Edward Cullen may have “the skin of a killer, (Bella,)” but he is by far the only choice for Bella Swan in the Twilight series. In comparison to his rival, Jacob Black, there are countless reasons why he is better for Bella— but one that sets him above Jacob inarguably— he really, truly loves Bella.

Jacob’s first flaw in loving Bella is his inability to change for her sake. Nothing he does to change himself for the better is done with her safety in mind, but rather, just to get him closer to dating her— and that’s only when he does make an effort to change. The rest of the time, he is entirely unwilling to admit to his flaws, and endangers Bella by continuing to pursue her. Not only does he put her in an uncomfortable position, (despite how great it sounds to have supernatural hotties fighting over you, Bella begs Jacob “please don’t make me choose,”) but he also chooses to disregard the fact that dating a werewolf is incredibly dangerous— Sam’s wife Emily is barely-living proof of their inability to control their tempers. Edward, on the contrary, is willing to admit to his flaws. From the start, he tells Bella that it is dangerous for a human and a vampire to end up together, and throughout the story, tries to find ways to work around this. He advocates against things like her turning into a vampire and the two of them having a child despite how much he wants them because he knows that it endangers her, and unlike Jacob, he cares about that.

Edward also values consent much more than Jacob does. Even after Bella chooses Edward and rejects Jacob for good, he is relentless, sometimes going as far as to threaten to end his life over the idea of not being with Bella. If Bella were to break things off with Edward, he would respect her choice and leave her be, and he makes that clear to her. He lets her make decisions for herself and tells her again and again how important it is that she consents to their relationship. Jacob, on the other hand (? paw?) forces himself upon Bella, both emotionally and physically, pursuing her endlessly and kissing her without consent. This further proves that Edward cares more about Bella than Jacob, who is selfish and immature when it comes to their relationship, often placing his desires before her needs.

Jacob’s love for Bella is superficial, and it takes him only seconds to imprint on her infant daughter (???!!) and move on from Bella. Edward’s love for Bella is much truer. Edward promises to love Bella for the rest of their eternity together and means it— he has no desire to “live” if it is without Bella. He proves his love to her time and time again, and although Alice Cullen sees the future, she and Edward alike cannot picture a future for him without Bella.

Jacob Black does not love Bella Swan; he loves the idea of her. Edward Cullen worships the ground she walks on, treats her better, and is the only reasonable choice for Bella. (Also, he’s totally hotter.)