Yes, I know you want to strangle me. No, I am not dead. I have been struggling so hard with this story. However, recently I received two horrible "reviews" from the same person on PIP that just put me down so hard. They were rude and nasty with no shame. There is a huge difference between constructive criticism and being rude, nasty. This person crossed the line into rude and really hurt me, made me not want to write anymore because I felt myself worthless. But then I thought about all the people that have stuck with me through ALL of these stories. I used the hurt to realize that yes, I can do better for my actual fans. I'm using it to fuel my passion, to be a better writer. That's what this site is for: to help build yourself. Don't worry, I sent this person a PM (with no response back) stating my feelings. This person, in their reviews, said the story was "boring and sucked a**" and that "all the chapters sounded the same". Well, I can tell you that the next pregnancy story will be different. And that the kids' stories will have a new atmosphere. And I am hoping that I will be back with regular updates. I just want to say THANK YOU to all those people who have reviewed with proper constructive criticism and helped me to progress, even if it is infinitesimal. You guys are why I write, why I strive to be better!
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Early June
RPOV
Another contraction tightened along my back and around to my abdomen. This labor wasn't near as fast as my first time with Will. Jules was just messing with me. I'd been having these since early this morning. Jacob was back to "paid vacation" after Frank had called. Jacob had told him that he could still come in even though I was in the early stages of labor. Frank wouldn't hear of it and had threatened Jacob. That man's generosity seemed to be never ending.
"Ness?"
"I'm good," I gritted out.
Jacob was washing the dishes while I folded clothes and I saw him check his watch. The contractions were still a couple hours apart. We were getting closer, but not as fast as with Will. Speaking of, Will was walking around in the round walker someone had bought for him with the rattles all over it. I was thankful for it on most days, but today my son kept wanting to run those wheels over my toes while he tried to reach out and grip my flow-y, floor length skirt. For some reason, he'd been clingy to me lately and constantly wanted me to pick him up.
Now, he started getting fussy when I didn't pay attention to him. Folding the last of Jacob's shirts, I sighed and bent to pick him up. He instantly quieted.
"What is with him?" Jacob asked.
Positioning my son on my hip, I shook my head. "I think he knows his baby sister is on her way."
He dried his hands on a towel and leaned against the counter. "Speaking of which, do we have the bag ready? I didn't oversee that this time."
I nodded my head toward the hall closet. "It's in there. I've had it packed since she started growing fast, just in case."
He nodded. "Good idea." And then he came to me, pressing a kiss to my forehead. "We'll leave Will down with Shelby and Seth. No doubt they'll be there the moment we tell them we went into labor."
"What is this 'we' you keep speaking of?" I asked playfully. "I am going to be going into labor. Already started." Pulling out a chair, I sat down with Will in my lap. "So how is Seth doing with Mara?"
"Really well according to Shelby and Carlisle. And Shelby is indeed pregnant. Carlisle suspects that she was barely at a week when Mara said something. He couldn't do any tests until now. Of course, they won't know if it really is a girl for another couple months. But Seth is back to his bouncy self. He and Brayden are always together now. I didn't realize how little time they spent together until I started seeing them everywhere."
We grinned at each other.
"That's really great to hear. I love that family so much. And I was so worried for Seth."
Sitting down across from me, he took my hand and played his thumb over my wedding band. "We all were. If not for what you did, he'd still be hurting." When he saw my surprised expression, he went on. "I'm not saying I take back what I said to you, but this time, you made the right decision. So thank you. For taking care of my brother."
I squeezed his fingers. "He's my brother, too, you know." He smiled at me. "So what's happening with Mara?"
He took in a deep breath and let it out heavily. "Cricket says that she might ask to stay with the pack. If not with us, then with Walker. She's more accustomed to the Children so that would be the best bet. From what I hear, Carlisle asked Caden if he'd like to talk to her. It's been a work in progress type of deal. He's not very fond of the witch community apparently. She's met with him a couple times."
Will played with the low neckline of my shirt, digging his hands down into my bra. Gripping his chubby wrists, I pulled them out while Jacob tried to hide a grin. Jerk.
"So Carlisle thinks that whatever is up with Caden could be more than just psychological?"
Jacob shrugged. "Maybe. Or it could be so psychological that it will take other means to break through it." Reaching out, he cupped my face. "If I lost you-," he had to clear his throat. "If I lost you or Will or Jules, I…I'd bury the feelings, bury the pain as deep as I could. Just thinking about living without you and the babies is excruciating. How he managed to do it, I have no idea."
I leaned into his touch, gripping our son in my lap. "Oh, Jacob. I feel the same way. Living without you, raising our children with them looking so much like you, would destroy me. But I would do it because I'm their mother and you would want me to. I'd never love again, that's for sure. And if I lost you and the children…I just don't know." My chest tightened painfully at the thought of coming home with my family slaughtered, their blood painting the walls.
Jacob, of course, could sense this. He scooted closer in his chair. "Shhh, it's okay, baby. I won't leave you. But I will protect our babies with my life. You have to know that. Our lives are always going to present new challenges, some life-threatening. That's part of being what we are. We can't escape that. I wish we could just leave and hide. I want that, more than anything. To raise our children outside of all this shit, but how would we explain what they are without explaining what all we've been through and our home? Forks will always be home for you, the rez for me. And I can't leave my people."
"I know that," I whispered. "That's why I haven't asked you to. I know that my family would uproot to follow, especially Mom and Dad. But Billy and your sisters are human. We only have a short time with them compared to how long I can live. I couldn't rip you away from them, not now that your family is knitting back together."
His callused thumb caressed my cheekbone. "And I appreciate that, Nessie. Really I do. I'll need you when…later. I won't be strong."
Between us, Will rubbed his hands over my belly and giggled. Teary-eyed, I laughed. "I think he's ready for her to be here."
"I think you're right," he said in a low voice.
My eyes met his. "Jacob, I will always be there for you. I will have strength for you when you lose yours."
"But right now you need me strong for you." He snaked his hand around Will to rest his palm over my stomach next to his son's.
I smiled down at them. "I want you behind me again."
"Of course. You don't even have to ask."
Chuckling, I rubbed my fingers over his wrist. "Hopefully I won't break anything this time."
Flipping over his hand, he gripped mine. "You know I don't care, Ness. It's the least I can do for what you're going to go through. I can handle a couple broken bones."
Before I could say anything else, my back tightened. Another contraction. It took some amount of control not to grip Will too hard. But I did squeeze Jake's hand.
He frowned. "Another one?" He checked his watch. "Ness, it hasn't even been an hour."
I rubbed my swollen belly. "She's coming faster. I can feel her move."
"Do you want to go to Carlisle now or wait a little bit? He said ten minutes is when the labor should really begin. We're at forty-five."
"Let's wait, but text him an update."
"At thirty we'll go down."
"Twenty."
"Ness-"
I gritted my teeth. "Twenty, Jake. I am not hanging out down there while people watch me like a hawk. You're bad enough. I can still clean up a little before we bring our daughter home."
"Rosalie cleaned up last time," he pointed out.
I gave him a dry look.
He held his hands up surrender. "Fine. Twenty. Unless Carlisle says otherwise. Nothing will overrule doctor's orders."
I sighed at the negotiation. "Fine."
While he pulled out his phone, I stood up with Will and went to get him some lunch. He wasn't fussy yet but I could hear his tummy rumble. He'd probably start fussing when it was almost done heating up.
Surprisingly he didn't, but still ate with fervor. His molars were coming in so he could chew more. Since Jules had started growing, so had Will. He'd gotten bigger and heavier over the last month, his face losing that pudginess to stretch out into discernable features. Carlisle had been right. He was trying to keep up with his sister's development. He was also getting more vocal and coordinated.
Jacob sat down at the table. "He said that this was good and he was readying the room. He also agreed with me about the whole thirty minute thing. But he said that though twenty was pushing it, it was acceptable because we're so close to the house. Otherwise, we'd be on our way to the hospital so ha!"
I quirked an eyebrow. "Ha? That's your brilliant comeback?"
"Never said I was consistent," he said, popping a soft carrot into his mouth from Will's plate.
"Clearly," I muttered.
ShelbyPOV
Having Seth back was the best gift anyone had ever given me. We laid in bed, breathing hard. A fine sheen of sweat covered our bodies, pooling between us. I was on top of him, his hands moving languorously over my spine.
"That," he panted under me, "was fantastic. I know it was good before, but now that I'm back, I can actually feel it."
I laughed and his erection twitched inside of me. "That was pretty awesome. Besides, Mara told us to build up the good juju, right? What better way than this? Making love has to be good."
"Amen. I could get used to sessions like that."
I felt his lips on my head as I slid off of him into the crook of his arm. The skin of his shoulder was warm when I pressed my lips to it. Over the past month, I hadn't realized how much weight he'd lost until he started gaining it back, as well as his muscle mass. Now, he was huge after working out with the boys. Reaching over, I gripped his other hand and put it to my still-flat belly. "Another baby, Seth. I can't even believe I'm saying that. I thought for sure that Brayden would be our only."
His fingers played over my lower stomach and lower, just brushing back and forth. "I thought you wanted another?"
"I do. At first, maybe not. But I don't want Brayden to be alone. I'm excited. However, like I told Ness, I have no idea what I'm going to do with a girl."
He squeezed me. "You're going to be great, Shelbs. Seriously."
"It's so weird how we've practically copied Nessie where she copied us the first time."
His chest rumbled with laughter. I closed my eyes, loving the sound of it. "Yeah, it is kind of creepy, but I think maybe that has something to do with you two being so close both emotionally and physically."
"What do you mean?"
His big body shifted under mine almost as if he were uncomfortable. "Well, it's kind of like when two women live in the same house, they tend to synchronize with, um, their monthly time."
Going up on my elbow, I quirked an eyebrow at him. "And where did you learn that?"
That grin was utter perfection in his face. "Living with my Mom and Leah. Especially after my dad died. They just ganged up on me once a month and I kind of figured it out." He shrugged and put his other hand behind his head. "Maybe it's the same thing with you and Ness and your pregnancies. You two are so close. You both have alpha mates and are looked to for guidance from the other females. And you're both strong-willed. I mean, you punched Jacob in the nose once, remember? Not even Morgan would dare to do that. She's all bark when it comes to lecturing him. But you're punch first, yell later. Nessie's the same way in certain situations."
"Hm," I mumbled, laying my head back on his shoulder. "That does make a certain amount of sense." I traced a design of nothing in particular on his chest. Gently, he took my wrist and kissed my palm. "I don't know if I want to tell everybody immediately that we're pregnant."
To my surprise, he nodded. "I agree."
"I just feel so bad for Emily and Sam as well as Leah and Caden. I know your sister really wants a baby."
"They will when they're both ready. Caden needs to learn that he's still worthy of having a family again, of being happy again."
I looked up at him. "Has he talked to you?"
He shook his head. "No. But I know that's how I would feel if I'd gone through what he had. I wouldn't feel like I deserved, like I deserved your trust in me. I wouldn't feel worthy of you. Or any kids."
Frowning, I bit my lip. "But he is worthy. After all he's done to protect us. And he's made Leah so happy."
"I know, baby. They'll work it out. Caden is stubborn but he's got nothing on Leah."
On the bedside table, Seth's phone vibrated. He reached for it and frowned when he read the text.
"What is it?"
"Jake. He says Nessie started have contractions early this morning. They were steady at two hours apart. Now they're at forty-five. He also says that they'll head down to the big house when they hit twenty."
A flood of excitement flushed through me. Another baby for the Blacks. I knew Jake was especially excited to meet his little girl.
"Wow. I can't believe it. It seems like she just got pregnant. We should get up and get ready. Bray is going to wake up from his nap soon and we need to pack for a stay down at the Cullen place. I am not leaving until I hold my niece."
I was just about to fling the sheets off me when a little sniffling cry came through the monitor.
"Speak of the devil," Seth muttered. After he pressed a kiss to my temple, he rolled out of bed and went for the closet. His newly built body made mine flush with lust. Sensing it, he chuckled as he stepped into some sweats. "I'll get him. You hop in the shower."
Swallowing hard, I nodded. He came back over to kiss me deeply, pressing me back into the bed. His hand roamed my body and gently caressed my core, teasing me before he backed off. Leaving me breathing hard on the bed, he raced up the stairs, laughing.
Gritting my teeth, I shook my head and rolled out of bed. I was so going to pay him back for that.
TriciaPOV
I read Jacob's text on Embry's phone twice before I squealed with excitement. He came walking in, rubbing his hair with a towel.
"What is wrong with you?" he asked.
Standing up on the couch, I held the phone out facing him. Once he read it, a big grin stretched his lips. "She's almost here. Man, I can't wait to see those two kids grow up."
"Me either. I'm so happy for them. I wish we could have had a shower for her, but Jules just grew too fast. And they have everything they could possibly need."
He pulled me against his chest and kissed me softly. "After she's born we can go to Port Angeles and find them something. Maybe something for Jake and Ness to enjoy. How does that sound?"
I smoothed my hands over his chest. "Perfect. Are you ready to go?"
He nodded. "I am if you are."
As I went to turn away, he gripped my hands to his chest. I turned back.
"Tricia, I…"
"Yeah?"
His fingers played over my wedding ring. "I want a baby."
"Me, too, angel." Since we'd gotten married, I'd been "devil" and he'd been "angel". An inside thing that only he and I understood.
Frowning, he shook his head. "No, what I mean to say is that I want to start trying. Now. As soon as possible."
It was my turn to frown when I turned all the way back to him. "Embry, I thought we've been trying? What else can we do? As Jake would say, we've been thumping like rabbits. Morning and night."
His arms wound around me, pulling my body against his. "Not every night; not every morning. I don't know. Maybe I could go deeper or something."
Chuckling, I stroked his neck and chest. "Angel, our love-making is perfect. You don't need to change anything. It's just not our time. Maybe I could buy one of those ovulation tests or something. But I assure you that you are perfect." Going up on my toes on the sinking cushion, I kissed his lips. "We'll have a baby. With everyone else getting pregnant and having babies, I understand that you want a family, too. But sometimes, things just take time. Unless you aren't happy with it just being us."
A growl something fierce ripped out of him. His hands gripped me hard, so hard that my eyes unfocused and my breathing became uneven. I was a fiend for his rough handling.
Leaning in to my ear, he growled, "Don't you ever think I'm not happy with you. I fucking adore you and worship the ground you walk on. You are everything to me, Tricia Call." His hands tightened. "Do you understand that?"
I nodded, unable to make my mouth work.
But that wasn't enough for him. He shook me a little, pulling me more against his hard body. "No, you answer me."
It took me a few tries just to be able to swallow and then speak before I said, "I understand," in a strained voice.
Immediately, his hold loosened but he held me when my knees gave out, forcing me to collapse against him. Gently, he stroked my hair and kissed my temple until I calmed down enough to function. Every time he got a little rough with me, I was ready to strip down and let him do whatever he wanted to my body. Some days, he'd go slowly. Other days, "slow" wasn't in his vocabulary.
When I pulled back, he smoothed his hands over my face before kissing me, oh so softly. "I love you, Tricia. I want kids, yes. But if we never have any, I'd survive because I have you. You're my everything."
"I love you, too."
A moment later, the doorbell rang. A few times in quick succession.
Embry and I smiled at each other. "Haleigh," we said together.
He let me sink down onto the couch before going to answer the door.
"Uncle Embry!" she yelled happily.
He grunted, no doubt picking her up. "Hey, chipmunk! You're getting huge! What are they feeding you?"
I could practically hear her face scrunch up when she said, "Vegetables."
"Ewww!" Embry said, indulging her.
"Dude," came the bass tone of Walker's voice, "don't encourage her. She likes her veggies."
"Nuh-uh," Haleigh argued.
Grinning, I managed to get my still-shaking legs underneath me and walk to the foyer. Over Embry's broad shoulder, Haleigh beamed at me. "Aunt Tricia!"
I returned her smile. "Hey, sweetie."
Embry set her on her feet and ran to me, wrapping her arms around my waist, burying her face in my stomach. "Are you going to Grandma and Grandpa's with us?"
"Absolutely. They're going to be so excited to see you."
She beamed at me. "I'm gonna read to Grandma. Daddy says she'll like it."
I shared a grin with Walker. "She will love it."
"Mommy said Aunt Nessie is going to have a baby soon."
"I know; I heard," I said stroking her hair down her back. "Are you excited?"
She nodded vigorously against my stomach. "Uh-huh."
"Well," Walker said, "we should get going. You know how Mom is about setting the table on time."
Embry helped me into my jacket before we followed them out the door. Haleigh pulled me and Embry out to the truck with her hands in ours. My mother had invited us up for a family dinner. She was trying to organize a weekly family meal. So far, none of us could get a regular schedule worked out, but today happened to be a good day. Embry and Walker had also agreed to try to have "the talk" with my parents with Jacob's approval. They needed to know. It was going to be interesting to see the reaction.
We all crammed into the truck. Haleigh sat between me and Embry in the back seat, her hands still clasped in ours, a happy smile on her face. She'd grown some over the past few months. Her chocolate hair was longer than ever, curling down to her waist. More personality and knowledge filled her sapphire eyes. She was more aware, her gaze sharp. Embry had been working with her in her endeavor to learn to read. She was quickly surpassing her age range, moving on to more challenging novels. Walker and Christa both wanted to have her IQ tested once she was more comfortable using context clues to try to guess what a word meant rather than carrying a dictionary everywhere. Not that a dictionary was bad. She just carried it everywhere with her and was always referring to it. They wanted her to learn to try to figure out what a word meant before going for the dictionary.
She was also very attached to the younger children. A fierce protectiveness would settle in her shoulders when she was at the playdates that I had started frequenting so as to mingle and have a life. Brayden was walking and talking at nearly two years old. I'd noticed that Haleigh stayed close to him the most while Henry watched over Leila. Will mainly stayed around Nessie, one hand on her growing belly. It was so hard to believe that she and Jacob were getting ready to welcome their second baby into the world in a matter of hours. We'd be checking on them on our way back from Mom and Dad's.
"So, Christa," I said, breaking the silence, "how's the home schooling stuff going?"
Turning around in the seat, she rolled her eyes. "I'm getting there, I suppose. I mean, I don't necessarily want her graded or anything. We just need to get her to learn the basics, so basic books are what we're after. So far, I'm working with her on English and grammar, a little literature. I have some old high school books that were never returned because of my parents. She's well past her grade level in reading and comprehension." Christa's voice held a note of pride. Haleigh grinned up at her mother.
Walker reached over to stroke his wife's cheek. "We are very proud of her," he said, as if reading my mind. She leaned into the touch.
"Well, maybe you could talk to the Cullens. I know that they schooled Nessie; and I know that Nessie and Jake want their kids home schooled. That may change as they get older. Nessie said that she wants her kids to have at least a couple years in a school if at all possible."
She nodded thoughtfully, playing with Walker's fingers between her hands. "I may just do that. I wanted to be the one to teach her, but I suppose Walker and I could work with her at home." She looked over at her husband with a smile. "We can talk about it when we get home."
He returned her grin with one of his own.
Moments later, we pulled into the driveway. Mom and Dad met us as we opened the doors. Dad swung a giggling Haleigh through the air while Mom hugged each one of us.
After Dad told Haleigh to go wash up inside, he shook first Walker's hand then Embry's. "How you boys doin'?"
"We're good, Dad. Thanks."
"Embry? You taking care of my baby girl?"
I rolled my eyes as Embry chuckled. "She's taking care of me. I do what I can when she lets me."
Dad nodded in understanding. "Takes after her mother."
"Hey!" I exclaimed. "I'm standing right here, Dad."
Chuckling, he pulled me into a hug. "I know, princess. I never said it was a bad thing that you're like your mother. Just stating a fact."
Hugging him back, I held on tight. Despite his differences with Embry and his dislike of our fast relationship and marriage, I loved him. He was really trying to get along with his son-in-law as well as Christa, his daughter-in-law. "I love you, Daddy," I whispered.
I felt his lips in my hair. "Love you, too." After another brief squeeze, he let me out of the hug but kept an arm around my shoulders. "Come on. Let's go inside before the sky dumps on us."
We all headed in and the boys sat around the table. Christa and I helped Mom bring the food to the table. Once everything was out, I sat next to Embry and Christa. Dad started up a conversation with Walker and Embry about the shop. Mom had made a tenderloin with mashed potatoes and vegetables. Walker glared at Embry every time he tried to get Haleigh to eat her veggies. She'd grin up at Embry who smiled back.
"So, Tricia, what have you been up to?" Mom asked.
After a sip of water, I said, "Mostly, I've been getting the house fixed up. Now that we have some extra income, we can have the more expensive things checked and fixed."
"Like what?" Dad asked.
"Well, I found a leak in the roof in the extra bedroom while I was redecorating it. Found out the roof was old as dirt, so we had insurance come out and take a look. Needed to be replaced. But I've also had an estimate for a patio. One that could be converted to indoor. It would be nice to be able to read outside on rare sunny days." I lifted my shoulder. "Besides, Embry and I are planning for kids. Why not get things done now before we actually have them?"
Mom grinned. "More grandbabies? Oh, I can't wait!" She hooked her gaze on Embry. "You better give those babies that pretty russet skin."
Embry coughed around a piece of meat and adjusted in his seat. "I'll, uh, I'll see what I can do."
Eyes sparkling, Mom turned back to me. "You've been getting out of the house, haven't you?"
I nodded. "Yeah, Mom. I've been babysitting for Nessie and Christa when they have things to do."
In surprise, Mom and Dad both looked at Christa. "Do you have a job now?" Dad asked politely.
Uh-oh. I'd slipped up. I watched Haleigh when both Walker and Christa were on patrol or were busy at his pack's village of cabins. Now they thought that she had a job other than just errands. Then again, this was the opening to bring up "the talk".
The four of us shared a glance. Haleigh had been told months ago not to mention any of the werewolves. No talk of packs either.
Dad apparently caught the glance. "What? What's going on?"
Clearing his throat, Walker leaned forward, elbows on the table. His eyes studied the table as if the script of words that would make this easier were written there. He and Embry shared a loaded look. My husband shrugged with his eyebrows. Walker's eyes moved to me. I knew the look. It was one we had shared many times. He was asking me for help if he faltered. It was how we'd gotten away with things when we were in high school.
I nodded.
"Somebody better start talking," Dad said. "I recognize that look, you two." Leaning back in his chair, he crossed his arms over his chest.
Walker leaned forward again and took a deep breath. "Dad, Mom, there's something that…well, the four of us…need to say. First let me ask, do you remember when Tricia and I first brought Christa and Embry home?"
Our parents glanced at each other, clearly remembering the arguments, before nodding in unison.
My brother nodded, his auburn hair falling into his eyes. "The arguments, yeah. Specifically when Embry and Christa both told you that they're different."
Dad leaned forward to mirror Walker. "Son, quit beating the weeds around the bush to death. Just tell us."
"Dad," I interjected, "trust me. You want this slowly."
My father looked to my husband first, then to Christa. "What's going on? I'll get a better answer from the two of you quicker than my two kids."
Embry and Christa shared a look. Christa leaned forward when Walker leaned back. He put an arm across the back of her chair. "Mr. Johnson-,"
"David. You're my daughter-in-law now."
Christa nodded once to him. "David." Then she lifted her eyes, making complete contact with him. "Embry and I are hereditary werewolves."
The statement hung in the air as the four of us watched my parents. Under the table, Embry took my hand, squeezing my fingers. Air seemed hard to come by as Mom and Dad stared at us as if they were expecting us to yell out, "April fools!" But when we didn't, Mom's eyes watered, and Dad sat back heavily in his chair.
Crossing his arms he shook his head with a little nervous chuckle. "Very funny. You're not serious, right?"
Christa continued. "Very. Haleigh is a different type of werewolf. One that isn't hereditary. They're known as the Children of the Moon. Their-,"
"Stop." Dad's teeth were gritted tight, eyes sparkling with anger. "Just stop talking. This is ridiculous."
Christa's expression hardened when she finished her speech. "Their condition is an infection known as lycanthropy. They can either be born into it, born with the infection, or they can be infected by a scratch or bite…like Walker."
Mom's hand went to her mouth in horror. Dad's eyes snapped to my brother. Walker met their eyes steadily, his fingers playing in his mate's hair.
It was Mom who broke the charged silence. She aimed her question at me. "And you believe all this?" she asked in disbelief.
Gripping Embry's hand, I lifted my chin. "Of course I do. It's hard not to believe something I've seen with my own eyes."
My parents just stared at me before Dad slowly stood up. He looked calm, but that was a façade. Anger bubbled up in his eyes as he stalked toward me. Embry tensed when Dad reached for my arm. I stared in confusion when he went to push my sleeve up my arm. It was only after he held it out and turned it under the dining room light, eyes searching, that I realized what he was looking for.
Getting to my feet and ripping my arm out of his grip, I glared at him and pulled my sleeve down. "I am not on drugs, Dad! And neither is Walker."
Knowing he wouldn't get anything from me or my brother, he turned to Embry and Christa who were starting to stand up. Christa put her hands on Haleigh's shoulders to pull the girl behind her. She looked terrified as Dad seethed with anger toward Walker, Christa, and Embry.
"What did you two do to my children?" he demanded through clenched teeth. "What did you give them to accept this lunacy? How long has this been going on? Was it to keep them lucid enough to talk them into marrying the two of you?"
Walker stepped in front of his wife and daughter. "That's enough, Dad," he snapped in a warning.
"Listen to yourselves!" Dad yelled. "This is insane! And to bring a child," he motioned to Haleigh, "into this craziness! What is wrong with you?"
Walker's eyes flashed an inhuman green. If Dad saw it, he didn't react. "Christa, maybe you should take Haleigh outside." When the girl protested, his expression softened before he knelt down in front of her. After a moment of whispering, she nodded and went with Christa. Walker stood and waited for the door to close before lashing out at Dad. "You think I'm crazy now? Or you think Christa drugged me? Nice, Dad. There just has to be some logical puzzle piece to explain away the fact that I disappeared! I mean, where did you think I was? How do you think Luke died? He was attacked by a massive animal. It was a werewolf, just like me. But unlike him, I survived my attack."
Dad went to him, putting his hands on Walker's shoulders. "Are you listening to yourself? You need help, son!"
Walker shoved him away. Embry pushed me behind him, keeping me away from the aggression. Mom had moved to the corner of the room across the table. Tears stained and tracked her face. Cheeks were splotchy and red. Bottom lip was trembling. Her eyes were distant, unfocused on the carpet like she was trying to figure out how her life had fallen apart in the blink of an eye.
Walker and Dad faced off. "I'm not the one who needs help, Dad. You do. You just can't think outside the box. If it doesn't fit in your perfect little world, then it doesn't exist. Well, that's perfectly fine. That means that I don't need to be here, because I don't fit in your world anymore. Better yet, you don't fit in mine. And if you ever talk to my wife like that again, especially in front of our daughter, I won't hesitate to put you on your ass. You're the one who taught me how to treat a woman. I think you need a crash course in your own lessons."
As he'd spoken, his eyes had steadily turned from mahogany brown to piercing green. This time, Dad noticed. He backed up, nearly smacking into Embry's chest. When Embry growled, he spun to stare up into my husband's face.
Dad paled. "My God," he whispered looking back and forth from Walker to Embry.
Moving around, I saw what had put that look of fear in his eyes. Though Embry's eyes didn't change like Walker's, there was still a way for him to shift. A way that I'd only ever seen the Children of the Moon achieve. Embry's face had slightly elongated, his teeth sharpened and glistened in his mouth. This level of control in his type of wolf must be unlocked with the new level of pissed off that he was currently sporting. A shot of fear raced down my spine. I wasn't scared of Embry. He'd never hurt me physically. But he had no emotional attachments to my dad. In fact, he was looking for an opening to fight.
Reaching out, I gripped his sleeve. "Embry-,"
"Get out."
Dad's voice had me turning to stare at him. "What?"
His eyes were all for Embry. "Get out of my house. And don't you dare come back."
Embry's grin was terrifying in his new facial structure. "With pleasure," he growled. Gripping my hand, he started for the door.
Dad moved out of his way. But when I passed, he grabbed for my free hand, pulling me up short, my hand slipping out of Embry's.
"What the-,"
"Please, Tricia, don't go with him."
I glared at him. "Let go of me."
Desperation crept into his expression. "Baby, please. Just stay here. I can protect you."
Pulling on my hand, I said between clenched teeth, "No, Dad. I'm safe with my husband. And I am leaving with him. Now, let go."
His hold tightened, my muscles spasming under that grip.
I gasped. "Ow! Dad, you're hurting me."
"Tricia-,"
He didn't finish.
A snarl ripped through the room as Embry's hand clamped down on my dad's wrist. Vicious rage twisted his face. Dad winced, making a pained noise in his throat. "Let her go, or I will break every bone in your hand. Slowly."
Mom let out a little scream and sank to the floor in her corner, putting her hands over her ears. "David, just let her go! Please!"
After a moment of him and Embry glaring at each other, Dad finally let go. He'd gripped my wrist so tightly that I knew I'd have a bruise. Cradling my hand against my chest, I shoved at Embry with my shoulder, glaring at my father. "Come on. Let's go home. I don't fit in their world anymore either."
With one last squeeze that tightened the skin around my dad's eyes, Embry released him and put his arm around my shoulders. Dad likewise rubbed his wrist.
Walker glared at our father as we passed him. "Don't worry, David. We won't come back." And then he looked at Mom, sadness creeping into his voice. "I'm sorry, Mom. Tricia and I would love to see you, but we won't expect it. Goodbye." And then he strode out of the house, the door shutting with a firm click.
Near tears, I looked to my mother as well. She was hugging herself and rocking on the floor, tears streaming down her face from her eyes, which were squeezed shut.
Embry tugged on my shoulders, his eyes on my father. "Let's get out of here. We've worn out our welcome."
Dad glared. "You most certainly have. Get out."
Embry led me out the door and into the drizzle outside. My tears mixed with the water on my face. I had been so sure that with an explanation and with everything laid out that they would understand. But we didn't even get the chance to try. While we all piled silently into the truck, I couldn't help but feel as if Walker and I had been disowned, that as we drove away leaving our childhood home behind us, we were closing that metaphorical book of our lives. The next volume in our stories would not involve the two people who had raised us and loved us. The only pieces of them that would follow would be everything we'd learned from them.
"Walker, take us home," Embry said. "None of us are up for seeing Nessie. And I don't want to upset her, giving her something else to worry about."
Walker just nodded, gripping the steering wheel tighter. Haleigh was sitting between them. She was curled into Walker's side, offering him comfort the way wolves did. Her free hand was holding Christa's tightly.
Embry clutched me tight to his side. His big hand stroked down my back, over my hair. The fingers of his other hand played over my wedding ring. "How's your wrist?" he asked, lips on my temple.
I looked down at my arm. I was so numb that I had forgotten about it. The darkening bruise was a painful surprise and reminder of my father's fear and anger. A bracelet of red that was darkening into blue and black circled my white skin.
Reaching over, Embry took my hand and studied the mark. A low growl vibrated in his chest.
I met his eyes. "It's okay, angel. He was just scared."
"Regardless, he shouldn't have touched you like that, Tricia," Walker said angrily.
"I agree." Embry's eyes were dark with anger.
"Embry," I said, stroking his cheek, "you can't just go around breaking people's arms when they piss you off. He and Mom both are terrified now. They think we're crazy but they can't deny what they saw. Well, Dad can't," I amended. "I don't know what Mom saw."
"What do you suggest we do, Tricia?" Walker demanded. "We can't go back. You know he'll draw on us."
Christa stared at him. "Are you talking about what I think you're talking about?"
Grimly, he nodded. "Dad has a collection. And he'll use them."
"He's right," I agreed.
Embry pulled me tighter against him. "I'll talk to Jacob. Maybe your dad will talk to a neutral party."
I looked down at my small, pale hands. "Maybe it would be best just to leave them alone. Dad made it clear that you and Christa are no longer welcome. And where you two go, Walker and I follow. We chose you, which means we're no longer welcome either."
Just saying it made my heart break. They'd cared for me when my biological parents wanted nothing to do with me. My adoptive parents had fought to keep me, and now I felt like I was throwing that back in their faces. But I couldn't pretend that I was scared of my own husband, brother, and sister-in-law. I wasn't scared and I knew they weren't crazy. Mom and Dad would either want us back so bad that they'd listen or ignore it completely to get us back in their lives. Or they would choose to have nothing more to do with us. Despite the pain, I was ready to accept either choice.
Walker dropped us off at our front door. Christa gave me a tight hug. "Put some ice on that wrist and take some Advil. It'll keep the inflammation down."
Swallowing hard, I nodded. "Thanks. I will. If you get an update on Nessie before I do, let me know."
"Of course."
Walker was still too pissed to offer words of comfort so he'd stayed in the truck with Haleigh attached to his side. She waved through the open door. I waved back, a feeling of sorrow for her clenching my heart. She shouldn't have had to see that. In fact, we shouldn't have tried to have that conversation with her there. It should have been just us adults. But no, I had to open my big mouth.
After they pulled away, Embry pulled me inside. We didn't bother with the lights or anything else. He forced us to stop in the kitchen to grab a bag of ice and some ibuprofen. He watched me closely to make sure I took the medicine. Then he led me into the bedroom and stripped us down. Crawling into bed beside him, I rested my head on his shoulder.
"You okay?" he asked, his fingers tracing designs on my hip.
"I will be. I just feel bad for Haleigh. She shouldn't have had to be there for that. If I had just kept my mouth closed, they never would have assumed she had a job, which wouldn't have led into the whole thing."
"Tricia, honey, you cannot blame yourself for that. How were we supposed to know that they would assume she had a job just because you said you were watching Haleigh? Hell, I don't even know how we got to the whole werewolf thing. None of what happened was your fault. You just feel bad for how it went down and that it didn't go the way we all were hoping for." He tightened his grip. "I may not be fond of your dad, but I never wanted there to be a rift between you and him. Our problems shouldn't be your problems."
"But you're my husband, Embry. It's in the job description of being a wife to stand by you."
His lips were warm on my forehead. "And I appreciate that, but it shouldn't cost you your relationship with your father."
The tears came back but I refused to let them fall. "He won't come around. I picked you over him. And Walker picked Christa over him. The best we could hope for is Mom."
Embry took the bag of ice from me and threw it into the bathroom before dragging me to his chest. I wrapped my body around his. "Why don't we just try to sleep?" he said. "Only time will tell, but maybe he'll come around. Maybe your mother will come around. There's a long list of maybes, sweetie. We'll find out which one it is eventually."
Snuggling closer, I relaxed in the warmth of his skin against mine. "Yeah, but I do know one definite."
His fingers played in the ends of my hair. "And what is that?"
"I love you very much, and I will follow you anywhere. Always." I pressed my lips to the smooth skin of his chest.
"Well I also know a definite."
"Which is?"
"I will never let you go, no matter what you do or say. You're mine. And my soul is yours."
My control shattered, my tears pooling on his skin while my heart broke and filled with love at the same time.
Poor Tricia! I feel so bad for her. Buuuuuut...JULES IS ON HER WAY! I know! There wasn't much of Jake and Nessie in this chapter and I'm sorry. But there will be tons of them in the next one, which I am hoping will be done with some of my old speed! I truly love all of you! xoxoxoxo
