Updated: November 27, 2014

I walked into the house still laughing. That was one of the best things about Jared, he always made me laugh. Even if all I wanted to do was sit there and cry, he would find a way to make me smile. He wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him.

"Oh, you think I'm funny, huh?" He accused, making me laugh harder.

"Incredibly so, it's probably your best quality." I told him winking. He grinned.

"Oh, you mean it's not my rugged handsomeness or my winning personality." I laughed again.

"Or what about your huge ego?" I added. He frowned.

"Kimberly!" I turned away from Jared to see my mom standing in the kitchen. I hadn't realized she would be here this early. I was half expecting her to show up in the middle of the day on Saturday or not even show up at all.
"Hi Mom." I said smiling and moving to hug her.

"Hey Sweetie." She responded before pulling back. "Hello Jared." Jared, of course, always being the polite one; responded using his sweetest voice that he often used on teachers and other adults.

"Hi Mrs. Connweller, it's so nice to see you again." She grinned. He turned to me, "Call me later tonight?" He asked me, still smiling. I nodded, though I didn't want him to leave but at the same time I knew I should enjoy the time with my mom.

"You don't have to leave if you guys had plans." My mom quickly interrupted. He shook his head.

"No, you guys should do something together." I smiled gratefully at him. He leaned down and kissed my cheek. "Have fun." He whispered and I grinned.

"Bye Jare."

After he had left, I turned back to my mom. She was standing there a little awkwardly. We were never alone together. She wasn't here often and when I went to visit them we were usually out at a restaurant. I wasn't sure if she fully knew how to act around me. She was a very professional woman and I knew it was hard for her to just lay back and relax.

"I'm so glad you're here!" I said excitedly, taking her hands in mine. "What do you want to do tonight?" I asked.

"How about we order some pizza and rent some movies? Have a girls night?" She suggested. I nodded my head happily. I was up for anything that she was involved in. A little while later we had chosen three movies and were sitting on the couch talking. Well, I was mostly talking. I wasn't sure if she was listening.

"I'll call in the pizza." I told her, standing up to go to the kitchen. "What kind do you want?" I asked. She thought about it for a moment.

"I'm in the mood for Hawaiian." She told me.

"One Margarita and one Hawaiian." I smiled nodding my head and reaching for the phone.

"We don't need two whole pizzas, Kim. How about just Hawaiian, you like that right?" She asked. I bit my lip.

"I'm allergic to pineapple." I reminded her. I'm sure it just slipped her mind. It just slipped her mind. Her eyebrows furrowed together.

"Oh...right." She mumbled.

"Any of the leftovers, my friends will eat." I told her. She just nodded her head and went back into the living room. After I called in the order we turned the first movie on.

The Social Network.

The pizza came a little while later and we ate while we watched. I laughed at a funny part and glanced over at my mom to see if she thought it was funny. She was on her phone doing something. Probably emailing a client or something. I sighed and tried my best to enjoy the movie. Part way through the second movie, I told my mom I was going to bed. She nodded her head and told me 'goodnight'. I went upstairs and called Jared. He answered on the second ring.

"Hello?" He sounded happy.

"Hey Jared." I responded. I instantly felt a hundred times better.

"Having fun with your mom?" He asked. Now I felt fifty times worse.

"Yeah, we watched some movies, had a girls night. I just wanted to call you before I went to bed. I'll see you tomorrow, right?" I asked.

"Of course you'll see me. I was actually wondering if you and your mom wanted to come to a party down on the beach tomorrow evening. It will be the guys, some of the elders, and some of the other adults." He asked. This sounded like a great idea. I'd get to spend time with Jared and my mom without it being just the three of us.

"That sounds like a like fun! I'm sure she'll say yes." I told him, smiling at the prospect of seeing him tomorrow. A chorus of howls erupted from outside.

"Er...I have to go." He said quickly. "I will see you tomorrow. Call me?" He questioned. I knew it was his pack calling him...I hoped everything was all right.

"Sure, Jare. I'll see you then." We hung up at the same time and I went to my window to look out of it. I squinted, attempting to see any wolf like figures from outside. I wonder if any of them ever checked on me.

Jared.

I hate her. I don't care what I said about her before. About how she is nice and deep down is a good person. I hate her. I hate her. I hate her.

Kim was so perfect. Any person would be lucky to have her as their daughter yet her mother seemed to take her for granite and was perfectly content with pushing her down.

Whats the matter, dude? Seth's cheery thoughts asked me. I instantly showed him what I had just witnessed.

"Mom! Mom!" I heard a cheery, excited voice coming from inside the house. I halted immediately. I was running patrols and was just running by Kim's house. I paused and moved a bit closer to her house. I just wanted to check on her quickly. I hadn't seen her since yesterday afternoon and I was going crazy. We hadn't been apart this long since we started dating. I could see through the kitchen window that her mom was on a laptop, typing away. Kim skipped into the room looking so happy. God, I loved her. She was holding a set of papers in her hands and she was practically bouncing up and down with excitement.

"I took this national Spanish exam and the results came yesterday but I only just opened them now and I-"

"Not now!" Her mother snapped. Kim froze, her smile disappearing from her face. Her mother's face softened slightly, as if she realized that she shouldn't have snapped like that. "I am trying to email someone about something very, very important and I don't have time right now. Sorry." She said evenly, not sounding sorry at all. Kim looked so hurt and I just want to burst into her house and comfort her.

"This is important too." Kim mumbled softly but her mother didn't answer, she had already gone back to typing on the computer. Kim walked away, dejectedly.

I let out a whine and Seth's cry followed too. That is fucking messed up. Paul growled out. How can she treat her like that? I laid down and rested my head on my paws whimpering slightly. I, along with my pack members, could feel just how much pain Kim was in. I could hear her sniffling slightly. Probably trying to hold back tears.

You only have about five minutes left of patrol. Just leave early, I'll cover for you if Sam gives you crap. Paul told me. I sighed in relief.

Thanks. I said back before phasing. Just as I was pulling my pants on, my cell phone started ringing. I walked through the woods on the trail that led to the road so I wouldn't look like a freak coming out of her backyard. I flipped the phone open and answered.

"Kim?" I asked urgently.

"Hi!" She said brightly as if she hadn't just been crying and her mom hadn't just been a complete ass to her.

"Hey…" I said slowly a little confused by her happiness.

"I wanted to know if we could hang out. I miss you." She told me, I grinned.

"I miss you too, I was actually just on the way to your house. What do you want to do?" I asked. I could practically see her shrugging.

"I don't care, we can just take a walk or go to Emily's or something." She didn't even sound upset about her mom, was she used to this? She better not be used to this.

"What about your mom, don't you want to be with her?" I asked wondering what her response would be.

"Oh yeah, she wanted to do something but I'd much rather be with you. I'll see her later." She said lightly. I didn't argue because I knew she was lying. "I will be there in one minute." I told her as I started down the road.

Thirty-seconds later a beautiful figure was jogging towards me. I met her half way and scooped her up in my arms, spinning her in a circle before placing kisses all over her face. She giggled and leaned into me, wrapping her arms around me. She was so perfect. I had also come to realize she was a very good actress. I knew she could cry on command because of the stunt she pulled with Brady and Collin but she was acting completely fine, as if nothing was wrong. I rested my forehead against hers and rubbed our noses together slightly.

"You know." She whispered, her minty, intoxicating breath blew across my face. "Thats how dogs kiss." I froze slightly, had I heard that right?

"What?" I asked. Sometimes she said those things that made me wonder if she knew that I was a shape shifter but at the same time I knew she couldn't possibly have known. I wanted to tell her so bad. It was literally killing me inside but I was selfish and I wanted to keep her a little while longer before she freaked out. She rubbed her nose against mine again.

"Thats how dogs kiss." She repeated, "They lick each others faces and rub noses." I licked her cheek. "Jar-red!" She squealed, reaching up and rubbing her cheek, laughing. "Gross, you dog!" I joined in with her laughter before kissing her. She giggled against my lips.

"How about we go to Emily's? I am starving and if I'm starving that means you are too because you are always hungry." She told me. I patted my stomach as I pulled away from her. That was true, I was always hungry. She giggled again and I wrapped both my arms around her as we started walking. We got to Emily's quickly and Kim instantly tried to pull out of my arms to go see Brady who was waving enthusiastically at her. I pulled her back to me and she forced herself out of my arms.

"Stupid Mutt." She mumbled. All eyes shot to me and I shook my head. I wish, so badly, that I could have nodded my head and said 'yes, she knows I'm a werewolf and accepts me' but that wasn't true. She pranced over to where Brady was sitting and plopped down next him. She leaned against his shoulder and he instantly wrapped an arm around her. He smirked at me.

"Are you serious, Kim?" I asked. She laughed and nodded her head.

"Go get me food!" She ordered and I obeyed, going into the kitchen. "You're right, Boo-Boo, he does do whatever I say." I heard her tell Brady. Brady snickered. Great, so he is the one who informed her of the power she had over me.

"I heard that!" I yelled from the kitchen. Her trilling laugh kept me from getting mad. I went to the fridge and pulled out some turkey, lettuce, and a bottle of honey mustard. Emily wasn't anywhere to be found but I knew what type of sandwich Kim would like. A little while later I came in with two sandwiches and a big bowl of raspberries, Kim's favorite fruit. I sat down in front of the couch, cross-legged and started eating my sandwich. She immediately got up from her seat with Brady and crawled over to where I was sitting.

"Oh," I said between mouthfuls, "Now you want to be near me." She nodded her head smiling. I moved my plate to the ground next to me and reached out to grab her. She cuddled into my lap and I held up half of one of the sandwiches to her. She took it eagerly and ate it quickly before taking the other half. She must have been really hungry. Once she had finished I picked up the bowl of raspberries and held them out in front of us. I took one out of the bowl and brought it up to her lips. She opened her mouth allowing me to feed her. Her tongue brushed against my finger causing it to tingle.

"Ugh, can you guys stop for like thirty-seconds. Please!" Quil complained from where he was sitting across the room.

"Shut up. We're adorable." She said bluntly, clearly not affected by his comment. I chuckled softly, letting my lips brush up against her ear. She turned around slightly, placing one of the berry fruits in front of my mouth. I opened my mouth and she let her pointer finger and thumb slid into my mouth a little more than I had to her. I sucked on her pointer finger, ever so slightly, as she pulled back. She smirked and turned back around to watch whatever basketball game was on the television. I couldn't tell you what game it was, I was too busy watching her.

Kim.

"Emily!" I sang, running down the beach. Jared was running next to me...well more like jogging or walking at a brisk pace. Stupid, super fast werewolves.

"Hey Kimmy-Con." She said, wrapping her arms around me in a hug. I groaned.

"Oh, not you too! Why must I have so many nicknames?" She giggled and shrugged her shoulders. I frowned but sighed and eventually smiled at her.

"Kim! Kim! We need you to settle this argument!" Embry yelled to me from over where he and a group of the guys were sitting. I rolled my eyes at Emily and walked over to where Embry, Jake, Quil, and Seth were lounging on the sand. I sat down, Jared immediately taking the spot next to me. I looked at them expectantly.

"Okay," Jake said, "Would you rather be able to, A, read minds or B,-"

Embry interrupted him, "See the future!" This is what they were arguing about. Where did they even get this stuff? Should I pick A or B? Which person do I like best today?

"C. Shift into a creature or animal." I told him, smirking. I was giving them the perfect opportunity to tell me. I was practically walking right into it. I raised my eyebrows slightly, "What about you, Jare?" I asked. He shifted uncomfortably for a second.

"Uhh...C sounds pretty cool." I grinned and he, of course, returned my smile.

"Kiiiim!" Jake whined, "That was not one of the choices!" I thought about it for a second.

"I wouldn't want to see the future, you'd go through life scared of what was to come, there would be no surprises. And if you could read minds that would just be awkward and you would totally get a major migraine. Shifting into an animal sounds much cooler. Don'tcha think?" I asked, tilting my head to the side.

"Yeah, very cool." He said awkwardly. We sat there a bit longer, talking, before I decided I was bored just sitting there. I snatched Jake's phone from where it was perched on his leg. He reached to grab it but I pulled it away just in time.

"Waiting for a text, Jakey? Hot date coming up?" I asked. I heard Quil mutter 'he wishes' which earned him a smack from Jake. I got up and started sprinting down the beach with his phone in my hand. Jake got up to chase after me and Embry grabbed his ankle, tripping him so I could have a bit of a head start. I knew there was no way I could outrun him but I could get a little ways before he reached me. I screamed as a warm arm wrapped around my middle and pulled me back. I squirmed to get out of his grip but he was too strong.

"Jake-y!" I whined. He flung me up, bridal style, and started carrying me towards the water. "No, no, NO! Don't even think about it Jacob!" I squirmed but he just laughed. He reached the water and started wadding in. "I'M SORRY! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH JACOB! I WONT DO IT AGAIN! HERE, TAKE YOUR PHONE! I DON'T WANT IT! SO HELP ME GOD JACOB, I WILL KILL YOU. I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU!" He snatched the phone from my hand. I breathed a sigh of relief for a second before he finally spoke.

"Wouldn't want to get this wet."

I screamed again and he threw me into the freezing water. I came up spitting out water. I wiped my face, coughing.

"I HATE YOU! I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!" I screeched, splashing him with water and hitting his chest as he laughed. I stopped suddenly, remembering something I had against him. "I'm telling Jared." I said smirking. He laughed harder as I made my way out of the water.

"Go for it Kim, I'm sure he already saw." I rolled my eyes, backing away from him.

"Nope. I'm telling him the other thing. The thing you didn't want him to know." His face was in full panic as I sprinted back down the beach to our friends.

"DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT KIM!" He yelled coming up behind me. I was almost back to the group. He grabbed me and put one arm around my waist, lifting me off the ground and holding me securely to him while his other hand went over my mouth. I squirmed and tried to get away from him with no avail. "Don't say anything. You don't understand, he will kill me." He whispered lowly in my ear. He carried my slowly over to where the others were. I was attempting to talk but his hand was still over my mouth. Jared got up, looking worried, coming over to me while the others were trying to hold back their laughter or weren't even bothering and were just laughing out loud.

"OW!" Jake screamed as he pulled his hand away from my mouth. "You bit me!" He accused. As soon as his hand was away from my mouth I announced what I had threatened Jake with.

"I used to date Jake!" Jake groaned and smacked his hand on top of forehead.

"She used to date Quil!" He quickly accused pointing at Quil who was holding his hands up in innocent surrender. Jared growled lowly and glared between the two boys. Jake dropped me and the coldness of the early evening suddenly hit me. I wrapped my arms around myself.

"Karma's a bitch." I growled and Jared pulled me into a hug trying to warm me up.

"If she gets sick Jake, I will kill you. No questions asked." Jared said menacingly to Jake. Jake held up his hands in surrender and nodded his head. My teeth were chattering and I was shaking slightly but Jared was so warm and he rubbed comforting circles into my back and down my arms. "I'll deal with you later." He told Jake in an even voice. Jake made a face at him but didn't push him while I rolled my eyes. Jared picked me up and carried me back over to where everyone was hanging out. Embry looked like he was still trying not to laugh and I winked at him causing him to chuckle even more. Jared sat down, leaning against a log, and held me close to his chest while he rubbed my back. I rested my head over his heart like I usually did. His heartbeat was a little faster than normal. Was he upset? I reached up and stroked the side of his neck. He responded right away, smiling and looking down at me. He leaned down and kissed my nose. "Are you okay?" He mumbled. I nodded my head. I was perfectly fine and content.

"You know Kim, this is so entertaining. Feel free to do stuff like this more often." Paul told me from his seat on a different log. I turned my head in the opposite direction to face him and smiled.

"I'll have to remember to blurt out things you guys don't want others to know more often."

He snorted, "Pshh...you've got nothing on me." He reasoned. I shrugged from within Jared's arms.

"I always know everything Paul, it's kinda my thing. Remember that for the future." He rolled his eyes at me as Jared continued to rub up and down my back and arms. He was so soothing to me, just his touch had the strangest effect.

"Shh." I said bringing my finger up to my lips. He nodded his head and I opened the front door. We had hung out at the beach for a little while longer and I even gave Jake a big hug goodbye when it was time to leave, much to Jared's annoyance. Jared insisted on walking me home and the whole way there I tried to think of a way to get him to stay. I hadn't slept well last night, whether it was because I was upset about my mother or I missed Jared, I wasn't sure.

Jared had only slept over a couple of times but each time he had, I had slept better than the last. I was starting to crave sleeping with him every night. He was so warm and comfortable and he loved to cuddle almost as much as I did. I had finally maned up and asked him to stay with me because I hadn't slept well last night. He agreed with no questioned asked. Now all I had to do was sneak him into my room which, considering my mother, shouldn't be too hard.

We walked into the house, me clutching his hand. My mom was still sitting at her computer, facing away from us. She hadn't bothered to come to come hang out at the beach even though she had promised to try and come.

"Hey Mom, I'm home. I'm just going to take a shower and head to bed." She didn't answer. I narrowed my eyes at the back of her head. "I'm sneaking a boy into my room to spend the night, I'll see you in the morning." She mumbled something sounding like 'mhm'. I frowned but pulled Jared up the stairs after me before leading us into my room and shutting the door. Jared pulled me into a hug.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled, kissing the top of my head. I sighed loudly and pushed away from him.

"It's okay Jare, really it's fine. I'm used to it anyway." I didn't want him feeling bad for me, it wasn't a big deal and I didn't need anyones pity. I reached into my bottom drawer and pulled out pajamas. "I'm gonna take a shower, please be here when I get back." I said leaning up and pecking his lips. He smiled.

"Of course I'll be here." He mumbled back. I grinned and pulled away.

"Oh," I said stopping and turning back around, "Your clothes that you left here are clean and in the top drawer if you want to change." I told him, smiling sweetly before turning and heading out the door to take my shower.

A little while later I came back into my room to find him looking at the pictures that were on my bulletin board. Most of them were from recently with the guys, Leah, and Emily. There was one with me, Embry, Quil, and Jake. Embry had his arms wrapped around me and the other guys were leaned in close. We were all making faces at the camera. Another was of me and Seth holding up our fish that were still in the bags, smiling widely. There was one of me and Brady singing into wooden spoons and another with Collin giving me a piggy back ride. There were a couple of me and Jared and a few of me and Emily. There was also ones of all of us together, laughing and enjoying whatever we had been enjoying at the time. He turned when he noticed I was there, watching him. He came over and scooped me up in his arms before shutting off the lights and climbing into bed with me. I snuggled into his arms and relaxed.

"How long did you date Jake? And Quil?" He asked softly. I laughed.

"Is that seriously what you're thinking about right now?" He gave me a pleading look. "It wasn't anything serious, a couple dates each, freshman year." He let out a sigh of relief. "I'm sorry." I added. "I didn't mean to make you upset. I was mad at Jake and I knew he didn't want me to tell you. Sorry." He shook his head and kissed my temple.

"You didn't do anything and I didn't know Jake was going to throw you in the water or else I would have stopped him. Are you sure you're okay?" He asked. I nodded my head, he was always thinking of me.

"Don't tell them this...but I like when they come up with weird nicknames for me that I pretend to hate and when they tease me and are annoying. They're like my family and they make me feel like I belong with you guys." His arms tightened around me and he leaned down and kissed me on the mouth for a couple of seconds.

"Thats because you do belong, Kim."

"Jared." I whispered again. This wasn't working, time for a different approach. I swung my leg over his waist so I was straddling him. I started placing kisses up the side of his neck to his ear. "Jared." I whispered again, nibbling on his ear slightly. He moaned slightly and I nudged him with my nose before placing more kisses across his face. His arms wrapped around me and pulled my face to his again so he could kiss me. I finally had to pull back to get air and rested my forehead on his.

"This is a lovely way to wake up...can we do this every morning?" He asked, hopefully. I giggled,

"I'll see what I can do but I've been trying to wake you up and apparently this is the only method." I unhitched my leg from around him and moved to get up. He made a noise of unhappiness and reached out to grab me. I swatted his hand away. "I made breakfast though!" I told him, pouting slightly. He instantly brightened up and sat up, propping the pillows up on my bed. I carried the huge plate of french toast and bacon that I had set on my desk over to where he sat. He took the plate from me as I climbed into bed next to him and cuddled up to him.

"How long have you been awake?" He asked. I shrugged.

"Not that long but I decided I'd make you breakfast and I had been trying to wake you up but you like to sleep. I didn't know you were that heavy of a sleeper, Jare." He chuckled and cut off a piece of french toast, putting it in his mouth before doing the same for me.

"I'm usually not such a heavy sleeper, I didn't sleep well the night before and then I had to work all morning yesterday so I was pretty tired." He admitted. I stroked the back of his hand as I chewed on a piece of bacon.

"I'm sorry I woke you up." I said apologetically. I should have just let him sleep. He looked so peaceful and calm and I had to ruin it.

"No, no. Believe me, it was a great way to wake up." I shoved him playfully and he leaned down kissing my temple. It was sort of our thing. He would always kiss my temple and it instantly made me feel better. It was a sweet gesture that always made me smile. After we finished breakfast we laid in bed a little while longer talking about random things and just enjoying spending time together. I cradled his huge hand in mine and traced random patterns on it. During the time we were laying her I almost brought up the wolf thing numerous times. I just couldn't bring myself to ask about it or tell him I knew. After a little while I sighed, "Jared, you know you can tell me anything, right?" I asked. He nodded his head avidly.

"Of course." He responded as if it was painfully obvious.

"Okay...I just wanted you to know."