The beach stretched out before them, gray skies reflecting on the damp sand. The steady crash of the waves and the cries of distant gulls filled the air as Jacob walked alongside Bella’s sibling, keeping a casual but watchful eye on them as they darted from one rock or tide pool to the next.

As they walked further down the beach, gathering small treasures—brightly colored stones, pieces of sea glass, and smooth shells—Jacob felt the tight knot in his chest start to loosen. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed moments like this until now.

The last few months had been rough, and Jacob knew he wasn’t the only one feeling it. His transformation had turned his life upside down, straining every relationship he cared about. Things between him and Bella were tense, more complicated than they’d ever been. Their arguments—over her choices, her involvement with the Cullens, his refusal to explain himself at first—had grown sharper, and he could tell it had started to wear on her younger sibling.

They’d been caught in the crossfire of it all, left wondering why Jacob, the “cool uncle” who used to show up for movie nights and bring over Billy’s famous chili, had suddenly disappeared without a word.

Billy had given him a hard time about it more than once. “That kid looks up to you, Jake. You can’t just disappear on them. They don’t need to know everything, but they need to know you’re still here.”

So when Bella asked him to spend the day with them, Jacob had hesitated at first, guilt and nerves twisting in his gut. But one look at their eager face when Bella dropped them off, and he knew there was no way he could say no.

Now, as they crouched by a tide pool, Jacob pointed out the tiny crabs scuttling beneath the surface.

“Come check this out,” he said, gesturing them over. “If you’re patient, you can see them moving around.”