Falling for Autumn | Jacob Black

Chapter 24 [edited]

"Autumn... wake up, sleeping beauty."

I let out a grumble as my body pulled me out of slumber, causing the voice to chuckle lowly. Blinking, I had no idea where I was until my brain registered I was in the Cullens' living room. Jacob was kneeling on the floor beside me, a smile spreading as I reached out to touch his face.

"Hello beautiful." He kissed the palm of my hand before pressing his cheek against my skin.

"Hi." I said shyly. "I fell asleep, didn't I?"

"You and Chloe, both." He nodded to the other end of the couch. Chloe was curled up into a ball, a fuzzy pink blanket covering her body. "Esme brought the blankets, to make sure you were warm."

"That was sweet of her." I yawned, stretching. "What time is it?"

"A little before midnight. I already called your mom to let her know you two were crashing here for the night, and I'll make sure to bring you home in the morning."

"Thank you. Hey," I looked down at his clothes, "you're still dressed up."

"So are you." Jacob chuckled, eyeing my dress. I caught his gaze lingering where the top had been tugged down slightly in my sleep and a warm shiver washed over my skin.

"Where is everybody?" I changed the subject as I glanced around the living room.

"Edward and Bella are still out. Esme is in the kitchen, Carlisle had to go to the hospital. Rosalie and Emmett went hunting, and Alice and Jasper are... somewhere." Jacob chuckled under his breath. "I don't know what they're doing."

"You said Esme's in the kitchen?" I asked curiously, my eyes darting toward the doorway.

"Let's go get some food." Jacob helped me off the couch and led me to the kitchen where Esme was rummaging through old cookbooks.

"Are you kids hungry?" Esme asked with a smile as she noticed us walk in. "I can whip you up something if you want."

"Yes, please." I sat at the counter, returning her smile. "I'm a little hungry."

"Chicken salad sandwich okay?"

"That sounds amazing, to be honest. Thanks, Esme."

"You're welcome, Autumn. Jacob, do you want anything?"

"No, ma'am. I'm fine, but thank you."

Esme smiled at him before making herself busy with the chicken salad. I picked up one of the cookbooks and began flipping through the pages, pointing out the ones that caught my eye to Esme. Every recipe I found with her handwriting and asked about, Esme offered her own advice for making the dish.

"You can borrow these cookbooks any time you want," Esme told me as she stirred the chicken salad. "Or you can even make them here. Our kitchen is always open for you to use."

"Thank you. That's very kind of you."

"Autumn, why don't you go see if Chloe is awake yet?" Jacob asked, glancing at Esme.

"Um, sure." Raising an eyebrow, I headed back to the living room.

Chloe was still asleep on the couch, her body stretched out under the blanket. Her face had relaxed peacefully compared to how tense she looked sitting in my kitchen earlier. As I stood at the end of the couch taking in the sight of my old friend, a twinge of guilt and sadness rippled through my chest. It's my fault she's in this mess, I should've listened...

Shaking my head, I turned around and walked back into the kitchen. Esme and Jacob both turned toward me as I sat back down at the counter.

"She's still asleep." I told them, resting my head on my folded arms.