Chapter Eleven
Sue and Seth sit awkwardly on the couch across from Leah and I.
While Sue rings her fingers in her lap, Seth's eyes dart around the empty house, his senses still picking up the harsh smell the vampires leave in the house, including myself, though all of them are out, either hunting or on their way to Port A. Even with the two Clearwater's in my current sight, it's Billy who sits off to the side, eyeing Leah's clasped hand in mine, which gains my upmost attentions. He looks older than I remember, and it's in his eyes; eyes that have always been young and bright, that tell me the once vibrant friend I had, is slowly slipping away. One day it will only be in my memories where I remember him, buoyant and alive, with Sarah standing beside him, their brood encircling their legs with inquisitive eyes.
"This is a very sensitive situation," Jacob starts, standing near the coffee table, shoulders straight and chest jutted, just as I would imagine a leader to be. "Charlie, even though Bella is your daughter, she refused to be present today. She still refuses to grasp or accept anything to do with your relationship with Leah."
Leah scoffs, rolling her eyes, knowing exactly what Bella thinks of our relationship. Even with all the urgings of the Cullen family she had refused to accept that which she could not change. My hand tightens around my girl's fingers in an attempt to keep her calm and not to rile her up.
"While I am happy for you both," Sue says quietly, "I don't know how this can work. The imprint broke the day you died, Charlie. My daughter and my grandchild's life will always be close to danger."
Before I can open my mouth and argue, Leah's sharp voice cuts through the dead silence surrounding the house. "Charlie is not a danger to his child."
"And what about you, Leah? Have you thought about your own safety? There is nothing binding him to keep your safety. From what Carlisle has explained, Charlie too, holds venom. It would only take ONE bite."
Leah's dark eyes cloud. "His control is the best I've ever seen. Even better than Bella's. We've already… tested it."
Seth stiffens, while both Sue and Billy look on with weary eyes.
"Jacob was present. Even he can confirm it. I cut my palm not nearly a meter away from Charlie, and he barely blinked. Not to mention the amount of times we've had sex and he didn't once bite me," My girl grins evilly, "Even when I wanted him too."
Seth heaves while both of my friends look embarrassed.
"Sue, Billy." I say sincerely, voice light and not demanding. "I love her. I know it is almost impossible to understand, and you know how much it means to both of us to have your blessings," I take a deep breath. "But – even without your permission, Leah and I, we are going to try and make this work. For the sake of our child. And for the sake of each other. You both know how much Renee hurt me when she took my daughter away from Forks and ran off to god knows where. I refuse to allow it to happen again. Our child deserves a father."
Leah leans into my shoulder, providing me with the physical and mental strength to continue. "I never wished for this life, to be what I am. But I do wish for Leah. And for her happiness. We love all of you and wish for you to be in our lives for as long as you will grant us. But – even if that doesn't happen, we won't feel the loss, knowing we have each other."
Silence flitters around the living space, thick and heavy on each of our shoulders.
"Jacob – Are you okay with this? The pack?" Billy asks with a raised brow.
Jake's face reddens slightly, his head soon following a nod. "There is nothing to accept. Leah is pack. She is family. And her happiness is paramount to each of us. Charlie has proved himself to me, and that is all that matters. To deny this would mean losing Leah forever."
The tall man's eyes cut to my girl, tenderness flush in his orbs. The fact that Leah is a precious jewel to the Quileute tribe scares me, more than often most days. I know about the habits of wolves, having grown up in the wilderness of Washington for all my life. The stark fact that an Alpha pair was always prominent in a pack makes my moustache twitch each time I think about it. Everything about the beautiful girl next to me screams an Alpha presence, and the fact that Jacob Black was the male equivalent to Leah sometimes filled me with unease. It's a fear I would never voice, a fear that I hold close to me when I wander the house in the middle of the night, waiting and hoping that when Leah wakes to a brand new dawn each morning, she would still want me, as she had the night before.
"Thanks, Jake," Leah grins, casting the man a gleam of gratefulness.
"So – what?" Seth bristles, "You're going to live here, forever?"
"Actually," I say, moving forward on the couch to grasp the small leaflet on the coffee table. "I've sold the house and we've chosen another. The old one was too close to the town and didn't provide enough privacy should Leah need to phase. The old King property has been sitting vacant for a couple of years now and they accepted the price we offered. It's not too far from the Reservation nor here. We figured that it would be for the best, considering Isabella's apprehension to the situation. And we would both like to remain close to both Renesmee and to you, Seth."
The boy seems to relax as he looks at Leah who nods in his direction.
"I volunteered to help out with any renovations, as well as Emmett and Jasper. We think it will only take a few months to have it all finished and in time for the baby." Jacob says, finally taking a seat in one of the single sofas.
"Mom. Please don't make me do this alone." Leah says softly, her hand now tightening on my thigh, awaiting an answer.
Sue's mouth tightens into a line, the woman's eyes sweeping over Leah's tiny swell of her abdomen. Her eyes crinkle, lashes fluttering. "Of course, baby. I'll be here. I'll always be here for you."
Billy grunts; and even though he is the Chief of their tribe, Sue is the woman of his heart. And she would always win.
.
There's a stream towards the back of the property that flows no matter the weather conditions. Its gentle current pushes downstream, heeding from a large waterfall inside the Olympic National Forest. The water is clear enough to peer down at the peddled bottom, its depth reaching shy of two meters deep.
The water is frigid as I dip into it, having peeled off my boots and clothes, my feet pressing sharply on the small rocks. Outstretching my hand, I wait for my love to slip off her dress and join me. I can't help but slide my eyes down, watching as the material falls away from her skin. Bronze shimmering flesh lines every part of her, the swell of her belly, of our child, even more prominent than ever. She's only six months along, but she carries our child with such grace it almost makes my chest burst with pride. Anyone who ever doubted her ability to give life, was now eating their very cruel words. She was not only growing a life inside her, but she had saved mine; in more ways than one.
"Careful," I warn as she grasps my hand and pads over the bordered rocks and moss. She smirks as her fingers tighten around mine, crouching low so she can sit on the rock before sliding in. "It's cold."
She slips into the water, pulling herself to my chest in the waist deep water. Cool trickles pierce her skin and she shivers involuntarily as she moulds herself against me. As always, her natural warmth shines through and even heats the cold parts of my own flesh. With my hands on her hips, I walk us back into the deeper parts of the stream.
Soon enough, the water laps at her shoulders, swirling the tips of her black hair on the surface of the current. Her cheeks are ruddy, her berry lips darkening, eyes gazing up at me.
Carefully, I touch her cheek with my wet thumb, trailing droplets of water across the expanse. The way she looks at me tells me she feels exactly the way I do.
"Do you think it's a boy or a girl?" she asks me as her hands rest on my back, arms draped around my neck. Her voice is still filled with that honey whisper, now even more so to my vampire ears.
"Does it matter?" I tell her seriously.
Anything shared with my girl is wondrous, and having a healthy happy child is all I have ever wished for, even when Bella was born. I had been there, held my daughter in my arms, peered down at her tiny face which held no malice and no worry. She had been born perfect, and the world had burned her, filled her with a specific kind of hate, one which she focused back onto herself. My daughter had been perfect, but she had wanted more. Now, I only wished for her happiness and for her to one day understand that Leah was my own happiness. That the Quileute woman was bound to me by choice. Yes, the imprint had helped us find each other in our darkest days, but now as we were heading towards the brightest parts of our lives, we had chosen each other.
"Not really. But a girl would definitely worry me. All these wolves. Imprinting. All of that." She mutters with a smile, pressing her mouth to my own.
With wondering hands I slip her underwear down, allowing her to push them from her feet under the water. Slowly, the current catches them and takes them away, leaving my girl bare and wanting. My fingertips brush her sensitive area, feeling the warmth she gives off even submerged in the icy water. My human heart would have been thundering in my chest in this moment, but now as a vampire I feel something different, a fullness that was not there when I was first held captive in the Cullen abode.
Hoisting her up so her legs can wrap around my waist, I grasp myself in my hand, before pushing into all that warm delectable heat. She causes a sizzle to ignite in my spine, causes my whole body to stiffen so it can remember the feeling she gives me. With her wrapped all around me there is no escape. No escape from her warmth, her arms, her eyes or her love.
She is all there is.
.
With the renovations now finished, Leah sits on the couch of our home, Renesmee's head laying in her lap near her protruding stomach. She gently strokes my granddaughter's bronze curls, while Seth sits on the floor, a bowl of popcorn in his lap. Even though their viewing choice is not something I would agree with, Leah and Ren had somehow become obsessed with the show.
Renesmee was growing quickly, looking more like a pre-teen than the small delicate girl she once was. It saddens me to know she would only be a young girl for another year or so, until she reaches her hybrid mid-teens. Her angelic face, those blushing cheeks, her hummingbird heart; she was a little angel, born from my blood, born a part of me.
"Leah," my granddaughter's sweet voice asks, head titling up. "Am I supposed to call you grandma now?"
The look that flashes over my girl is almost comical.
"Oh, no. Hell no. Leah is fine. Never ever call me grandma."
"But since you are going to have a baby and most probably marry my grandpa, isn't it fitting?" The girl asks innocently as Seth snickers into his popcorn.
Leah gives me a pleading look as I drop down into the opposite end of the sofa, patting the girl's foot. "Honey, you won't be able to call me that forever. You'll be a young adult soon and no one will understand if you call me Grandpa. And there's no need to call Leah anything but her name. She isn't your grandmother, so it's fine."
"Hey," Seth interrupts, pointing at the screen. I'm thankful for the diversion and let out an unneeded breath. "Does Dr Cassidy Cascade remind you of Jake?"
Leah and Renesmee squint their eyes towards the screen, both trying to see what Seth is taking about. I turn my head, staring at the moving pictures, watching as a dark-haired man appears on the screen in a white doctor's coat.
"I don't think so," Leah snorts. "Dr Cascade is hot. Jacob is – err – not."
Renesmee giggles, "No, Leah. Look. He kind of does. If Uncle Jake cut his hair they would look the same."
"Ewww," Seth moans, throwing popcorn at his sister. "You think Jake's hot. That's so wrong."
I try to conceal my growl.
My girl squeals in annoyance. "Shut up, Seth. I didn't say that! I said Dr Cascade was hot."
"They look the same for crying out loud!" The overgrown boy chuckles, until Leah dumps the whole bowl onto his head.
"LEAH!"
.