Jake
"It was always you." – F. Scott Fitzgerald
She is all around me. Her smell in my nose, her taste on my lips, her hands on my back. My fingers tangle in the hair at the base of her neck. I have waited for this moment for so long – painstakingly long – that I don't want it to end. Edward's words echo in the back of my mind, but I push them out of my head with a fuck it. She'd asked me to, right? Whatever. Did my best.
Her arms encircle my neck, pulling me closer. I take the opportunity to wrap my arms around her, lifting her off the ground and up to my level.
I set her down on her feet softly before pulling away to lean down and whisper in her ear. "I'm sorry, what was the question?"
From the house, I hear cheers and banging erupt. Quil and Embry are thumping on the windowpanes, and Jared lets out a loud "Atta boy, Jake!" as he stands next to Kim, Sam, and Leah in the doorway. Nessie glances over her shoulder to see the audience and buries her face in my chest.
I flip them the bird and use my other hand to lift Nessie's face from my chest so I can kiss her again.
By the time we pull up to the cottage thirty minutes later, Nessie is seething with anger toward her father. On the ride home, I'd filled her in on the promise I'd made to Edward. No sooner than I'd put the truck in park was she throwing off her seatbelt and marching toward the door. Edward emerges from the cottage, Bella in tow. Uh-oh.
Edward starts, "Renesmee, I didn't do it to – I was trying to protect – I know he would never—Yes, I know that you're –" It takes me a second to understand that Nessie is laying into Edward in her thoughts, and he is trying to defend himself.
"Stop!" she screams, interrupting him again, this time out loud. His mouth stills, lips pursed. Nessie huffs, lifting her palm to his face to communicate something to him.
Bella comes to stand next to me. "How is Emily?"
"She's okay. They're home now."
"Good. Now, would you like to explain why my daughter reeks of wolf?" She asks. I detect a hint of laughter in her question. She shoves her hands in her back pockets and fights a smile. I elbow her, and we watch Nessie pull her hand back from Edward's face.
He glances back and forth between the two of us, sighing. "It seems like there's nothing left to say, except that I'm sorry, Renesmee."
"That was a weak apology," Nessie returns. I'd have to agree. Bella decides to approach the two of them, and Nessie holds up a hand to her mom's face, reliving, I'm sure, our come-to-Jesus moment.
Nessie removes her hand and it falls to her side. Bella smirks as she says, "Well, Edward, I think that Nessie will need a car to go visit Jacob, don't you agree?" She reaches into Edward's pocket and pulls out a key ring. Her hands move lightning fast, and she holds out a car key to Nessie. Edward's car key. I attempt to hide my snickers behind my hand. Edward looks incredulously at her but says nothing. Nessie simply slips it on the ring that already held her key to my house.
As winter drags into February, the pack starts to prepare for Baby Uley's arrival. Sam had cut back his patrol duties exponentially since Emily came home from the hospital. He'd been encouraging me to start seriously considering who my Beta and Third would be, which made me believe even stronger that he was done for good. I had both packs to choose from, and I wanted to be unbiased, although Leah was still my choice for Beta.
Sam took the lead maybe one day a week, when he knew that someone would be able to help Emily. More often than not, that was Nessie, now that she could come and go as she pleased. I thought Edward would have protested more – but I wondered if he conceded with the benefit of not having to hear my thoughts as well as Nessie's when she returned home.
Nessie being able to transport herself was probably for the best, because lately I'd had my hands full trying to fix up the cabin, keep up with the demand for a mechanic on the rez, and manage the wolves. I offered the wolves cash if they helped me out, and a large majority took advantage of it. It may bleed me dry, but the cabin was going to be done in just a few months.
Today was one of the days where Sam had morning patrol, so after I'd finished up in the garage, I head over to Sam's to see Nessie. When I walk through the door, the girls are sitting on the couch, and when Nessie sees me, she blushes deeply. Were they talking about me? I ignore it for now. "Hey guys," I choose to say instead, grabbing a seat at the table and scarfing down a muffin Nessie had made. She was quickly taking over the role of caretaker now that Emily was unable.
When Sam rejoins us after cleaning off from his shift, I glance at the clock. Perfect timing. "If you want, there's something at the cabin I'd like to show you," I say to Nessie.
We ride over to the cabin together, and on the short journey, I rest my hand on Nessie's thigh. "What were you and Emily talking about earlier?"
She blushes deeply, ducking her head. "I was wondering if you were going to ask about that."
I glance over at her, trying not to take my eyes off the road. "You don't have to—"
"Sex," she interjects. I arch an eyebrow. The last time we'd discussed that, it was at Seth's wedding, and only in passing. A lot of things had changed since then. She continues, "I asked her what it was like. And the first time."
"Anything interesting?" I try to hide some of the genuine curiosity in my voice, but it's a feeble attempt. As an Alpha, wolves got to choose the memories they shared with others. While I had to relive each of the other wolves' firsts, Sam had kept his locked safely away. Nessie thinks about how to respond but lifts a palm to my face and shows me the memory instead.
Emily sips tea as she leans back into the couch, other hand resting on her stomach. Because so much time had passed with no scares, Sam had begrudgingly upgraded Emily's bedrest to couchrest for an hour or two a day, with strict instructions that she was not to move from that spot until he could carry her back to bed himself. "Can I ask you something… personal?" I ask, tucking into myself on the other end of the couch.
"Of course," she responds.
Before I can change my mind, I spit out, "What is sex like? I mean, obviously, you've had sex and I just thought that…" I trail off, chuckling at how awkward I just made this. Obviously, you've had sex? Of course she has, Nessie, she's pregnant.
Emily snickers, shifting slightly. I think at first I've made her uncomfortable, but then she says "Sex is great," and I realize it's probably just the bowling ball sitting on her stomach that's made her adjust.
"What was it like… the first time?"
"The first time, my first time…" I watch her consider her words before continuing, "was not so good. It was rushed, and sloppy, and unromantic. We were in high school, and we'd both gotten buzzed at a party and thought we were in love. It was in an upstairs bedroom of the boy's house we were at. I did it because I felt like I had to, like it would make me matter to him. I know now that I didn't, and it didn't. I cried for days afterward."
I think that's all she's going to say on the matter – and if that was what all first times were like I didn't know how the human population had thrived – but then she takes another breath. "My first time with Sam, however, was…" she trails off, eyebrows arched, remembering. She blushes, unusual for her, and continues, "the complete opposite. He made me feel like a goddess. Took care of me, made sure everything felt like ecstasy. Didn't rush, never stopped telling me how beautiful I was and how much he loved me."
She pulls her hand away, and out of the corner of my eye I see her cross her arms and bite her lip. She's frustrated by our lack of... progression. I make the turn onto my gravel driveway and try to form a sentence in my head that will convey my thoughts properly. I put the car in park and turn to her, asking, "Why do you think I'm trying to finish this house so damn fast?" And as her mouth falls open, I say, "Let's go inside," and hop out of the truck before she can respond.
I dismiss the wolves for the day, wanting to clear some space. I'd searched high and low to give Nessie the floor to ceiling windows she'd wanted and ended up hiring a guy named Adam from Seattle. From what I'd seen of his work, it was worth the price tag. I find him in my room, throwing down the sealant he'd just finished using on one of the windows.
"Hey man, I was just heading out for the day. I should be done tomorrow." He says, standing. "You must be Renesmee," he extends a hand to her. "Jake can't shut up about you. I'm Adam."
She blushes and returns his handshake. "Nessie is fine." She gestures to the progress. "These windows are great."
From the main room I hear someone rooting around. "Hey Jake!" Leah calls. "Did I leave a shirt somewhere? I can't find my flannel." I turn to see Leah walk through the door and scan the room. And then I see her lock eyes with Adam.
I've never actually seen someone imprint before – until now. I watched a lifetime of emotions – past, present, future – pass through Leah's eyes, and she swayed a bit before catching herself on the doorframe. Nessie leans in and whispers quietly to me, "Did she just…?" I nod curtly, hoping that Adam didn't notice and trusting that Leah's head was still swimming enough to have not heard.
Adam reaches down into the corner and picks up the flannel. "This what you're looking for?" He crosses the room halfway and holds it out for Leah.
She nods, and for the first time in my life, Leah looks stunned. She takes a few steps toward him and reaches out for the shirt. "Thank you," she says, and then, "I'm Leah."
"Adam," he returns. The room is silent for a second, but then Adam surprises me by continuing, "Is there a coffee shop around here somewhere?" Leah nods. "Do you like coffee?" he asks her. She nods again, still silent. I look back and forth between Leah and Adam. I am shocked that this has happened – by chance. Granted, all imprinting was seemingly by chance. They both walk out, Adam calling on his way out that he'll be back tomorrow morning to finish up his work.
"What the hell just happened?" I say, laughing almost incredulously.
I take Nessie back to Sam and Emily's to pick up her car, and I share with Sam that Leah had imprinted. He is shocked as well; I think we were all starting to suspect that female wolves couldn't imprint at all. Surprise, surprise.
The next morning, I pull up to the cabin shortly before dawn. I needed to take some measurements for the appliances before going into the shop for the day, and it was easier to do when there weren't 15 other people to step over.
I work in silence for a bit when I hear a car approaching. It sounds like Adam's work truck. I peer out the window to see him opening the passenger door – and my jaw nearly hits the floor when Leah steps out. Did they spend the night together? My suspicions are confirmed when I notice Leah is in the same clothes as yesterday, wearing the flannel she'd almost forgotten. Alright, Leah. Whatever floats your boat.
I hear her tell him that she should be getting home, their body language tipping me off as to what likely happened last night. She watches Adam head toward the house and turns towards the woods, but spots me in the kitchen window at the last second. She curses me under her breath.
Adam waves politely to me when he passes me in the kitchen, and heads for the bedroom, Leah's scent wafting behind him like he'd bathed in it. I throw the measuring tape down and go outside to meet her.
"Fun night?" I ask sarcastically as I approach.
"Shut up, Jake. It wasn't like that," Her arms are crossed, not from the cold but from the discomfort of having been caught red-handed.
"Oh, so you didn't jump his bones?"
She groans. "I mean, it wasn't just that. We talked for hours last night. Coffee turned into dinner and dinner turned into…"
"Dessert?" I suggest, struggling to bite back amusement.
"I was going to say breakfast." She retorts, chewing her lip. I shrug. Same difference. "I don't even know why I'm telling you any of this. You'll just use it as ammunition."
Her words unexpectedly sting, and it makes my laughter still. "We're friends, Leah. Tell me, don't tell me, whatever you want. Next time we're phased I'll hear it all anyway."
She shifts uneasily as she realizes I'm right, and her lip starts to quiver. "He's married, Jake." My heart sinks for her. "Well, sort of. He's done, she's not. He told me they haven't been together in months." She is quiet for a minute, and tears well in her eyes. "I'm just so damn tired of being the other woman," she admits, hiding behind her hands as her shoulders shake with silent tears. The gravity of what she was feeling crashed onto me. This was very similar to the situation she'd found herself in years ago, when Sam had imprinted on Emily and left Leah without looking back.
I pull her in my arms, and she cries softly into my chest. It's not often that Leah shows emotion externally; she usually chose to shove it down as far as possible and cry in private later. Whenever she did break down in the company of others, it wasn't something to be taken lightly.
After a minute she pushes me off, wiping the tears from her eyes hastily. "God, leave it to me to imprint at the most inconvenient time ever."
I put a hand to my heart, feigning hurt. "The most inconvenient time ever? We both know who holds that title." She cracks a smile, and shrugs in an unspoken thanks before heading to the tree line.