O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; it is the green-ey'd monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on.
William Shakespeare
Othello
Chapter 25 – New Problems, Old Friends
June 13, 2026
Gracie's POV
I finished drying off from my shower and pulled on a loose fitting top and some jogging shorts, carefully avoiding looking at my body. I didn't need to see myself to know what I looked like these days. My breasts were slightly fuller, my skin softer. I had dark circles under my eyes from the complete and utter exhaustion I continuously felt. And though I didn't have much of a baby bump yet at four months, it was definitely forming. At least the nausea wasn't as bad at it had been. Sometimes I figured if I could just ignore what was happening to me, I could pretend it wasn't real.
It had been two months since I told my family about my pregnancy…since I ruined everyone's lives. It was bad enough discovering I was pregnant right around the time Meena bit Nate. The nausea had been the first clue. Then my period had been late. Praying for a miracle, I'd gone into the pharmacy in Forks and bought a pregnancy test. The result…that fucking plus sign giving me the news I already knew but didn't want to accept.
Telling everyone had been the worst though. I knew I couldn't hide it forever…not around the wolf pack. Ryan especially knew something was wrong, his reactions so closely attuned to mine. He kept telling me I smelled differently. He'd been saying that since before I knew I was pregnant.
My heart ached painfully as I thought of Ryan. He'd been avoiding me the past couple months. I gave him a few weeks of not contacting him, hoping his anger would cool off. It didn't.
Instead, Nate told me Ryan retired from the pack…said there was no point in phasing anymore. Considering my former fear of the wolf pack, that news should have made me happy. Instead, I went into my room and sobbed into my pillow. Because I knew it was a sign that he had finally given up on me. He wasn't going to wait for me anymore to catch up to the age he was frozen at.
I tried going to his house a few times after I heard the news. I even tried calling him. But no matter how hard I tried to communicate with him, I had no success. He had effectively shut me out of his life. More than anything, I feared that he was going to leave and go back to Washington D.C. But for some reason he stayed in La Push, working at Quil and Seth's garage—and from what I heard—spending his nights getting drunk.
As I walked out of the bathroom and headed into my bedroom to slip on my shoes, I wondered not for the first time if I hadn't been stupid calling off the abortion. I had always felt it was a woman's right to decide what she wanted to do with her body. And I certainly wasn't going to judge anyone for making a decision as tough and painful as terminating a pregnancy. But when it boiled down to it, I found I couldn't do it.
I had gotten as far as the front door of the clinic when I saw a mother and her little baby walking across the street. The baby had glanced over at me, and I'd been positive the little fucker was judging me. I ended up bursting into tears right then and there.
My mom, who'd come with me, wrapped her arms around me and said, "Gracie, you don't have to do this, you know."
"I'm just…I'm not ready to be a mother," I whispered painfully. "But I can't…I can't—"
My mom grabbed my hand and led me to a nearby bench where we sat down. "If you want to go through with the pregnancy, we'll support you. You'll have to get a job—"
"I know," I agreed, sniffing miserably. "I guess I'll have to drop out of school and start looking for one."
"Absolutely not," my mother replied. "You're going to finish getting your diploma. You're going to need it. Your father and I will help with the baby while you're completing your education."
"Mom," I murmured. "It's such a burden for you guys."
"We're a family," my mother stated. "And this baby is a part of that now."
And with those words, my mom had gone into the clinic and cancelled my appointment. Returning home, I never expected Ryan to be there waiting for me. The look of betrayal on his face when he realized I hadn't terminated the pregnancy was one I knew I'd live with for the rest of my life.
As I'd watched him walk away, I wondered if it was possible to break an imprint. I had pushed and pushed Ryan for years. This was just one more problem I threw on his lap…one that he didn't deserve. And one that was too big to ignore.
The thing was, before I found out about the baby, my life was finally starting to click. Ryan and I had tentatively started dating. I was flourishing at school. I was accepting responsibility for my actions of the past, and I finally was beginning to feel pride in myself. In other words…I was getting my shit together. And Ryan was the best part about it. We'd grown so close. Then the pregnancy happened.
Why couldn't I ever get anything right?
Now I was bringing a kid into this world. Me! The world's biggest fuck up.
"Yeah, your mom's a real winner, kid," I whispered as I touched the round bump on my body. "Former drug user…pregnant teen…" I sniffed. "I don't even have a diploma yet. How am I supposed to support you?"
I could feel the panic setting in, and I took a deep breath to calm myself. Now was not the time to have a meltdown. My parents and I were leaving in a couple of hours for the Makah rez. Nate and Meena were getting married today.
Everyone was going to be there. My maternal grandparents and Grandma Uley. Claire's parents and my cousins, Nick and Cora. Ryan. And…Gabe.
I hadn't seen him since New Year's. At one time, he'd been my best friend. We still kept in touch, though it wasn't as frequent now that he was living with some vampire in Alaska. When he saw me, would he have the same disappointed look on his face that everyone else wore around me these days?
Given the hostility the pack—in other words, Ryan—felt towards Gabe, it was decided to not have a dress rehearsal. Nate and Meena were trying to keep Gabe and I separated for as long as possible. I was going to be paired up in the wedding party with Paul and Rachel's son, Devlin. Meena wanted her grandma Bella to serve as her matron of honor, so Gabe was going to walk with her. Nate had wanted Claire in the wedding as she was like a sister to us, but she was eight months pregnant with her second child and Quil nixed the idea.
I already had my bag for the weekend packed as we were staying overnight at my Grandma and Grandpa Young's house. Instead of pacing my room for the next couple of hours, I decided to go out for awhile. Walking down the stairs, I went into the living room where my dad was sitting, listlessly watching TV.
"Dad, can I borrow your car?"
"Where are you going?" he asked, instantly suspicious.
"Nowhere near Zack if that's what you're wondering," I remarked bitterly. As far as I was concerned, Zack Murray could drop off a La Push cliff and drown. It still pissed me off that he accused me of lying about him being the father of the baby. Like I'd claim that asshole as the father if it weren't true.
My dad continued to stare at the TV. He hadn't said much to me since learning that I planned on keeping the baby and I hated the awkwardness between us. He finally sighed and reached in his pant pocket for his truck keys. "Be home in an hour. Your mom wants to be on the road by then."
"Fine," I said, grabbing the keys out of his hand and heading outdoors. I hopped in his truck and began driving with no idea where I was going.
I wasn't surprised when I ended up parked outside of Quil and Seth's garage. Azra came out of the building with a rag in his hands, using it to wipe grease off his skin. His face changed from welcome to caution when he saw it was me. With his expression shifting to concern, he glanced back at the garage. So that meant Ryan was there.
"He's here, right?" I asked as I got out of the truck.
Azra paused and then nodded toward one of the open bay doors. He turned without another word and headed for the garage's office. Straightening my shoulders, I went in through the large door and stopped when I saw Ryan.
He was bent over a car, working on an engine with steady firm hands. I didn't have to announce myself. His body stiffened briefly before he continued on his task, but I knew he was aware that I was there.
"Hello Ryan," I said, unsure what else to say.
"I thought you'd be up in Makah," he muttered as he continued to work.
I walked closer to him. "We're leaving in a little bit."
"Hmm," he grunted as he continued to ignore me.
I finally begged, "Ryan, please look at me."
He didn't. He stepped away from the engine and started to walk away.
"Are you going to ignore me forever?" I shouted.
He froze, his back to me. "What do you want from me, Gracie?"
"I want you to forgive me," I whispered, moving up to him until there were mere inches separating us. "I want you to lov—to not hate me anymore."
He stared at the garage floor, his body rigid with tension. Finally, he said in a voice so low I could barely hear him, "I do love you." Then he turned and looked at me…and I wished he hadn't. Especially when he said, "I just can't look at you anymore."
He turned back around and went inside the office, the door shutting behind him with a finality I didn't want to accept. I reached up and wiped away the tears that had begun to trickle down my cheeks. I stumbled to my dad's truck and was about to get in when I felt a restraining hand on my arm. I swiveled around, hoping against hope that Ryan had come after me. Instead, Azra was in front of me, staring at me with troubled eyes.
"Are you all right to drive home?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks," I said.
He nodded and went back into the garage. Feeling miserable and alone, I made my way slowly to my house. When I walked inside, my dad was still sitting in his favorite chair.
"Here," I said, giving him the keys. He took them without a word to me and something finally broke inside me.
"I know, Dad! I'm a horrible person. I screwed up. Everyone hates me now. You hate me and Mom hates me and R-Ryan hates me. Don't you think I don't know that? I'm…" I was starting to get hysterical. "I'm just—sorry, okay? I'm r-really, really sorry."
I covered my face with my hands and started bawling, unable to hold back my pain anymore. I felt an arm around my waist and then I was sitting on my dad's lap. He tucked my head under his chin and held me like he used to when I was a little girl, and I clung to him, crying out my heartache into his neck.
I felt my dad's soothing hand run over my hair as he said, "I don't hate you, Gracie. Neither does your mom. We're just disappointed—"
"I know!" I said, sobbing even harder.
"No, you misunderstand. You're only seventeen. Your whole life is about to change and there's still so much we wanted you to have. You should be worrying about which colleges to apply to, whether or not you're getting a zit—you know, normal stuff every other teenager is doing right now…not worrying about a baby."
"Dad, I'm so scared," I confessed.
I heard him chuckle softly in response. "What parent isn't? But you have us and we'll never abandon you, Gracie, no matter what. And you have Ryan…"
"No, I don't," I replied, getting teary again. "I just went to see him. He won't even look at me."
"You do have him," my father insisted. "Ryan's hurting…give him time."
I sniffed and looked my dad in the eye. "But what if he doesn't forgive me?"
"He loves you. He has since you were a little kid. When you love someone that long, it's very hard to turn off the emotion, no matter how you're currently feeling. Once he remembers that, he'll be there for you."
I nodded and hugged my father. "Thank you, Dad."
He kissed my forehead and then helped me up from the chair. "Go wash your face. I hear your mom coming up the driveway, and you'll freak her out if she sees how blotchy you look."
I let out a little laugh and made my way upstairs, going into the bathroom to wash my tearstained skin. I heard my mom come into the house, and she and my dad started talking softly. I went to my room and sat on my bed, feeling slightly numb.
"Gracie," she called some time later. "We need to get going."
"Be right down," I said and grabbed my overnight bag. I walked down the stairs as my mom came into the hallway.
"We're going to drop you off at Ronnie's house when we get to the rez," she said, mentioning her brother as she searched for something in her purse. "Meena and the Cullens will be there getting ready—" She finally looked at me and stopped talking. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong with her, Em," my dad said, carrying a suitcase as he came down the stairs behind me. "Remember how emotional you were when you were pregnant?"
"True," she replied, still staring at me in concern. "Is that all though? You're feeling okay."
I rolled my eyes. "I'm fine. Can we please just get going?"
"All right," she said, her face turning to excitement. "Let's get this show on the road. I don't want to be late for my only son's wedding."
It took us an hour to get to the Makah rez. My parents dropped me off at my Uncle Ronnie and Aunt Stacy's house before they headed to my grandparents' home. I knocked tentatively on the door and Claire answered it.
"Hey Gracie," she said, giving me an awkward hug, our pregnant bellies touching briefly. She pulled away and laughed. "I guess we'll have to get used to that for the next couple of weeks until my little one arrives. Come on in."
"Where's Kayley?" I asked, looking around expectantly for Claire's daughter.
"Where else? She's with Brady," Claire replied with a smirk as she mentioned her child's imprinter. "Quil and the rest of the family are at Grandma and Grandpa's."
"Are Cora and Nick coming to the wedding?" I asked about Claire's brother and sister.
"Yep," she answered. "Cora's at a hotel with her husband. And I'm sure Nick is nursing the mother of all hangovers right now. You know Nate had his bachelor party last night, right? If alcohol was involved, Nick probably would have felt obligated to keep up with the wolves. He's probably sick, and it serves him right for drinking underage."
We walked into the living room and I saw Claire's best friends, Lindsey, Amber, and Ashley sitting around. Claire had known them since she was in elementary school. When I was younger and Claire had lived with us, I had nicknamed her friends the Makah Clique. The girls would come down to La Push and hang out with each other all the time.
Quil and Collin had always been in the background somewhere. Of course, I didn't know at the time that Quil had imprinted on Claire and Collin on Lindsey. I looked at Lindsey now who was just as pregnant as Claire. She seemed to glow with her contentment and I envied her that. Ashley looked…well, she looked like she always did. Pissed off. I never understood what her deal was, but she had a tendency to come across as a miserable human being. And Amber…she was her usual self. Smiling, but I thought she looked kind of pale.
"Hey Gracie," Lindsey said, rubbing her round belly. "I'd get up and hug you, but it's too much of a pain in the ass to move."
I smiled at her. The Makah girls complemented each other perfectly. Claire was a sweetheart like Quil. Lindsey had Collin's sense of humor. Ashley, her anger. And Amber, her gentleness.
"It's okay," I replied as I went over and gave Lindsey a hug. "I can still move around."
"For now," Ashley sneered. I ignored her.
"What's this?" a high-pitched musical voice asked. "No time for socializing!"
I glanced over and saw Alice Cullen standing in the doorway. I had only met her a couple of times when I used to hang out with Gabe, but she always seemed a force to be reckoned with.
"You," she said, pointing at me. "In the back. We've got hair and makeup to do. It looks like you haven't slept in ages." She made a tsking noise as she added, "And we're going to have our work cut out for us."
"Good luck," Claire said with a light laugh.
I gave her a dirty look and went down the hallway with Alice following behind me. Jacob Black and Edward Cullen were standing outside my aunt and uncle's bedroom door, talking casually.
"Hey Gracie," Jacob said as soon as he saw me. He came over and gave me a hug.
"Hi," I replied. "I thought you'd be hanging out with the other guys right now."
"Nah, gotta play father of the bride today. I was told by the shrimp—" I heard Alice cough behind me—"that I wasn't to leave my daughter's side today. Besides, Quil and Sam weren't too crazy about having their family members in a house full of vampires, so I said I'd play guard in case anyone went on a feeding frenzy."
Edward rolled his eyes and Alice huffed indignantly. "Stupid wolves," I heard her mutter. "Enough talking. We've only got a few hours to get this girl ready."
"Is it going to take that long?" I asked in bewilderment.
"Yes," Jacob and Edward replied simultaneously.
"Come on, come on," Alice said, placing an arm around my waist and all but shoving me through the door. I entered my aunt and uncle's bedroom. I heard Meena's voice coming from the master bedroom. She was speaking with someone I didn't recognize.
"Gracie, you remember Esme, Bella, and Rosalie, right?" Alice asked.
Rosalie was currently doing Bella's hair. She looked at my pregnant form and seemed to wince. Bella and Esme said hello and I returned their greeting.
"Meena," Alice called out. "Gracie is here."
Meena came out of the bathroom with her mom. She was wearing a silk robe and was waving her one hand around. I could smell the wet nail polish she was wearing and my stomach turned slightly at the scent. Another woman came out after them. She had strawberry blond hair and flawless features. I had never met her before, but she screamed vampire to me. I suddenly felt self-conscious, surrounded by these supernaturally beautiful women.
"Gracie, hey," Meena said with a happy smile. "You made it okay? The drive wasn't too bad, was it?"
"No, it was fine," I replied, slightly taken aback. Meena and I weren't friendly on a good day. I guess the fact that she was about to marry my brother softened her attitude towards me.
"Have you ever met Tanya?" she asked, nodding to the woman behind her.
So this was Gabe's girlfriend. She gave me a cool smile, and I understood in that one look that Tanya knew I was the reason Gabe had been banished from La Push.
"How do you do?" she said coolly, her voice faintly accented.
"Do you want to kill me now or later?" I asked bluntly. Her face softened slightly.
"You've got spirit. I can see why Gabe is so fond of you," Tanya replied. "Now Meena, time to finish getting ready."
They disappeared back into the bathroom. Esme grabbed my hand and sat me down on my relatives' bed.
"Makeup first," she said, grabbing some foundation off the nearby dresser.
And for the next few hours, I got prepped for the wedding. My hair was put into large curls, the sides pinned back so it was away from my face. A silvery blue eyeshadow was applied to my eyelids. The conversation remained light the entire time I was getting ready. Not a single one of them asked me about my pregnancy and I was grateful for that.
When it was time for me to put on my dress, Alice came over and helped me into it. Her hand brushed my baby bump and she froze, her eyes going blank.
"Oh…" she muttered before a smile formed on her face.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
She looked down at my belly and nodded. "Yeah…everything's fine." Zipping me up, she added, "I'm going to take you over to the bay in a little bit and walk you through the ceremony since we didn't have a dress rehearsal."
"Okay," I replied, my hands running over the soft folds of my baby blue dress. It was absolutely gorgeous with a sweetheart strapless neckline. The dress was pleated, the skirt falling to my knees. It had a lace underskirt that peeked out from the dress and emphasized the shape of my legs. As we were going to be on the beach, it was paired with silver sandals. The dress fit perfectly, though it showed off my belly in a way that made me self-conscious.
"You look beautiful," Alice assured me. Meena came out of the bathroom at that moment and I felt an emotional lump form in my throat. She and I may have had our differences in the past, but she was marrying my brother. Looking at her stunning features, I knew Nate was going to burst with pride when he saw her.
Meena's hair had been pinned up with a veil attached to the back of it. Her makeup was subtle and perfect. She stepped into her gown and the ladies in the room turned emotional. The dress was a ball gown with the same sweetheart bodice that I had on my dress. A large metallic floral detail was pinned to her waist, making her tiny frame look even smaller.
"Well…how do I look?" she asked nervously.
Renesmee sniffed and said, "Oh sweetie."
"I think my brother's going to have a hard time keeping his hands off you," I told her. Meena giggled, looking ethereal.
"You look stunning," Alice agreed, her face filled with satisfaction. Rubbing her hands together gleefully, she said, "All right, now that everything is set here, I'm going to take Gracie over to the beach."
They nodded and we left the room. Jake and Edward were now in the living room. The Makah Clique were gone.
"Where'd Claire go?" I asked.
"Quil and Collin came to get their wives an hour ago and the other two went with them," Jacob explained before he paused. "You look great, Gracie."
"Thanks," I replied. "Blame Alice."
They chuckled in response and I was shepherded out the door by the petite vampire. We made our way to the beach.
"The reception is going to be held in the boathouse on the rez's marina," she explained as we drove. "The wedding is going to take place on the nearby beach."
We pulled into a parking lot and I saw an altar had been set up on the sandy shore, along with several rows of white chairs. We got out of the car and Alice took me through a quick rundown of the ceremony.
"Any questions?" she asked.
"Does everyone else know what's going on?" I wondered aloud, my mind briefly on Gabe.
"Yep, I took them through everything last night," she replied. "I'm going to take you to the boathouse now. You'll wait there until the wedding starts."
We entered the building just as Meena and the others arrived. The air was filled with anticipation as I heard Meena and her family members talking excitedly. I went over to the window in the room and watched the guests arrive. My heart jolted when I saw Ryan appear with Azra.
Ryan was looking particularly gorgeous in a beige suit and white open-collared, button down shirt. Azra pointed to a couple of seats by Seth Clearwater and his girlfriend, Hayley. Seth waved at them and Ryan sat down next to him with Azra on his other side. Azra caught my attention when I saw him glance around and freeze as his gaze landed on Quil and Claire. His expression turned momentarily pained before he quickly looked away. What was that about?
The music changed and Nate walked over from the parking lot followed by Devlin and Gabe. A smile appeared on my face as I stared at my friend. Gabe looked fantastic, yet different. His face had matured, his body more defined. He no longer resembled the bitter teen that left La Push and instead looked like a confident man.
I glanced at Nate and my grin grew. He looked so excited, like all his dreams were about to come true. I knew how long he'd wanted this day to happen, and I was so happy for him.
"It's time," Alice said, popping her head into the room. She handed me a bouquet of blue wildflowers and white roses.
I took a nervous breath and walked out first. I made my way across the walkway that led to the beach, and then headed down the makeshift aisle. I kept my eyes firmly on the ground as I moved. I felt everyone's eyes on me—judging me—and I wanted to run away, but I kept my expression blank. When I finally took my place at the altar, I looked up. The first face I saw was Gabe's.
His gaze ran over me, taking in the different changes on my body, his eyes lingering briefly on my rounded stomach. And then he met my eyes. His lips formed into a slight smile and he gave me a little wink. I felt an answering smile appear on my face. That was just the way it was between us…easy and unthreatening.
I heard a slight commotion and looked over in time to see Ryan half rise out of his chair, his face deadly as he stared at Gabe. Azra and Seth calmly reached out and grabbed his arms, hauling him back in his seat. I kept my face averted from everyone after that, even as the ceremony began and Nate and Meena exchanged vows. After a short time, they were pronounced man and wife and the witnesses broke out into applause.
After exchanging a tender kiss, they walked down the aisle. Bella and Gabe followed. Devlin offered me his arm and we walked behind the others. Being Nate's ever conscientious beta, Dev maneuvered me so that Gabe and I were standing nowhere near each other as we greeted guests. I wasn't sure if I was annoyed or not, but as Ryan bypassed me to congratulate the bride and groom, I decided it was probably best if I avoided all confrontation.
The guests moved to the boathouse where food was waiting for us. I mingled, catching up with my different family members. Dinner was soon served buffet style. I got up to get my food, but I didn't really have an appetite. I ended up grabbing a tiny piece of chicken and a couple of small potatoes. As everyone began to eat around me, I picked at my food.
I felt eyes on me and looked up in that direction. My gaze immediately landed on Ryan, but he was talking to Claire's friend, Amber, who was seated next to him. I frowned and returned to pushing my food around my plate.
After toasts were done and dancing began, I made my way to the bathroom. The larger the baby got inside me, the more I found I had to pee. After I was through, I made my way back to my table. It had been abandoned by then. Meena and Nate were visiting their different guests, Bella was now sitting with Edward at a different table, Gabe and Tanya were slow dancing/groping each other on the dance floor, and Devlin was with his imprint, Hanna.
Hanna was Jared and Kim's daughter…the one currently not having sex with Seth Clearwater. The lucky girl was rarely in La Push. She'd been attending some school for the arts in Michigan the past couple of years, and she was off to Julliard when school started in the fall. Hanna was the pride of the rez. She was a concert pianist and was gaining a national reputation. I was pretty sure she didn't know that Devlin had imprinted on her. She seemed oblivious to the fact that Devlin was staring at her like she was his entire world.
Luckily for him, Hanna was back for the summer, so at least Devlin would get to spend some time with her before she left for school. As I sat down at my table, I noticed there was a plate filled with healthy food in front of me. I frowned at it. Who the hell got that for me? I felt eyes on me again and carefully tried to see if it was Ryan staring at me, but when I looked over at him, he was still talking to Amber, laughing at something she said.
I took my fork and stabbed some green beans, shoving them in my mouth and chewing them until they were liquefied. Deciding it was better to ignore Ryan as he was ignoring me, I began to people watch. Seeing as I was at the head table, which was separated from everyone else, I had a view of pretty much everyone. My parents were talking with Jacob and Renesmee, their faces relaxed and happy. Brady had my cousin Kayley in his arms. He was spinning her in circles on the dance floor much to her childish delight.
Collin and Lindsey were also on the dance floor. Collin had his arms loosely around his imprint's waist. It should have been awkward for them to dance given that Lindsey was eight months pregnant, but they still seemed to fit perfectly against each other. Lindsey was hunched over in a way that allowed her to rest her head on her husband's chest, her face nuzzled into his neck. Collin was rubbing his jaw back and forth against her hair, but I saw him glance over at Amber and Ryan several times, a frown always on his face when he did.
My brow furrowed in confusion. I knew women were blurry to imprinted wolves unless they were an imprintee or the child of a wolf. Yet Collin was looking at Amber in a way that said he saw her crystal clear…and he didn't like what he was seeing.
"And now, the bride and groom will have their first official dance," the hired DJ announced and the dance floor cleared off.
The opening melody of Miley Cyrus's "When I Look At You" began to play. To my amusement, Nate looked pained and slightly embarrassed upon hearing the music choice…that was, until Meena walked into his arms. And then a contented smile appeared on his face. As they danced, I saw Devlin and Seth walking towards me, their faces diabolical.
"I can't believe they chose Miley Cyrus for their song," Seth said with a snicker. "That music wasn't cool fifteen years ago, let alone now."
"So we're going to give him shit for this, right?" Devlin asked.
"Oh yeah…we're definitely going to give him shit," Seth replied with an evil grin just as they stopped next to me.
"Now…" the DJ said. "If we could have the rest of the wedding party join the bride and groom on the dance floor."
Devlin looked at me and then blushed. "I guess we're supposed to dance."
"You? Dance to Miley?" I remarked teasingly. His face turned even redder.
Seth snorted. "Yeah Dev…go rock out, man."
"Shut it, Clearwater," Devlin muttered as he held out his hand to me.
I bit my lip, my humor disappearing. I had planned on being invisible all night. I noticed Gabe and Bella were moving around the dance floor, chatting away. Jeez, it was hard to remember she was his grandmother, given how young she looked.
"C'mon Gracie," Devlin said. "If anyone should be nervous dancing in front of people, it's me. Ryan's in the room, after all."
I glanced over at Ryan. He now had an arm casually around the back of Amber's chair. Although Amber was a sweet person, in that moment, I wanted to rip her hair out. Defiance filled me. Fuck it. Half the room probably assumed I was a slut anyway. Who gave a shit what they thought of me being pregnant. I stood up and smoothed my dress over my belly.
"Let's do this," I said, putting my hand firmly in Devlin's. He gave me an approving smile and led me out onto the dance floor.
"So I guess this mean's we're family now," he remarked as we started to dance.
"How do you mean?" I asked distractedly, trying very hard not to notice Ryan, who was now paying attention to me. In fact, he was watching me like a hawk. Tension surrounded me, making my neck ache with it.
"Meena's my cousin and she married your brother," Devlin explained. "I guess that makes us cousins-in-law."
I let out a little laugh. "Uh…welcome to the family?"
"Thanks," he replied, grinning at me and my heart warmed. Devlin didn't seem to care at all about my situation. He was just having a good time. He kind of reminded me of Gabe in that regard. Completely laid back. I guessed it was a Black thing.
As we moved around the dance floor, the lyrics of the song began to seep into my clouded brain.
When I look at you,
I see forgiveness,
I see the truth.
You love me for who I am,
Like the stars hold the moon,
Right there where they belong.
And I know I'm not alone.
My eyes started to tear up. I glanced at Ryan and met his heated stare.
Yeah when my world is falling apart,
When there's no light to break up the dark,
That's when I, I, I look at you.
Ryan deliberately turned his head away and smiled at Amber. I sucked in a pain-filled breath as I felt his rejection like an invisible hand smacking my skin.
"You okay, Gracie?" Devlin asked, instantly concerned.
"I'm fine," I replied shakily. Thankfully the song was coming to an end. Dev walked me to my table and hurried back over to Hanna. I sat down wearily.
"Hi kiddo," a female voice said, startling me. Leah Clearwater-Gordon pulled out the chair next to me and sat down.
"Hi," I replied before looking past my godmother. "Your family didn't come with you?"
"Dylan's here," she said, nodding to where her husband was talking to Quil and Embry. "Lilly's at soccer camp in Oregon right now, so we decided to leave the boys with Dylan's sister and have a weekend getaway."
Leah's face was so serene as she mentioned her children, I wondered if I'd ever feel that way about the baby inside me.
"What's that look for?" Leah asked.
I frowned as I stared at the table in front of me. "Did you hear…?"
"About the pregnancy? Yeah."
I shrugged. "You just look so happy and proud when you talk about your kids. I feel this strange sort of detachment right now."
"Give it time," Leah responded, putting a comforting hand on my arm. "Once you hold that baby for the first time, you'll feel differently."
"Sorry to interrupt," Dylan said as he came over to us. "But sweetie, do you want to dance?"
His voice took on a husky tone and Leah's eyes kindled in return. "Definitely." Before she got up, she turned to me. "Don't let anybody give you shit for what happened, got it?"
I gave her a wobbly smile and nodded.
"And if you need to talk or vent or whatever, you'll call me, all right?"
"I will," I said. "Thanks Leah."
She gave me a hug and got up, wrapping her arm around her husband's waist as they made their way out to the dance floor. I noticed Ryan was now dancing with Amber, their bodies pressed close together. I watched him whisper something in her ear. She nodded at whatever he said and they left the floor, disappearing down a hall that I knew led outside.
I tried very hard not to let my jealousy get to me…but what the fuck? Seriously! I wanted to go punch the bitch in the face. I wanted to scream at Ryan for treating me like yesterday's trash.
"Hey." I looked up and saw Gabe standing next to me, a warm smile on his face. "Long time no talk, huh?"
"Yeah," I acknowledged, happiness replacing the anger in my heart. It had been so long since I saw my friend. Until this moment, I didn't realize how much I missed him.
"Mind if I join you?" he asked politely.
"Sure," I said, grinning back. "Though I didn't think we were supposed to communicate tonight."
He pulled out the chair next to me and sat down. "Which is why I'm not going to hug you. I don't want to start a riot."
"Doubt anyone would care," I stated bitterly. Changing the subject, I said, "Your girlfriend is gorgeous, by the way. I met her earlier when I was getting ready."
"Yeah, she is," Gabe said as he looked across the room to where Tanya was sitting. He had an expression on his face I didn't recognize from my old friend. It was sensual and tender and filled with masculine pride. I glanced at Tanya, who was talking to a man with dark coloring. The man was incredibly handsome to the point of being inhuman.
"Who's that guy talking to your girlfriend?"
Gabe pulled his eyes off Tanya to look at the man next to her. He gave a slight shrug. "His name's Nahuel."
"Is he a vampire?"
"He's half vampire, like my mom."
I looked at him in surprise. "I thought Renesmee was a bit of an anomaly."
"There aren't a ton of them out in the world, but there are other half-breeds in existence. Nahuel has a few sisters that live in South America. He and our Denali cousin, Eleazar, have set up a global network for them…kind of like a support group. Eleazar's doing research on the powers they possess."
I looked over at Renesmee who was now slow dancing with Jacob. When Jacob wasn't looking adoringly at his wife, he was glaring at Nahuel. I also noticed he kept shielding Ness from the other man's view…not that Nahuel was paying attention.
"Does your dad not like him?" I asked curiously.
Gabe chuckled. "Yeah, they get a long well enough." I felt Gabe's eyes on me, and I crossed my arms over my stomach self-consciously.
"You want to get out of here?" he asked suddenly.
I looked at him and saw him smiling at me again, giving me that same familiar grin that I'd missed seeing so much. I felt myself relax for the first time all day. "Yes please."
He stood up and looked across the room. Tanya immediately glanced over at us. He pointed at me and nodded towards the door. She gave him a smile and returned to her conversation with Nahuel. Gabe grabbed my hand and led me outside into the night air. I could feel eyes on us as we left, but I didn't care at that point. I needed to escape. My mind and body were literally aching from Ryan's behavior towards me. We walked to the nearby beach, the area lit by the lights from the boathouse and marina.
"Now then…" Gabe said before leaning in and hugging me close. I wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged him back.
"I've missed you so freaking much," I murmured against his chest.
I felt his lips brush against my hair. "I've missed you too, Gracie."
"I'm so sorry for everything," I said. "For what happened on New Year's and for the fact that the pack won't let you come back to La Push…"
Gabe moved so he could cup my cheeks with his hands. "I've already told you on the phone. Don't worry about that. I'm happy where I am. Everything worked out the way it was supposed to. I don't want you to apologize anymore. What happened on New Year's was both of our faults."
I sighed. "Apologizing seems to be the only thing I'm good at lately."
Gabe frowned as he looked at me. "I don't like your aura. It's been black all day. How goes it, Gracie?"
"I…" And then I started to cry. My hands flew up to my face and I sobbed out my heartache.
"Hey," Gabe said softly, cradling me against him. I felt his lips brush my hair again. "It's okay."
"It's not though…it's really not," I struggled to say. "I've fucked up so bad."
"You mean the baby or Ryan?"
I pulled back to look at him. There wasn't any judgment on his face, just openness and acceptance.
"I hurt him," I whispered. "I hurt him so much and now he won't even look at me."
Gabe chuckled. "Trust me, he knows you're there. While you've been moping inside, looking tragic and beautiful, his eyes have been glued on you. It's been more entertaining to watch than television."
"He won't forgive me," I said painfully.
"If he loves you he will," Gabe replied. "And if he doesn't, he's not worth it."
"But he is," I responded, feeling depressed all over again.
"Gracie, can I be frank with you?" When I nodded, he said, "I think you've got something more important to worry about than your love life."
"And what's that?" I asked despondently.
"Your baby," Gabe replied softly. He reached out and placed his hand over my stomach. I gasped as I felt a fluttering in response. It was the first time I'd ever really felt the baby move.
"Oh God," I whispered. "Did you feel that?"
Gabe was staring at my stomach in fascination. "There's a life in there, Gracie. And that baby needs you. Promise me you'll remember that."
His eyes remained glued on my stomach, and I felt my heart soften. "You'll make a good father someday, you know that?"
Gabe finally pulled his gaze away from my rounded middle and dropped his hand from me, giving me a sad smile.
"Tanya can't have kids so I'll have to live vicariously through you and any children Nate and Meena have." He took a step back and smirked as his eyes wandered over me. "Well, at least your aura's better. It's more dark yellow than black now."
I giggled and gave him another hug. Just then, an angry roar filled the air and Ryan came flying out of nowhere. Gabe sent me a worried look and jumped backwards to get away from me just as Ryan attacked him. They both hit the sand and Ryan quickly pinned him down, his forearm pressing against Gabe's neck.
"Ryan! Stop it!" I yelled.
I heard people approaching. I turned for help and saw Gabe's Uncle Emmett running over to us along with Azra, Brady, Devlin…and Tanya. Her face went wild when she saw the situation and she lunged for Ryan. Emmett grabbed her before she could make contact. Though Ryan was in human form and choking Gabe, his eyes suddenly locked on Tanya…the wolf inside him reacting to his natural enemy. A growl erupted from him, feral and threatening.
And suddenly Gabe was on top of Ryan, holding his body forcibly to the ground.
"You don't touch her," Gabe snarled in a voice that sounded layered. Ryan tried to get Gabe off of him, but Gabe being an Alpha wolf with vampire blood was too powerful. Ryan began to shake hard.
Brady and Azra took a step forward, but Devlin held out his hand and said, "Wait."
"You gonna phase in front of her?" Gabe asked, nodding in my direction without taking his eyes off Ryan.
Ryan's chest was rising and falling hard on each rapid breath he took, but his trembling slowed down.
"You're pissed," Gabe said. "We get it. And I know you probably won't give a shit right now, but for what it's worth, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I flirted with Gracie when I knew she was your imprint. I'm sorry I ever touched her. I'm sorry I hurt her…God you have no idea how sorry I am about that. It was a mistake. I wish I could take it all back but I can't. And you have absolutely every right to be pissed at me. But her? Try to remember something while you're living in your self-righteous anger. You left her. What was she supposed to do? Not live her life? She moved on and you have no fucking right to be angry with her for that."
Ryan's body went lax and he looked so pained my eyes began to fill with tears.
"Gabe, don't," I whispered, but neither man acknowledged that they heard me.
"Get off me," Ryan finally said.
Gabe slowly let him go and moved away from him. "We all make mistakes," Gabe added. "But some people are worth forgiving."
"You?" Ryan sneered and my sorrow disappeared and was replaced with a slow burning anger.
Gabe also glowered at him. "If you think I'm talking about me, then you're an even bigger idiot than I thought you were."
With that, Gabe stood up and brushed the sand off his clothes. He walked over to Tanya and took her hand in his, lifting it to his mouth to kiss her palm.
"You okay?" he murmured.
"Give me five minutes alone with the wolf. That's all I want," she threatened.
"I've got a better way for you to use your time," Gabe replied suggestively and Tanya's expression immediately changed to desire.
"On that note," Emmett said with a chuckle. "I'm out of here."
He walked back to the reception area with Brady. Gabe and Tanya headed into the nearby woods, his hand moving in circles on her lower back. Azra and Devlin lingered behind.
"Go," I told them. They looked at Ryan then back at me. Whatever expression was on my face convinced them to get out of there and fast.
I turned back to Ryan, my hands clenched at my sides. "Who the hell do you think you are?"
Ryan got up from the sand and slowly brushed his clothes off, then calmly took a step towards the boathouse. I ran over and blocked his path.
"You don't get to decide who I hang out with," I snapped, jabbing his chest with my index finger. "You don't get to act like you give a damn about me when you clearly don't. And you certainly don't get to be pissed because I was talking to a friend while you were off fucking Amber."
"What are you talking about?" Ryan said, finally looking at me. "I wasn't fucking anyone tonight."
"Whatever," I replied, swiveling around so I could go back to the reception.
He grabbed my arm and made me look at him. "Amber was upset about something so I offered to take her for a walk. I thought some fresh air would help her."
"Kind of like Gabe did for me. Only ours was a platonic catching up between friends."
"I'm not going to tell you again," Ryan said through clenched teeth. "Nothing happened."
"It sucks when your faith in someone is shaken, doesn't it?" I snapped.
"Yes," he replied coldly. "It does."
And suddenly I was tired. I was so exhausted I could barely stand. In a quiet voice, I said, "You know what? Think whatever you want of me. Be pissed and act like I fucking destroyed your life because I had sex with someone before we were even dating. I'm done with this shit. My life isn't about you and me anymore. It's not even about me, period."
I turned from him and added, "My baby…that's all that matters now."
I walked away from him with my head held high, finally ready to accept the next chapter in my life.
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Special thanks to BringUsAngels for suggesting "When I Look At You" for Nate and Meena's song. The lyrics really are perfect for them.
I know some of you are wondering if the story is coming to an end now that Nate and Meena are married. I have about 37 chapters planned for Stormy so we have a little ways to go (and my goal is to get this fic finished this summer). I still have a few storylines to wrap up, plus I have some more in store for Nate and Meena.
Also, thank you very much for the comments on the previous chapter. I replied to everyone's reviews so if you didn't hear from me it's because you have your PMs disabled and the site wouldn't let me respond.
Regarding this chapter, right now I have a family member in the hospital, and I'm currently dealing with that. I probably won't have time to answer all my reviews, but I'd love to hear what you thought. :)