"Daddy, can we talk?"
Harry tried not to wince. He'd known this was coming, of course, but he had so many conflicting emotions. It was always hard to be impartial where Leah was concerned. He pictured her briefly, four years old in her Rainbow Brite pajamas, padding confidently into his and Sue's bedroom, knowing that Daddy would always chase the monsters away.
"Dad?"
He snapped back to the present and smiled at his beautiful, confident, amazingly strong eighteen year old daughter."Of course, Honey. What's on your mind?" His hands stilled over the open hood of his truck, and he laid the wrench aside. "Sounds serious," he continued, wiping his hands on a greasy rag. "Let's sit." He opened the door of his immaculate F-150 and Leah slid into the passenger seat. Harry slipped in behind the wheel and waited.
Leah closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. The oily garage smell always reminded her of the men in her life, and it calmed her. Without opening them, she breathed, "Jake and I want to move in together."
She waited. One minute. Two.
When he finally spoke, Harry's voice was soft. "That's a complicated question, baby. Do I want to lose you? Never. Am I concerned about you having sex at your age? Of course." He smiled and took her slim, firm hand in his rough, wrinkled one. "But do I trust you to make good decisions? Absolutely. Jacob's a good b...man," he corrected quickly, "but can he afford to support two people? He has another year of school, doesn't he?"
Harry listened carefully as Leah explained The Plan. "I still intend to go to nursing school, Dad. I want to help support my family," she finished.
"I see," Harry replied noncommittally. His face betrayed none of his inner turmoil, and he cleared his throat. "And have you and Jacob discussed what you'll do if your mom and I say no to this harebrained scheme?"
Leah's heart sank and her eyes filled with tears. "I'm legally an adult, Daddy. But I'm...well, I'm just not sure I'd do it without your blessing. You and Mom mean the world to me. But Jake and I are very much in love."
"Anyone with two good eyes can see that, Punkin," Harry said softly. He held out his arms, a trifle awkwardly around the steering wheel, and clasped her to his chest. "If you'd needed my permission, you'd have never aged past five." He held her close. "Of course you have my blessing, Leah. It could be a mistake - but we all make them. And I do trust your judgment." He smiled and brushed her hair back from her face. "Besides, if I said no I'd be sleeping in the guest room." He chuckled softly and kissed her forehead.
Seth cleared his throat by the open passenger door. "I hate to break up this moment, but Mom says dinner's ready. If you want it warm, you'd better get in the house." He grinned at Leah as Harry scrambled out and closed his door.
"So - what was the tender moment about, Sis? You getting married? Or hey! Are you pregnant?" Seth's handsome young face lit up with this possibility.
Leah couldn't help smiling. "No. And no. Are we okay, Seth?"
He pushed the open door wider so Leah could step down, then closed it firmly. "Sure. I deserved the payback. Besides, I think I still came out ahead." Seth draped his arm around Leah's shoulders and grinned as they headed toward the house.
Leah glanced up at her "little" brother. "When did you get tall enough to do that?" He just chuckled in reply. "Hey, Seth - would you help me with a project after dinner? I'm eating with Jake later, but I'm making a little surprise for him. It just involves a short trek into the forest."
It was Jacob's turn to be surprised. He had worked late, but Leah had promised to wait and have dinner with him at "their" place. As he bounded up the stairs, he could hear soft music playing. It sounded like Christmas, which would be appropriate since it was only a few days away. He stopped short when he opened the door at the top. The apartment was in darkness except for a small fir tree on the floor in the corner. It was covered in twinkling white lights. In the soft glow, he could just make out Leah's slender figure on the couch. She was sleeping peacefully, a crocheted afghan thrown carelessly over her. He drank in the scene before setting the bag of Chinese food on the counter and sitting gingerly on the edge of the couch. She opened one eye.
"Christmas tree, huh? It's beautiful," he breathed. "And so are you." He kissed her slowly. "So, can I assume it went well?"
Leah flipped over on her back and smiled up at him. "Yes, you may. You may also assume that I love you, Jacob Black. And while you're assuming, you might as well assume you're gonna get lucky right after dinner." She reached up for him, and he melted into her arms.
As it turned out, dinner had to be warmed up later.
They lay on top of the covers, faces just inches apart. The apartment was still dark except for the tree, and they'd been in too much of a hurry to turn the bed down. Leah loved this time together, what she called "pillow talk." She kissed him leisurely and then giggled. "Jake! Are you kidding me?"
He looked honestly confused. "What? I didn't do anything." Leah's eyes widened, and she placed her hand where she'd felt a subtle twitch - suddenly realizing it was under the covers. She jumped up with a squeal and flipped the light switch.
Jacob stared at the long, sinuous shape that was squirming under the bedspread. He lifted the corner carefully and smiled, pulling out a long, striped snake. "It's harmless, Leah. Just a garter snake."
Leah leaped away from the bed. "I'm gonna kill him, Jake!"
