this is me trying

chapter twenty two: the bonfire

seth

I carry another pile of branches in my arms, following Jake's instructions. Several members of the pack and I are setting up for the bonfire that is happening tonight. I decided to help out when I found out that Tatum was having a girl's day with Vanessa and Nessie. Besides, I wanted to talk all this through with some of the guys. How was I to be certain that Tatum wasn't going to freak out tonight after hearing the truth?

"Seth." A voice calls to me, snapping me out of my trance. I jerk my head over to Jake, who chuckles and shakes his head at me. "We have been calling your name for several minutes."

I throw the branches into a pile where the bonfire is going to be. "I'm sorry." I respond weakly. I hesitate for a moment, trying to decide whether I should open up to them or not. "I'm just really worried about tonight to be honest." I say as I take a seat in one of the chairs we put out.

"There's nothing to worry about." Brady calls out as he moves along.

Jake takes a seat in a chair beside me. "Brady is right. There is nothing to worry about. Tatum has heard some of the legends before. Plus, imprints usually handle this pretty well."

'Usually'. I swallow, very unsure. "What if she is the first to reject the imprint? She's going to have to find out the truth of Cade's death. I'm not sure if she is ready for that." I know that Cade has always been a tough situation for Tatum to talk about. But knowing what truly happened to him, how he truly died… It's just something I'm not sure Tatum can handle.

Jacob nods his head in understanding. "I know what you mean. It's your instinct to protect her, whether that is physically or emotionally. But she is going to find out one way or another, especially since she is becoming part of the pack. It's best that she learns it from you and the legends."

I know that Jake is right, but it does not make this any less difficult. My phone buzzes in my pocket, pulling me away from the awful thoughts circling in my head.

I open up the text message to see a picture of Tatum showing off her newly painted fingernails. My phone buzzes again with another message. "Got my nails done for the first time in forever.. Who knew girl's day was this fun. Miss you though. What are you up to? x T"

The picture fills me up with happiness. The worries I previously had about the bonfire vanish. "Beautiful. I miss you. I am just helping the tribal council set up for the bonfire tonight. I am excited to see you and for you to hear some of the legends tonight. xx Seth"

"Imprinters." Embry huffs as he walks past me. For a moment I am confused as to how he knows that I am texting Tatum, but then I realize that I am grinning like a fool as I stare down at my phone.

"You are just jealous." I respond defensively as I tuck my phone back into my pocket. I get up from my chair and join the others as I help finish setting up.

Once everything has been set up, a few of the pack members gather around where the fire is getting started with beers in their hands. The tribal council also shows up shortly after the fire begins. Jake and I help Billy gather around the bonfire where the council usually sat.

"Hi, sweetheart." My mom grins with Lily Locklear at her side, meeting me where I just helped Billy to his spot.

"I'm super excited for Tatum tonight." Lily smiles happily. "It's been many, many years since she has heard the legends."

I smile widely in return, trying to hide the nervousness that I am genuinely feeling. "I'm excited too." I respond. I silently pray for the best outcome tonight. "It's about time that she gets in on the secret."

Lily Locklear and my mom beam brightly in agreement. "And it's about time that I get to meet the new couple." A voice calls out, causing me to jerk my head over to see the owner of it. I grin when I see my older sister walking over, clutching the hand of her fiance.

"Leah, I'm glad you could make it." My mom grins, pulling my sister in for a hug. I greet my soon to be brother-in-law with a warm handshake.

"Well, Peter has the night off and we thought we would make the trip down to see everyone." Leah says with a shrug. "Besides, I haven't gotten to meet my future sister-in-law." Leah teasingly shoves me.

I roll my eyes, playfully. "It's not like you haven't met her before." I grumble.

Leah ignores my comment as she engages in a further conversation about my imprinting with the two women. I don't have time to listen because I can sense Tatum has arrived before I am able to see her. My eyes scan the growing crowd before I find her bright blonde hair.

I don't even bother to excuse myself. Instead, I allow my feet to follow the pull towards my girlfriend. Tatum's glowing green eyes find me on my way to her. Her lips twist into a smile. I listen to her mention something to Vanessa and Nessie about catching up with them later.

I pull her instantly into a hug. I feel my anxiety of being away from her vanish as I breathe in her scent and hold her in my arms. The hug is short lived. "Is that Leah?" Tatum perks up, pulling away from the embrace.

I glance over to where I had just left my sister moments before. "She and Peter came down for a surprise visit." I mention, grasping onto Tatum's hand.

Tatum swallows, nervously. "Oh." She whispers.

"What's wrong?" I ask, worried. "Are you nervous about seeing Leah?"

Tatum peers up at me with wide eyes. "I… What if she hates me for being with you?" Tatum stammers out. "Siblings can be overprotective." She mumbles the last part under her breath.

I chuckle. If only she knew the truth about imprinting, then she would know how ridiculous she sounds right now. Obviously, Leah is going to love her. "T, that doesn't change anything." I assure her. "Leah is actually really excited to see you again."

Tatum looks over at my sister again, very wary. She remains speechless.

"T, she is not going to bite. I promise." I chuckle, tugging on her arm. I know that Tatum is still very unsure, but she follows along as I lead the way to where Leah and our moms are.

"Tatum Locklear." My sister grins when Tatum and I walk up to the group hand-in-hand. Tatum releases my hand as she is pulled into a hug by my older sister. "You look great." Tatum looks better than great, I want to argue. However, I keep my mouth shut and watch their embrace.

"You look amazing too." Tatum says with a smile. "It's been so long since we last saw each other."

Leah chuckles as they pull away from the hug but remain facing each other. "It has been very long. So much has changed." Leah agrees as she shoots me a small knowing look. "How did you end up back here in La Push? Did Seattle get too boring for you?"

Tatum giggles. "I realized pretty quickly that college just wasn't for me. I took some time to travel and see the world. But I just knew that I needed to be home." She pauses and looks back at me. "And I'm glad I did come home." She says as she sends me a smile. Boy, am I glad that she came home too.

Leah watches our starry gaze at each other and grins. She knows the feeling of imprinting. She herself has an imprint/fiance. "I'm glad Seth's school boy crush finally paid off for him." She jokes. My ears burn red at the comment. "Besides, I have always wanted a sister."

Tatum takes a few steps back to grasp my hand once again. She looks up at me with her beaming green eyes that I have fallen in love with. "I'm happy it worked out for us." Tatum says quietly. It is as if she is just speaking to me now, completely forgetting the audience that is looking on. "He means so much to me." She confesses.

I must have forgotten the audience as well because I lean down and press a short, yet sweet kiss to her lips. Tatum blushes when she snaps out of our interlocking gaze and realizes that we had both forgotten that our moms, Leah, and Peter are watching our interactions.

But thankfully, Leah doesn't allow the awkwardness to linger. "Tatum, we should set up over here for the legends. That way we can sit close to each other." Leah says as she motions to a spot around the fire. "I brought a bunch of blankets because I knew my little brother would forget about that sort of thing." Leah leads Tatum to her car. Both of them disappear out of few.

"Are you nervous?" Peter asks.

I swallow and look up to my future brother-in-law. Colin passes beers to Peter and I, which I am thankful for. "I'm terrified." I confess.

"I imagine it's not easy for you all. I know that Leah was terrified to tell me about being a shapeshifter." Peter responds after taking a swig of beer. "As someone who is not in the pack, I'll admit, I thought you all were crazy for a moment. But I was ever crazier about Leah. I was willing to accept anything to have her by my side forever." Our girls come back into view. Their laughter is all that I can hear as they carry a stack of blankets each. "I'm sure Tatum is going to feel the same way." Peter concludes.

I watch as Leah and Tatum begin setting up a spot. "I hope so." I mutter. "Because I can't imagine losing her."

"I don't think you will lose her." Peter answers. "She might need some time to take all this in. But Tatum loves you. I just met her tonight and I can see how much she loves you." Hearing Peter say that makes my heart skip a beat. Neither Tatum nor I have confessed our love for each other yet. I know how I feel about her. I know that I would do anything for her. I will love her until the day I die. But hearing Peter say that he thinks Tatum loves me. It is enough confirmation for me.

Peter was right though. Imprintees did not always accept the truth of shapeshifters immediately. For some imprintees, it took a while to adjust to this mythical world that they are being thrusted into. Whether Tatum accepts it immediately or takes some time to take it all in, Tatum will learn to accept it. I don't know how I know this, but somehow I just do. It is comforting.

"Wanna grab some dinner?" Leah asks after she and Tatum finished setting up a spot for us.

In line for dinner, Tatum rubs my arm, grabbing my attention successfully. "You seem a little out of it tonight." She comments as she continues to try to soothe my tense muscles.

I give her a smile. "I'm just tired." I lie smoothly.

Tatum presses a kiss to my pec. "I'm excited to hear the legends tonight." She says, trying to distract me from my tiredness. "My parents used to tell me them when I was little as bedtime stories. I honestly can't remember what they were about, but I remember that I loved them."

I stare down at my beautiful imprint who is beaming with excitement to hear about the legends of my (and soon to be her) tribe. I just hope she loves the legends just as much as she did as a child.

We make our way through the line to grab food, which was just hotdogs and hamburgers like it always was at a bonfire. We settle into our spots on the blanket and eat dinner, chatting with Leah and Peter about their life in Portland and their upcoming wedding.

When dinner wraps up and the sun begins to set, Billy calls everyone over to the fire. As everyone settles into their seats, Tatum settles in between my legs, leaning back onto my chest. Her green eyes are full of excitement. I wrap my arms around her waist, hugging her into me.

I love you. I so badly want to tell her. Part of me fears that this might be the last time I can tell her. Instead I chicken out and say something that I know she won't understand. "Que quowle." I whisper into her hair before pressing a kiss.

Thankfully, she doesn't hear or just doesn't have time to respond. Billy begins to tell the story of the Third Wife. It is a legend that I have heard many times growing up. But this time feels so different. I am not focused on the story, rather I am focused on my imprint wrapped in my arms. Every move that she makes, every expression on her face… I analyze it all.

Like I said, I have heard this legend plenty of times before. But this time, it feels longer yet not long enough.

Hi everyone! I hope you enjoy this chapter! Again, sorry for the delay. I had been debating on how I want this story to end, but I think I have it planned how I want it to go now! I also really want to change the name of this story to a song that inspired me to write this story, but I am not sure if that will just confuse people. So let me know what you think about a possible name change!

** Also, "Que quowle" is something that Jacob says in New Moon to Bella and I thought I would incorporate it into this story. It is Quileute for "stay with me forever".

Let me know what you all think of this chapter and what you would like to see in future chapters. Tatum's reaction to the legends is in the next chapter! xx M