AN: ok my dear readers, here we are… at the end of the road. I must admit that when I started I would have never imagined that so many people would love this story. It took me a long time to finish it, but I loved every single line of it. So here I am wanting to thank all of you that read, reviewed, added to favorites and alert… thanks so much for all your support and for not giving up when I bumped into a rough patch and didn't update for a while. I want to give a special huge thanks to my beta and co-author Georgia Dawgette that made the story so much better, so much readable and so much deeper than I alone could ever make. Another thanks goes to astridt244 for writing the most difficult scene in the story (at least for me), she's a great author and a great newly acquired friend. We're actually writing together under the name ast-lucy. A kiss to Mr. Cutie (…asty don't laugh…) and a hug to you all.

Epilogue

It has been a year since Bella has seen Jacob, the day after she had made love to Jared she had gone alone to say goodbye and it had been hard for both. Jacob had hugged her, and then he had taken a few steps back looking at her in shock. It was evident that she now smelled like Jared, his claiming had the desired effect to tell the world whom she belonged to.

Bella had tried her best to reassure Jacob that she was happy and that they would get through this rough patch in their friendship, but they both knew there was no turning back for either of them. After six months at the Makah res he had called her and told her that he had imprinted.

She didn't know if he was happy or not, but he had decided to stay there until his father passed the title of Chief onto him. Bella knew that the girl's name was Kaila and that she was one year younger than him, her personality was sunny and she was a carefree girl. Jacob had told her that he was happy that his imprint hadn't gone through anything traumatic like them, but at the same time he was a bit saddened that she couldn't really understand how damaged he had come out of the newborn battle.

Jared had been happy to learn that Jacob had imprinted, but Bella knew that deep down he still felt some guilt for imprinting on Jacob's first love. Bella was still focusing her time on showing him how much she cared and how happy she was to be with him.

A lot of things had changed in that year; right now she was getting ready to go to Leah and Alex's wedding. It had come as a surprise to everyone when Leah had gotten pregnant, something thought impossible, and Alex had been elated at the news. He had proposed and convinced her to marry him within a month. The wedding was going to be on the beach, and Bella was the maid of honor. She had just finished getting dressed when the phone rang.

"Hello, Bella's speaking." She said softly.

"Bella, finally I found you home!" The voice of her mother was unmistakable. Bella felt uncomfortable talking with her, but she shrugged her shoulders and tried her best.

"What's up mom?" She asked, not knowing why she was calling.

"Are you still with that boy? When are you going to get married?" Her mother asked, and she sighed. Renee had been a pain since she announced that she was moving in and getting married to Jared.

"Mom, his name is Jared. And we'll be getting married next month. I obviously can't force you to come or to accept my fiancée, but I would love for you to be here and share my joy." She whispered, tired of trying to convince her mother that she was sure about her relationship.

"Bella, I love you and you're my daughter, but I just can't approve of this wedding. You're too young and you'll end up like me, you'll leave him eventually. I want to help you make the best choice for you." Her mother answered.

Bella felt tears in her eyes. "Mom I'll never be like you, I'm like dad and you haven't even met Jared yet. He's amazing and he's who I want. Please mom, be happy for me…"

"I'm sorry Bella." Her mother said, and then the line went dead.

Warm arms embraced her, and she let her Jared console her.

"She'll come around eventually. Do you want to postpone the wedding?" Jared asked.

"No, I won't play her game anymore. We already postponed it twice. This is it, if she comes then okay otherwise we'll celebrate with people that love us and are happy we're together. I love you Jared, and I'm done waiting. Besides your mother has been planning the wedding with me and she would have my head if I postpone it again." She said, and smiled at him.

Surprisingly, Mary had come around, and after a weird beginning she and Bella had bonded. Now, Mary was like the mother she never had, attentive to her and with her best interest at heart. Renee had been young when she had Bella and she had never really grown up, Bella was different and she knew that her life with Jared was the best life she could wish for herself.

"As you wish my Isabella. Let's get going before Leah hunts you down and shreds you to pieces because you're late." Jared said still holding her close.

Bella shook her head trying to clear it, this wasn't the time to be sad. She put on the biggest smile she could, and walked with Jared to Leah's house.

Today she would see her best girlfriend getting married, and then she and Jared would be next. Jacob was thinking about proposing, but was still hesitating feeling a little too young to settle. Sam and Emily weren't yet thinking about getting married, after all they were already living together.

Bella sometimes thought that Leah's pregnancy had hit Sam harder than anyone else; imprinting was still a mystery for everyone involved.

Bella wasn't sure that it was right to be forced to love someone, but honestly Jared had been the best thing that has ever happened to her. Fate had given her a chance at a different life, and she had grabbed it; right now she was where she wanted to be and at her side there was a man who knew her and loved her, flaws included.

"I love you grumpy." She said smiling.

"I love you too Isabella." He growled and stole a kiss.

Life wasn't perfect, but perfection didn't really exist. Bella's life was full of warmth, love, laughter and if sometimes some tears fell she knew there was someone right next to her ready to hug and make her happy again.

THE END.