I think that the point Steph is showing us is that the people you love can be such polar opposites. As in, you can't help who you love. (sidenote- thankgoodness edward realized that) You really can't. I mean, we all know Bella is attracted to Edward because he is hot and he cares for her. He is also her first real boyfriend, her first real anything stable in her life. That is probably why she clings to him constantly throughout the books. In her past (Bella has stated) she did not have much stability; she was thrown between parents and never had the time or opporunity to open up to kids her age. And then she meets Edward... BUT THEN, she meets (or rather, needs) Jacob. She's known him for practically her whole life but never really given him a second choice. Until* she REALLY needs him! Then he is her personal sun, her friend, basically an imprint without actually happeing. He is there for her when she needs him the most.