

"I'll keep him in line, Little Bell. You enjoy your time with your Dad. If you need anything, and I mean anything, you just let us know and we'll handle it. Love you, Little Bell," said Pepper.

"LOOOOOVE YOU," shouted Tony in the background.

With a soft smile, Bella replied, "Love you guys too. I'll talk to you later."

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Bella was unaware of the lupine eyes and ears facing her way. They were all intently listening to the conversation. Even though Bella's job in Stark Industries was a well-known fact in La Push, it was glaringly obvious how much influence she had when she scolded the legendary Tony Stark. Bella was threatening Iron Man for spirit's sake. Seth thought it was so cool. Jacob was sad that she was so close to someone else other than himself. He felt bad that he practically ripped Billy away from her too. She also lost a godfather in their split and apparently, he's been replaced by Uncle Tony. Paul was fluctuating between annoyed and amused. He was annoyed that Bella had a crush on Bruce fucking Banner. He was also amused at her antics. It was cute to watch her tease Tony Stark. A bit unreal, but cute nonetheless.

Bella had finished her call and began to stow away her phone. Her eyes looked up to scan the party. The Pack was quick to look in any other direction. They didn't want Bella to know that they were fixated on her. Something about her just drew their attention.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Seeing Jacob again was hard. When Bella looked into his eyes, all she could see was the boy who always had a smile for her. Her Jake. She felt the temptation to run up to him and bury herself in his arms. She loved hugging Jacob. His warmth reminded her of the Arizona heat. It would seep into her bones and warm her from the inside out. But that was then and this is now.

Now all Bella felt was the bitter cold of the Pacific North West. He's not the same boy and she's not the same girl.

She knew she had changed over the years but when Bella looked in the mirror, all she saw was the same girl that Edward dumped in the forest. Sure, she's gained some muscle, but it was rather minimal in her opinion. She was grateful that she had become a bit more shapely; not quite the plank she used to be. She still saw the same brown eyes, the same brown hair, the same pale skin, everything was the same to her.

When she looked at Jacob, the Jacob that's there now, everything looked different. He was barely hitting 6 ft when she last saw him. Now, Bella thought he was closer to 7 ft. He's bigger too. Like really big. It's a bit intimidating if she was being honest. He didn't look like a boy anymore. He looked like a man and Bella did not know this man. She found herself longing for the boy with the sunny smile. Now, all she had was a man who looked at her without an ounce of warmth in his cold hard eyes.

Talking to Angela felt like a pressure had been lifted off of her shoulders. It felt good to let someone know the truth or as much of the truth she could give them. Hearing from Pepper and Tony made her feel even better. Tony is such a brilliant man, but it's his sense of humor that makes you love the guy. He always knows exactly what to say to make you laugh and a laugh was exactly what Bella needed.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Charlie and Sue could be heard calling everyone to gather near the back of the house for an announcement. Bella made her way to the front of the crowd. Being in the back would've blocked the couple from her view entirely. She didn't feel like being dwarfed at the moment. Bella's nerves were getting to her. She hoped they wouldn't freak out too bad when they found out about her surprise. If they did, well, too bad. They couldn't reverse it even if they tried.

Charlie was holding Sue by the waist and smiling through his mustache. Of course, he was holding an open can of Vitamin R in the other hand.

"I wanted to quickly say thank you to you all for showing up. It brings me great joy to see all of your smiling faces. I've known most of you for decades now. Gosh, we're old!" Charlie said through a chuckle. The crowd joined him with a chuckle here and there.

"But seriously, thank you for being here, for supporting us. I'm truly an honored man to be able to marry this amazing woman." Charlie and Sue were giving each other a look of pure admiration.

Bella's heart clenched at the way Charlie and Sue were looking at each other. She could admit that she was jealous. Bella pushed the bitter feelings down. Their happiness shouldn't be tainted by her sadness.

Charlie looked back at the crowd and locked eyes with Leah and Seth. "Leah, Seth, you make me a happy man by allowing me into your family. I know I could never replace Harry, but I'll try my best to be half the man he was."

Seth raised his beer and bellowed, "As long as you keep Mom happy, you're more than enough! Welcome to the family, Charlie."

The crowd hooted and hollered.

Charlie then turned and looked at her. "Bells, I love you, baby girl." Bella smiled at the nickname. He was the only one who called her that now.

"Loving Sue, Leah, and Seth will never mean I love you less. My heart just grows bigger. I know we had a rocky start, but these last few years have been an absolute blessing. Getting to know the woman that you've grown into has been such a gift. I'm so proud of you, Bells. Thank you for giving me the gift of being your father."

Bella was struggling to hold back tears. She could feel them pooling around her eyes.

She shook her head and chuckled, "Well, talking about gifts, I wanted to give you something. You and Sue. I know it's early, but I feel like you guys might need it to get away from all this wedding planning drama."

"Aw, Bells. You know you didn't have to get us anything. I get you for 3 whole months and that's more than enough."

"Tough cookies, dad. I'm giving this to you. No takesies backsies.100% non-refundable!"

Bella stepped forward, pulled out the folded piece of paper from her right pocket, and slapped it on her dad's hand.

Charlie raised an eyebrow and gave it a suspicious look. He leaned towards Sue and opened the folded picture.

On the folded piece of paper was a picture of a dock filled with boats. At the end of the dock was a large fishing boat. It was significantly bigger than the other boats. Fancier too.

"Bells, why am I looking at a picture of the Marina?" asked Charlie.

"Take a closer look at the last boat. Read the inscription," she instructed. Bella was nervously rocking on her feet. Her heart was pounding.

Charlie gave her another suspicious look and turned back to the picture. Both Charlie and Sue squinted to read the side of the boat.

Bella knew the exact moment, Charlie realized what the gift was.

From the crowd, Billy yelled, "Hurry up! I'm not getting any younger. What did she get you?!"

Charlie spat out his drink in disbelief. She was kinda scared he was going to choke on his beer.

"S. S. Clearwater Swans," said Sue incredulously. "You got us a boat!?"

She just smirked and flashed the keys that she had snatched from her left pocket. Bella quickly threw it to him and he instinctively caught them. She knew her dad would know exactly what boat he had gotten them.

With the keys in hand, Charlie whipped his head to his wife and exclaimed, "Honey, that's not a boat. That's a Bertram 61 convertible. This baby is the top of the light sport-fishing yacht! It's 188 square feet of pure luxurious muscle! It has everything a fisherman could ever need. It even has a queen-sized bedroom and a bathroom!"

Charlie turned his head back towards her, "Bella, what the hell! This boat is insane! How the hell can you afford this!? Bells, this is just too much."

Bella laughed. Charlie always turned into a tomato when he got flustered. "I told you, no takesies backsies! I already got everything set up too. I gave my account information to the marina and the local repair shop, so you'll never have to worry about parking, gas, repairs, or maintenance. I love you, Daddy. You both deserve this."

Charlie surprised her by running over and pulling her up into a big bear hug! It felt so nice to be held in his arms. He smelled like home.

He put her down, looked into her eyes, and said "Baby girl, we can't take this. I know how much these run baby girl so don't try to lie to me."

The look in his eyes made Bella's heart feel all warm and fuzzy. She knew the crowd had their eyes on them, but she didn't care. All she saw was her dad's smiling face.

"Daddy, I can afford this. You know me. I'm a workaholic. Everything I need is provided by Stark Industries. I barely ever pay for food since I usually have dinner with the team. Other than the occasional meal out, I really don't spend anything."

Bella leaned her head on Charlie's chest. Closing her eyes, Bella said, "what's the point of making all this money if I can't spend it making myself happy? Giving you this makes me happy, Dad. Please, just take it. It's already paid for." Poking him in the chest, "Not like I can return it."

Dad ran his hand through my hair. She could feel the rumble in his chest as he laughed. "Alright Bells, I won't fight you. But no more expensive gifts! Like ever!"

Bella pulled away to look at him. She gave him a mischievous smile before she bolted for Angela. Bella found her in the front of the crowd near Sue. She ducked behind her. Angela would be her shield.

Bella's tiny body was protected by Angela's back so she peeked through the side of Angela's arm and sang, "I may or may not have gotten Tony to pull some strings so I could pay for your honeymoon. If you get a refund in the next few days, don't freak out!"

"BELLA!" Charlie bellowed in a mix between happiness, anger, and disbelief. Sue's eyes were bulging out.

Bella held onto Angela for dear life. "You can't hurt me! Angela will protect me! You don't want to attack the Pastor's daughter, do you!? That's like a one-way ticket to eternal damnation" she said jokingly. Bella knew he'd never hurt her, but it was still safer behind Angela.

Charlie stopped just in front of Angela. Angela was trying her best not to burst into laughter. The Swans were just too crazy! She stood on her tiptoes to peek at him from over Angela's shoulder. Charlie was giving her an exasperated look. He pinched the bridge of his nose and huffed.

"What am I going to do with you, Bells?"

"Love me and forgive me for my sins."

Sue finally shook herself from her stupor and said, "You paid for our honeymoon!? Bella, you're barely 23. How in Taha Aki, can you afford all of this."

Since Sue was talking to Bella, she assumed it was safe enough to stop hiding behind Angela.

"Working with Tony has its perks. The project I'm working on now pays a lump sum up first. Plus, Tony meddled with some things and I now have another source of passive income. I'll be set for life even if I quit today."

Sue just stared at Bella with her jaw dropped.

"Bells, we're gonna talk about whatever Mr. Stark did to set you up for life. I don't know if I like the sound of that," said Charlie.

"It's not anything bad, I swear! It has to do with music, actually."

Billy decided to make his presence known by rolling over and patting Bella's hand. She looked down at him and smiled. He was smiling at her too. His betrayal still hurt, but she didn't want to make a scene so she let it go.

"That's a nice thing you did, Bella. I'm proud of you, girly," said Bily.

"Thanks, Billy."

She didn't say more. Bella didn't feel comfortable acting like nothing ever happened. Luckily, he dropped her hand to address Charlie.

"Well, Charlie. Let me see the damn, thing."

With that, the crowd dispersed. Some of them going to the couple to talk to Charlie about the boat. Others went to the food tables. Bella grabbed Angela's and Ben's hands and dragged them over to the food table. Unfortunately, it was near Jacob and his friends, but she knew she couldn't avoid him forever so she sucked it up.

Angela looked down at Bella and gave her the look. That look was dangerous. It made Bella want to spill all her secrets.

"Soooooo." Angela began.

"So" Bella replied.

"Oh don't play coy, Bella. It was never your look. You know what I want to know. How much did that thing cost? It looks like any other fancy schmancy boat to me."

"3.5million" she said in a whispered rush. She turned away hoping Angela wouldn't hear her.

"What did you say?"

"Uhhhhhh."

"Bella! How much did it cost!?" Angela wasn't yelling, but Bella was worried about drawing attention.

Bella pulled Ben and Angela closer. She spoke a little louder this time, just so they could hear.

"3.5 million"

"DUUUUUUUDE," Ben exclaimed. Angela was just staring at her with her jaw dropped.

Ben continued, "Are you a millionaire, B?"

She hated admitting that she had money. Bella didn't like it when people looked at her differently because of it but this was Angela and Ben. So she replied, "Uhhh, maybe?"

"Maybe?!"

"Kinda?"

"Kinda!?"

"Are you just going to repeat everything I say?" she huffed.

"Are you going to give me a straight answer?" he retorted.

Damn, he was right. "Okay! Okay. Yes, I am a millionaire. There's a lot more to my job than you think. It's not easy to work for Tony. He's not freaking Iron Man for nothing."

"Holy shit, B. You're totally taking us out for a steak dinner. I want filet mignon and a ribeye!" Ben demanded.

"Of course you dork! You know I always love wining and dining my favorite couple. Tony said I had to start spending my money or else he'd start banning me from the tower." Bella said. God, I love these two. I don't know where I'd be without them.

They all looked at each other and then burst out laughing.