"I feel ridiculous." Sunny mumbled and she scratched idly at the top of her head as she stared at herself in the three-way mirror in the dressing room of the bridal parlor.
"You look beautiful, Sunny!" Emily cooed happily as she looked at her tall friend from the plush couch she was sitting on with Kim, Sue, and her mother with Emily and Claire sitting between them.
"No, she's right." Leah quipped with a snicker as she leaned back in the chair beside the couch, "She looks ridiculous."
"Leah!" Sue scolded her daughter, but the female werewolf merely and waved her hand in the Irish girl's direction.
"Mom, the wedding is in the middle of December, it's going to be fu-I mean, freaking cold." Leah explained her opinion and she eyed the turquoise knee-length dress Sunny was wearing, "And Sunny wouldn't be able to bend over in that thing anyway."
Sunny made a noise of agreement as she looked down at the dress's scarily short hemline, which was supposed reach her knees, but because of her height, it was a good six or seven inches higher. If she bent over, she'd be flashing her knickers at the whole world.
Emily giggled behind her hand and nodded her head, "I see your point, but the color is nice."
"Yeah, can I take it off now?" The redhead asked, turning to look at Emily with a pleading pout on her face.
The scarred woman rolled her eyes playfully and flicked her wrist, "If you must. Go try on the next one."
"Praise th' Lord." Sunny mumbled and she hoped off the small podium she was standing, following the bridesmaid consultant, Danni, into the changing room in the back.
Emily's and Sam's wedding was three weeks away and everything was almost finished, with the exception of the bridesmaids dresses. Emily had managed to find the perfect dress a week ago and now she was on the hunt for Sunny's, Leah's, and Kim's bridesmaids' dresses, along with Claire's and Lily's flower girl dresses. She had already found a tux for Sam and his three best men, Jared, Paul, and Jacob as well as the cute little tuxedo that Mason was going to wear as the ring-bearer.
The Irish girl mumbled Gaelic curses under her breath as she slipped into the next dress, a pretty pale silver strapless chiffon dress that reached Sunny's ankles, though it was meant to be floor-length.
"I think this one going to be a winner." The consultant gushed, ignoring the redhead's grumbles as she zipped the dress.
Sunny grimaced slightly when the perky, petite woman turned around then she followed her out to the main room. Emily, Kim, Sue and Emily's mother, Laura gasped in delight when the redhead stepped into the main room while Claire and Lily cooed and clapped excitedly, Leah even whistled lowly in appreciation.
"Well?" Sunny asked as she stood on the short podium in front of the girls and she held her arms out, turning in a slow circle, "What do ye think, Em?"
Emily stared up at the slightly younger girl with glistening brown eyes, her hands covering her mouth.
"Oh, Sunny, it's perfect!" The scarred woman exclaimed gleefully and she clasped her hands under her chin, staring at the dress with a starry-eyed look.
The consultant stepped forward then, "We also have some shawls and shrugs that would look great with this type of dress, especially if it's an outside winter wedding."
Emily nodded eagerly and Sunny fidgeted uncomfortably on the podium, her nose scrunching up slightly as she shifted from foot-to-foot.
"Can I change now?" The redhead asked, "An' one o' th' other girls can try on th' dress?"
"Oh, yes, of course." Emily said with a nod and Sunny hurried back into the dressing room to get out of the dress.
"Well, that was fun…" Leah grumbled as she and Sunny walked out of the bridal store while Kim, Emily, Sue, and Laura finished up inside the store.
The Irish girl snorted and she stretched her arms over her head with a groan, her head lolling slightly to the side so she could look at her friend.
"Aye, 'm really not lookin' forward t'bein' poked an' prodded by those women."
"Me either."
The girls' conversation was cut short when Emily, Kim, Sue, and Laura exited the shop.
"Is anyone hungry?" Emily asked sweetly as she put her hands on her barely-there-baby-bump affectionately, "I think the baby's hungry."
The other women chuckled and Sunny looped her arm through the slightly older woman's.
"Well, then, what do ye an' Junior want t'eat, love?" The redhead asked lightly as they walked towards Sunny's van.
Emily tapped her chin thoughtfully, "Seafood, that sounds really good right now."
Leah made a gagging noise as she climbed into the way back of the van with Kim while her mother and aunt took the middle seat and Emily climbed into the passenger seat.
"Seafood?" Sunny questioned in mild disbelief and her nose scrunched up slightly as she climbed into the driver's seat and started the van, "Well alrigh' then, love."
The Irish girl pulled out of the bridal shop's parking lot and into the busy midafternoon Seattle traffic in search of a seafood restaurant.
"Shit, where th' fuck 're ye goin'?" A brunette man demanded in heavy Irish accent, his voice the rough rasp of a smoker.
"Shut th' fuck up. 'M figurin' shit out 'ere." A second man, this one dirty blonde, snapped back in an equally heavy Irish accent.
"Oh fuck ye, 'm not th' directionally challenged arse getting' us fuckin' lost."
"Would ye fuckin' shut it?" The second man barked, jerking the steering wheel to the right in a hard turn that caused the brunette man to knock his head against the window.
"Wha' th' bloody fuck?" The brunette growled, rubbing the side of his head and scowling at the other man darkly.
The blonde man gave his companion a smug smirk as he pulled the car to a stop in front of a medium, one-story house with a wraparound porch.
"Fuckin' found it." He said triumphantly with a smirk.
The brunette looked out the front windshield, cocking one dark brow as he looked at the house.
"She lives 'ere?" He questioned and his companion nodded.
"'Tis th' address Da an' Thomas gave us." The blonde man said, digging a piece of paper out of the pocket of his peacoat, "Doesn' look like anyone's 'ome."
"Aye." The brunette agreed as he looked at the empty driveway and the dark house, "Got t'fuckin' call Da an' Thomas. Tell 'em we found th' house."
"Aye." The blonde grunted, already digging a cellphone from his coat pocket then began punching in numbers.
The man with the smoker's voice popped open the passenger side door and climbed out of the car and began wandering around the property curiously. The second man got out of the car as well, talking rapidly on the phone in another language as he leaned against the bonnet of the car, watching his brother walk around. The brunette glanced back at his brother when he heard the phone snap shut then walked over to him.
"Well?"
"Says t'hang 'round town 'til he an' Thomas get 'ere." The blonde said as he climbed back into the driver's seat, "Told 'im t'meet us at th' diner in town. Figured we might as well get somethin' t'fuckin' eat."
The brunette nodded and hopped back into the car, digging a pack of cigarettes out of his coat. He lit one and passed it to his brother then lit another, rolling down the window slightly as he took a drag from the stick. The short drive to the small diner in the middle of Forks, Washington was silent between the two brothers.
"Hi, my name's Mariah and I'll be your server today." A pretty dark-haired girl with bright hazel-gold eyes chirped cheerfully as she stood in front of the table the brothers were sitting at, "Can I get you boys something to drink?"
The blonde smiled at the dark-haired girl flirtatiously, "Aye, do ye have any Guinness?"
The girl quirked a dark brow at him and she put a hand on her hip, "That depends, you have I.D., stranger?"
"Leave 'er alone, Conn." The brunette grunted without looking away from his open menu, "I'll 'ave a coke an' me idiot brudder will 'ave th' same, lass."
"Alrighty, two cokes coming up." Mariah replied with a smile at the darker brother then she sauntered towards the kitchen.
The blonde, Connor MacManus, reached across the table and smacked his brother upside the head, "What was tha' 'bout ye, Murph? I could 'ave gotten her number, ye dick!"
"Yeah, righ'." Murphy MacManus snorted and rolled his eyes from behind his menu, "Sbe wasn' interested. 'Sides, I thought ye were still hung up on tha' lass tha' answered Shiney's phone tha' one time."
Connor opened and closed his mouth for several moments then he huffed and leaned back against his seat, crossing his arms tightly over his chest.
"Shuddap."
Murphy snorted a laugh and opened his mouth to retort but a glass was suddenly sat down in front of him. The darker twin lifted his head and blinked in slight surprise when his blue eyes met cheerful golden-hazel ones.
"Here's your drinks, boys." Their waitress, Mariah, said with a smile and she held up her pad and pen, "Do you know what you'd like to eat?"
"Uh, aye," Murphy mumbled and he looked back at his menu, "I'll take th' classic burger, with chips, lass."
Connor smirked at his brother then he looked over at the petite waitress when she turned to him, "An' I'll take th' cheeseburger an' chips."
Mariah's brow furrowed in confusion and her pen hovered over the pad, "Um, chips?"
Connor and Murphy looked at each other then back at the dark-haired girl.
"I think ye Americans call 'em fries." Connor replied with an amused grin when the girl's tanned cheeks darkened slightly in a faint blush.
"Oh, right." She said with an embarrassed chuckle and she tucked a stray strained of hair behind her ear, "Right, okay, so one classic burger with fries and a classic cheeseburger with fries as well?"
"Tha's righ', lass." Connor stated with another flirtatious smirk and he held out his menu towards her, "An' maybe I can get yer number along wit' tha' burger."
"Not on your life, stranger." Mariah quipped pleasantly and she flashed a sweet smile as she took his and his brother's menus, "Your orders should be ready in fifteen minutes."
Connor pouted as he stared after the retreating girl's back, unashamedly watching the way her long dark hair swayed in the middle of her back with each sashay of her hips. Murphy laughed lowly and kicked his twin's shin under the table, causing him to turn his attention from their waitress to glare at him. The darker twin merely grinned smugly at this brother as they waited for their da and godfather arrive.
"Oi! Lily, Mason, ye little buggers, ye two better not be openin' tha' bag o' candy!" Sunny hollered as she dragged an armful of groceries into the house after sending Mason and Lily to unlock the front door with the keys.
The only response she got was a bunch of childish giggles coming from the living room. The redhead chuckled quietly as she walked backwards into the kitchen with the groceries.
"I mean it ye two!" She called out as she glanced into the living room, "If ye eat any o' tha' candy, ye won' get any ice cream after dinner!"
"Now, tha's a threat I remember yer Ma usin'."
"Jesus Christ!" The Irish girl yelped and she whirled around to face the speaker.
The groceries in Sunny's arms clattered to the ground as she stared at the four men sitting at her kitchen table.
"Lord's fuckin' name, Shiney." One of the younger of the four men chided with a smirk on his scruffy face.
Sunny could only continue to gape, her jaw slack and her green eyes wider than dinner plates.
"Mama?" Lily called out from the living room, curious as to why her surrogate mother was no longer hollering at her and Mason about eating the candy, "Mama?"
The sound of Lily's questioning tone snapped Sunny out of her stupor and she screamed. Loudly.
"How th' fuck did ye get in here?!" She shouted as she grabbed the nearest object—which happened to be a box of Mac'N'Cheese from the dropped grocery bags—and she brandished it threateningly at the men at the table, "What th' fuck 're ye even doin' here?! I thought ye were busy wit' th' pub!"
"Mom!" Mason shouted as he and Lily came skidding to a halt beside Sunny, staring at the four strange men in the kitchen with wide, scared eyes as they clung to Sunny's legs.
"Sunshine Daffodil Finnegan!" The tall, barrel-chest man with short copper-colored hair and beard boomed as got to his feet, towering over the red haired woman by a few inches, "Calm down righ' now, lassie!"
Sunny jerked as if she'd slapped and sucked in a couple deep calming breaths, one fist clenching and unclenching as she stared the copper haired man in front of her while she let the box of Mac'N'Cheese fall back to the ground with a small rattle of uncooked noddles.
"Mama?" Lily whispered in tiny and scared voice, "Should I call Daddy and Embry?"
"No, s'okay, love." Sunny answered quietly as she gently stroked Lily's reddish-gold hair, "Ye two go back in t'th' livin' room, turn on a movie or cartoons."
She paused for a moment and gave both of her charges a stern look, "An' don' go sayin' those bad words, I shouldn' have said 'em. Got it?"
Mason and Lily nodded in agreement, but they hesitated to leave as they stared at the strangers in their kitchen warily then Mason grabbed Lily's hand and tugged her back into the living room, keeping his seven year old appearing body in between the men and Lily as he nudged her back. Lily resisted for a moment as she looked over his shoulder at them one last time then she moved willing into the living room, glancing back every few moments. Once the kids were out of sight, the blonde young man that had reprimanded Sunny earlier spoke up.
"Now, I know ye haven' been gone tha' long, lass." He commented slyly, his Irish accent thick and his blue eyes shining with a familiar mischief, "Well, th' little lass could be yers, but th' lad ain'."
Sunny twitched slightly and she away from the large red haired man and towards the man with dirty blonde hair.
"Still an arsehole, I see, Connor." She muttered with an eye roll, "Nice t'see some things haven' changed. An' they're both mine."
Connor MacManus grinned impishly at the redheaded woman, but she didn't give him time to respond as she turned to the older men.
"What th' hell 're ye doin' here, Da?" She demanded as she put her hands on her wide hips and gave him a stern look, "Don' ye know tha' it's polite t'call before droppin' in on relatives? Mother o' God, Da, th' hell were ye thinkin'?"
Thomas Finnegan shrugged one broad shoulder and sat back down, gesturing for Sunny to take one of the two empty seats at the table. The redhead paused a moment then she took a seat, crossing her arms and pinning the four men with a hard, stern look that only a woman who spent a great deal of time around children could give. Thomas remembered seeing that expression on his deceased wife's face whenever he did something stupid and it made him smile slightly to see how much his only daughter resembled her mother so greatly.
"'Ren't ye happy t'see us, lass?" The second older man asked, his dark brown hair and beard streaked with gray.
"'M undecided at th' moment." Sunny replied drily as she uncrossed her arms and tapped the fingers of one hand against the table, "Like I said, usually relatives call when they decided t'drop by unexpectedly. Not break in t'said relatives' house."
"S'not our fault ye should 'ave a better security system." Murphy drawled and he brought his thumb up to his mouth, biting idly on the nail as he smirked at the irritated redhead.
"Har-dee har-har."
Sunny had almost mentioned that she didn't need a security system with her werewolf boyfriend running patrol around her house with his friends. Thankfully, she caught herself in time and just rolled her eyes and mock laughed instead. She leaned back in her chair and looked the men over carefully. The twins had changed from the gangly fourteen year olds she had known back in South Boston, Massachusetts. Both had filled out in the five years she'd been gone, although they weren't nearly as muscular as the boys in the pack, and they both had scruffy goatees the color of their hair—Connor's a reddish blonde to go with his dirty blonde hair and Murphy's was light brown since his hair was dark brown. They're matching baby blues were the only thing that had stayed the same even after all these years, even if they were a little harder, a little older, they were still the eyes Sunny remembered from her childhood.
"I told ye I had a surprise fer ye, last time I called, lass." Her father said quietly and he gave her a sheepish smile, "'Course it took us awhile t'find yer address…"
Sunny gave him a shrewd look and her brow furrowed slightly, "How did ye even find me address? I think I only told ye I lived in Forks, not th' exact address."
"Yer Ma told Annabelle ye two were going t'live wit' Seamus in Seattle." Sunny's godfather, Noah MacManus, explained in his heavy brogue, "We called 'im an' he gave us yer address."
"Why 're ye livin' in this place anyway, lass?" Connor asked curiously as he leaned forward, his arms folded on the tabletop, "It ain' exactly th' boonies back 'ome, but…"
The redhead gave him an annoyed look as she replied, "This is where th' doctor Uncle Seamus found t'take care o' Lily's benign brain tumor lived. He bought this house an' moved th' two o' us down here t'get it taken care o'. Haven' wanted t'leave."
"Th' little lass tha' called ye Mama, tha' yer sister? Lily?" Thomas asked and he looked towards the living room where the five could hear the sound of a cartoon playing and the two children laughing quietly.
"Aye, tha's her. I've unofficial adopted her after she asked me t'be her mother in th' market while we were shoppin' wit' my boyfriend, Jacob."
Thomas nodded in understanding, feeling rather proud that his daughter would do that for her sister.
"An' th' lad?" Murphy asked nonchalantly without looking at Sunny—something she had noticed he was avoiding since she had dropped the macaroni box she threatened them with.
"He's…" Sunny paused and pursed her lips as she thought of a plausible explanation for her raising Mason, "He's th' babe I told ye 'bout Da, th' one tha' 'm takin' care o' fer me friend."
Thomas quirked a brow at her skeptically, "Though' ye said he was a jus' a baby."
"Er…I didn' mean he was an actual baby, well, I mean he's jus' a babe compared t'me an' all, so tha's what I meant by baby." She said as calmly as she could and she cleared her throat, "Doesn' mean I don' treat 'im like my son, 'cause tha's how I think o' 'im, he never knew his own Ma anyway."
The redhead scratched the side of her head idly and hoped they bought the rather crappy excuse she had just spewed. Judging by the disbelieving looks on their faces, they didn't. Sunny was saved from having to answer any questions when the sound of the front door opening, followed by the familiar voices of Jacob, Embry, and Quil reached the kitchen.
"Sunny?" Her wolf called out as he shut the front door behind himself and his friends.
"In th' kitchen, boys." The Irish girl called back and she stood just as two of three tall, bare-chested Quileute men walked into the kitchen—Sunny figured Embry had gone into the living room to check on Lily and Mason.
"Is someth-" Jacob paused mid-sentence and looked at the suddenly tense men sitting at him imprint's kitchen table, "Uh, hi."
Sunny's lips twitched slightly and she coughed quietly into her fist as she moved to stand next to Jacob, wrapping her arm around his waist. Jacob slipped his arm around her shoulder in return, his dark gaze never leaving the four strange men in his imprint's kitchen.
"Jacob, love, this is me Da, Thomas Finnegan." The redhead introduced and she gestured towards her father, who had gotten to his feet and had moved around the table, "Da, this is me boyfriend, Jacob Black. Be nice, Da."
"Nice to meet you, sir." Jacob said respectfully and he held out his large hand, "Sunny's told me a lot about you."
Thomas looked at him narrowly then grasped his hand, mildly impressed at the firm handshake he received and the heat of the young man's hand.
"An' ye as well, lad." The bear-like Irish man replied and he looked between the two boys curiously, "Ye boys know 'tis freezin' outside, aye?"
Quil coughed quietly to cover up his laughter and Sunny sneakily stomped on his foot. Jacob cleared his throat, also trying to cover up his amusement.
"We're used to the cold, sir. Barely even feel it." Jacob explained easily then motioned towards Quil, "This is my friend Quil Ateara and this is Embry Call."
Quil grinned and shook Thomas's hand enthusiastically while Embry blinked in slight surprise and nodded in greeting when Jacob gestured towards him as he entered the kitchen.
"Hi." The shier of the three said then looked at Sunny, "Lils and Mace asked if they could have a juice box."
"Sure." Sunny said as she moved away from Jacob and towards the fridge, grabbing two juice boxes then she passed them to Embry.
The young man nodded in thanks then he disappeared back into the living room. Noah cleared his throat and stood, walking around the table to stand next to his old friend. The eldest MacManus man stuck his hand out for the two tall young men to shake.
"Noah MacManus, Sunny's godfather." He said as he gave both boys a firm handshake, just as impressed by the heat and strength of their hands as Thomas had been then he gestured towards the still sitting twins, "Those 're me boys, Connor an' Murphy."
Murphy grunted lowly and glared at the tabletop while Connor got to his feet to shake Jacob and Quil's hands.
"I hope yer takin' good care o' our Sunshine." The blonde twin stated mildly but there was a threatening undertone that had Jacob and Quil's eyebrows rising.
"I was wrong, Connor." Sunny broke in with an exasperated eye roll, "Yer even more of an arse than I remember. Ye didn' seem tha' bad over th' phone."
"What?" Connor demanded, amusement causing the corners of his lips to curl as he playfully pulled her into a one-armed hug, "Can' I worry 'bout me best friend bein' treated righ' by a man?"
"No." Sunny muttered with a playful snort as she ducked out from under his arm and moved back over to Jacob's side, with a rather unsettling feeling that lines were being drawn—her father, godfather, and former childhood best friends on one side and her new family on the other.
She decided to shake the feeling off and ignore it. Thomas cleared his throat then and looked between his daughter and her boyfriend, apparently having the same feeling Sunny had.
"How 'bout we continued this conversation on a later day, love?" Her father suggested calmly and he smiled slightly at his daughter, "Seems yer a bit busy."
"Alrigh'." Sunny agreed slowly and she pursed her lips thoughtfully, trying to think of a good day that she was free, "Got t'help me friend, Emily wit' her wedding plans this week, but 'm free this Saturday. Ye stayin' tha' long?"
The redhead fidgeted slightly, feeling kind of like the little girl she used to be before everything had happened and he had been arrested and her mother had moved her across the country when her father was silent for a few moments. Beside her, Jacob jerked his chin at Quil and headed towards the living room to give him imprint some privacy with the family and friends she'd just been reunited with after five years. Quil followed after him without a thought.
"Tha'll be good." Thomas agreed with a small nod, a smile spreading across his face as he regarded his oldest daughter, "We're goin' t'be stayin' fer while, got a couple rooms at a hotel in Port Angeles. Ye mind if I call ye 'til then, lass?"
"'Couse not." Sunny replied with a grin then she impulsively threw her arms around her father's neck, hugging him tightly as his large arms came around her waist and pulled her tightly to his chest, "I missed ye, Da."
"I missed ye too, love." Her father cooed and he stroked her shoulder-length hair, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, "Ye can tell me all 'bout everythin' tha's happened t'ye on Saturday. Ye should bring th' little ones wit' ye too an' yer man, so I can get t'know 'em better, aye?"
"Alrigh'." The redhead sniffed quietly and she blinked back tears as she pulled away from father's embrace.
She gave her father a watery smile then she turned to her Uncle Noah, the man that had been like a second father to her when she was growing up. He grinned at her, the same devil-may-care smile his sons had, and he pulled her to his chest.
"Ye be good lass, ye hear?" He commanded gently as he let her go, keeping his large, calloused hands on her shoulders, "I want t'hear all 'bout ye've been up to, yeah?"
"Aye." Sunny replied with a laugh and a nod and she pressed a kiss to his cheek then she turned to look at Connor and Murphy, who had come to stand by his twin's side sometime while Sunny had been hugging her father.
"C'mere, Shiney," Connor said as he stepped forward and enveloped Sunny in a warm hug, resting his chin atop her head.
The blonde glanced at his surly looking twin and rolled his eyes then grabbed Murphy by the arm and yanked him into the embrace, although Murphy remained slightly stiff for several moments then he relaxed, wrapping his arm around his brother and old friend. Sunny tensed briefly then shifted so her arms were around both young men that had been her closest friends when she was a child. She had loved them both dearly and she still did, but it wasn't the same anymore. There was a distance between them—especially between Murphy and her— that didn't used to be there. Sunny hoped that she would be able to at least fix that distance while they were staying in Washington.
"Don' be a stranger, ye hear?" Connor muttered against her head then pressed a brotherly kiss to her hair then pushed her gently away from him and his brother.
"Sure, sure." The Irish girl muttered good-naturedly as she followed them to the front door, briefly wondering how she didn't notice the other car parked in her driveway when she and the kids first go home.
Sunny waved as her father, godfather, and god-brothers got into the car. Thomas, Noah, and Connor waved back while Murphy merely lifted his hand in the air, his eyes looking off to the side and out the passenger window. The redhead shut the front door quietly then leaned her head against the cool wood, feeling the tears she'd hadn't been aware she'd been holding back prick at the corner of her eyes and she slid down to the floor, her forehead still resting against the door.
Jacob heard the front door shut and he glanced around the living room quickly, Lily was sitting next to Mason on the couch watching a cartoon on the TV while Embry and Quil sat on the floor with their backs against the couch, watching the same cartoon. Seeing that the kids and his pack mates were occupied, Jacob stood and hurried into the front hallway, pausing only briefly when he saw his imprint sitting on the floor with her knees curled under her and her forehead pressed against the wooden front door. He was by her side in an instant.
He sat on the floor, back against the wall and pulled Sunny into his lap. A soft sob escaped her lips and she buried her face in his neck while he rubbed her back and stroked her hair. He didn't shush her or try to calm her down, just let her cry against his neck as he held her to him.
"I love you." Jacob murmured as he grasped her face, swiping her tears away with his thumb then kissed them away gently.
The Irish girl laughed softly and pressed a kiss to his lips, "I love ye too, Jacob, but these 're happy tears. I have me da back, I think my Ma is smilin' down on me wherever she is…"
He smiled and kissed her forehead, holding her close as the happy tears continued to fall quietly. Sunny sighed quietly and held him closer. She knew that as long as Jacob was by her side, she could handle anything thrown at her. Everything that happened now with her father, godfather, and old best friends would be okay as long as Jacob was with her. Of that, Sunny was certain.
"But Awunty Emmmiiilllyyy…" Claire whined petulantly as she stood in front of her aunt with her hands clasped under her chin, her brown eyes wide, and a full on puppy-dog pout, "Do I have too?"
Sunny covered her mouth with hand as she stood with Kim in the kitchen of Sam and Emily's house, with Lily and Mason sitting quietly at the table. Two days had passed since the redhead's father, godfather, and god-brothers had shown up in her house and now she was sitting quietly with her two friends and charges, watching as aunt and niece faced off in the ultimate showdown of what how Claire was going to wear her hair for the wedding. The little three year old wanted to wear pigtails but Emily wanted her to keep her hair down in soft curls, so far neither was willing to give on the issue. The boys and Leah were out doing Lord only knows what while this was happening, not even Embry or Quil were at the house to hang out with their imprints.
"Claire, sweetie," Emily sighed quietly as she crouched in front of her pouting niece, "I know you want pigtails but I really think you should have your hair down, it'll look so much cuter with your little flower tiara, hunny."
Claire instantly perked up at the word 'tiara.' Her pout disappeared and she looked at her scarred aunt with an eager expression.
"Tiara? I get to wear a tiara?" She asked excitedly and she squealed quietly when Emily nodded, "Can I see it?"
"Sure, sweetie." Emily said with a small smile and she looked at Sunny inquiringly, "Can you go get the box, Sunny?"
"Sure."
Sunny shuffled out of the kitchen and into the hall closet, reappearing a moment later with a box in her hand. She handed the box to the slightly older woman and Emily opened the lid, showing Claire the pretty flower wreath she had specially ordered for the wedding next week. It was comprised of small, light blue roses and small white tulips. Emily had gotten a similar one for Lily that had calla lilies and African blue lilies on it.
Claire gasped quietly and put her hands on her mouth, her dark brown eyes wide with awe.
"It's so pretty, Awunty Emily." The little three year old whispered, "And I get to wear it if my hair is down?"
"Yes, you do, sweetie." Emily replied lightly and she carefully put the lid back on the box then she handed back to Sunny, who went to put it back in the hall closet, "Will you wear your hair down for me, Claire-bear?"
Claire scrunched up her nose and appeared to think for a minute then she nodded.
"Otay."
Emily smiled happily and she wrapped her arms around the little girl, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
"You're the best Claire-bear." The scarred woman stated adoringly then she nudged her niece towards the living room, "Why don't you, Lily, and Mason go play or watch TV in the living room while I make lunch?"
"Kay." Claire agreed then she, Lily, and Mason hurried out of the kitchen and into the living room, leaving the four women to start on lunch.
Emily smiled and headed over to the kitchen while Kim and Sunny sat down around the table.
"So, Sunny, how are things going with your dad?" Kim asked curiously as she turned to look at the taller girl.
The redhead shrugged slightly, "Fine, 'm goin' t'meet 'im, my uncle, an' th' twins at th' diner in Forks with Jacob an' th' kids. Goin' t'catch up an' all tha'."
"You should invite them to the wedding." Emily stated as she walked over to the stove to prepare grilled cheese for the kids.
"Say what now?" Sunny questioned in surprise and she looked at Emily with wide eyes, "Em, love, ye don' even know 'em an' ye want me t'invite 'em t'yer weddin'?"
Emily shrugged and glanced over her shoulder at the redhead, "Why not? They're your family, Sunny and I think it would be a nice way for all of us to get to know each other, don't you?"
"I don' know…" The Irish girl said uncertainly and she scratched her head, "Me Da an' Uncle Noah can control themselves pretty well, but Murph an' Conn 're a couple o' th' biggest smart-arses ye'll ever meet, 'specially Conn. Honestly, he makes Paul seem like a saint sometimes."
"Oh, they can't be that bad." The scarred woman replied lightly and she turned around so her back was to the stove, "I think they should come and as the bride, I get what I want. I'll got get a couple of the extra invitations we had and you can give it to them, let them decide if they want to come or not."
"If tha's what ye want, love." Sunny sighed and shrugged her shoulders in slight defeat while Emily smiled serenely and went back to the grilled cheese.
Author's Note: Alright, so this chapter isn't terribly long, but I think it's a decent length. Conn, Murph, their Da, and Sunny's Da have finally made their first, physical appearance in the story! Yay! –happy dance-
Next chapter will be the meeting between Sunny, Jacob, the kids, her da, the twins and their da at the diner in Forks, so y'all should stay tuned for that! Well, I've finally got up with the original version of this story and everything will be completely new material. Updates may take longer than they had before because I'll be coming up with new material, especially since I want to have chapters at least 3.5-4k words at a minimum. Anyhooties, I hope y'all liked this chapter, I'll try to put up the next one soon, so stay tuned!
Special THANKS to everyone that faved and/or alerted! You guys are freaking awesome-sauce!
SPECIAL MENTIONS!
Shaybay55: Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Here's the sequel summary: "What do you think of Quil, Claire?" She asked suddenly. "He's my best friend. Now would you focus?" Claire answered as she tried to focus on her own homework, she was stuck on one of the problems and it required all her concentration. "Hey, Claire?" Claire gave an exasperated sigh, "What now, Lily?" "I think I'm in love with Embry." Claire dropped her pencil and turned to stare at her best friend with wide brown eyes, "Come again?" Life is so much simpler when you're four. Embry/OC
Teddy bear 007: Okay, what's your question?
ForeverTeamEdward13: Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I hope you like this one too!
RebornRose1992: I hope you like this chapter!
Miramira90212: Hope you like this chapter!
Truth-Between-the-Lies: Thanks, I'm glad you like the story so far! I hope you like this chapter!
Random2Friends: Haha, I know right? I'm actually a little scared to ever go in one again, the war stories I've heard when there are sales are terrifying. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!
Babyboonisha: Thanks, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Mason is looks about seven/eight years old now. I hope you like this chapter!
Woodshrew: I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I hope you like this one too!
Nostalgic Child: Yeah, it was kinda lame, huh? I really couldn't think of anything better to be honest. Proposals are definitely not my thing, and I applaud the guys that manage to think of an awesome proposal. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!
LadyAmazon: Fittings are definitely going to a nightmare for Sunny and Leah, both because they're tall and they're tomboys. XD Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!
Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape: Haha, I know, I'm blonde (most of the time) and I'm not that crazy. Anyhooties, I hope you like this chapter!
KenzieMac: Haha, I hope the moment you've been waiting for was up to your expectations! Moira will be making an appearance in a future chapter, yes, I'm just not sure which one. I'll also probably add her to the Always Sunny Drabbles, One-shots, and Deleted Scenes. Anyhooties, I hope you liked this chapter!