All characters that are from the TWILIGHT saga by Stephanie Meyer belong to Stephanie Meyer. All others belong to me. I do not receive profit for these stories except for the joyous enjoyment of reviews.

This story follows right after When I'm Gone: Third Installment to GONE Saga, so if you haven't read that one or the two before, please do.

The timeline of the story will coincide with Gabriel Michael Laskaris' growing up years, starting at Seth and Rosa's wedding day, April 12th and will progress from there.

AN: I've got another completed chapter after this! That's right...my creative juices have been flowing. Enjoy the chapter and remember to leave a review, short or long!

Gaby -Love you much darling!

Ses -no longer counting, just looking forward to hearing from you when you have the time.

Gianna, lette, moani, Chealsea -you are all wonderful! thank you for your reviews!

As always, enjoy while you're reading and please...REVIEW!

Chapter Sixteen

January 12th

All the deep breathing was really making him uncomfortable…then again, this whole thing always made him uncomfortable no matter how many times he'd gone through it –the practice run as well as the actual event.

Readjusting the towel around Leah's neck, he looked around the room at the six other couples as the instructor walked from mat to mat, her hands moving to the words she was saying.

"Now take a deep breath and imagine yourself rising above the pain."

He looked down at his wife, watching as she breathed in deep, her long fingered hands on either side of the round six month belly that was their baby.

Readjusting the towel around her neck, Rick leaned down to whisper into her ear, "Leah."

"Mhm," she kept her eyes on the instructor as she slowly let the air in her lungs out before taking in another deep breath.

"Why are we here," he moved a bit closer, his knees resting against her lower back as she leaned back into him, "We've gone through this four times –there's nothing new to learn."

Leah's breathing pattern broke with a giggle as she tilted her head back to look up into his blue eyes, "We can switch places if you want to learn something new."

Rick's eyebrows lowered in confusion as he watched the teasing gleam in her brown-green eyes intensify, "What? Switch places how?"

"You be the mommy and I'll be the daddy."

Rick's eyebrows lowered even more as he looked around the room then back at her, "You mean…I get on the mat?"

"Now imagine your vagina opening like a flower…"

Rick stared at the instructor in horror, his face going pale as he looked down at Leah, "Yeah, no…I don't think so."

Leah couldn't hold back the laughter, pushing herself into a sitting position as the instructor turned to look at them, "Leah…care to share the joke?"

"I'm sorry," Leah chuckled as she looked at her husband, her hand reaching out for his, "Rick was asking why we're here."

The instructor looked down at Leah's pregnant belly before looking up at her face, "Weren't you here last year?"

"The year before," Leah crossed her legs, a small sigh escaping her as Rick moved closer, his hand rubbing the small of her back, "Our boys are turning one in ten days."

She grinned down at them before looking at the six other couples in the room, "Rick and Leah have quite the experience when it comes to birthing children. This will be baby number…"

"Six," Leah rubbed the side of her belly where she could feel a small foot, feeling like she needed to explain when the other parents stared at her in shock, "The last ones were twins, though."

Rick leaned down to whisper into her ear, his broad chest pressed against her back, "They still think we're crazy for having so many kids."

Leah giggled, tilting her head back to grin at him, "I don't care."

"Rick," the instructor's voice had them looking away from each other, "Why don't you share your experience with the other daddies here? I'm sure they would like to know from someone with your experience as to what can be expected."

Rick watched as the other men in the room nodded, most of them at least five years younger than him, "Well…"

Looking down into Leah's brown-green eyes, he gave her a soft smile as he reached up to brush back a strand of hair that had come loose from the hair tie at the base of her neck, "It's…the most frightening thing you'll ever experience."

Leah's eyes grew wide but she didn't say anything because Rick placed his finger over her lips as he continued, "She'll be in pain and you'll feel hopeless because there's nothing you can do except stand beside her, hold her hand…take the abuse."

Leah's face flushed as she recalled having called Rick several names –in Quileute, which was good because that meant he didn't understand what she was saying although her tone had made it obvious –when birthing the twins.

"And when you're just about ready to give up –not just you but her as well –you witness the most amazing thing ever…this woman you love…the one you've pledge to cherish and protect…she finds strength where there is none and gives you the most amazing gift there could ever be…a child made in love."

Leah blinked, Rick's thumb brushing away the tear that escaped, his eyes never leaving hers as he continued, "You'll never look at her the same after that…from then on, every time you look at her, it will be in awe…not just because she can nurture life but because she gives birth to miracles as well."

Leah's sniffle wasn't alone as the other women in the room used the edge of their towels to wipe away at their tears, some of the men blinking fast as they fought for control.

The instructor smiled down at them but neither Leah nor Rick noticed as they stared at each other.

Reaching up to cup his strong jaw in her hand, she tilted her head back to press a soft kiss against his lips, her brown-green eyes bright with unshed tears, "I love you."

Rick smiled as he stroked the side of her face, their noses touching as he rested his forehead against hers, dropping his hand to rest on the swell of her stomach, "As I love you."


Weihai, China
January 13
th

Lian picked up his tea cup, leaning back to rest his ankle over his knee, his elbows on the arm rests of the iron-wrought chair he sat on.

Breathing in the fragrant aroma of the tea –he wished it were coffee but alas, there was none in the whole of Weihai, apparently –he kept his eyes on July and her aunt Mingzhu, sitting by the cliff's edge several miles away.

July had her back to the crashing ocean below with her aunt facing her as she held her grand-niece's hands in her smaller ones…it was almost like witnessing a palm reading.

He wondered if on top of mermaids in the family tree there were also psychics…

A soft scoff escaped him as he took a sip of the tea, the warm berry taste exploding across his tongue.

If they believed mermaids existed then they probably believed in psychics as well…it wasn't that far of a stretch from one absurdity to another, after all.

Lowering his tea cup, he watched as the wind tugged at July's hair, studying her face as she kept her eyes on the small hands joining hers, occasionally nodding to something her aunt said.

He had met the woman a couple of days ago, amazed that she was July's grandmother's sister –she didn't look a day over thirty with her petite frame, blue-black hair and bright purple eyes the exact shape and hue as July's.

Apparently –from what July had told him –it was the matriarchal side of the tree that had mermaids –all of them female and purple eyed. They came to land in search of true love and acceptance because there were no male mermaids to be found under the sea.

Shaking his head as he took another sip of his tea, he wondered if July took all this seriously…he too had grown up listening to family lore of 'cold ones' and spirit warriors phasing into giant wolves for the sole purpose of protecting the vulnerable and defenseless but that's all they were –tribal lore passed from generation to generation…stories meant to inspire cultural pride and tribal unity.

"You must be Zhū lì's friend," a softly accented voice had him stand up as he set the cup on the table, turning to give the customary bow but his brain short-circuited as soon as he laid eyes on the woman standing quietly several feet from where he was.

She was small in stature, no taller than five feet, a navy blue kimono hugging a curvy frame before it ended at her knees, dark gray pants underneath flowing down to cover her feet…but what had him fighting hard not to rudely stare –and failing miserably –was her face.

A delicate oval with dark eyebrows over slanted purple eyes, long dark hair framing her face as it fell over her shoulders, her lips full –she was truly beautiful.

"I'm sorry, I…I," he stuttered, feeling stupidly idiotic as he held out his hand, snatching it back before she could offer hers to give her a jerky boy, "I'm Lian…July's friend."

She tilted her head to the side, her lips spreading into a smile as her purple eyes twinkled, "July…is that not a month? May I join you?"

He stared at her, shaking his head to get his brain to pick up its thoughts, "Yes –yes, please."

Gesturing towards the empty chair across the small table, he waited for her to sit, admiring the graceful way she moved, her hands held before her as she sank into the chair, "I am Hanai, Zhū lì's cousin. Mingzhu is my grandmother. My mother is Zhū lì's grandmother's niece."

He nodded as he watched her pick up the tea pot in the middle of the table, gracefully filling his half empty cup before setting it back, "You, uh…you look nothing alike –I mean you and July."

"Zhū lì looks like no one," she smiled at him, resting her hands on her lap, her back straight as the breeze played with her hair, "Except herself…she is unique."

Lian nodded, wondering what the hell had him so tongue-tied, "Yes, of course…except for the eyes."

She arched an eyebrow as she reached up to pull a strand of hair from her mouth, "Excuse me?"

"The purple eyes," Lian gestured towards her face, feeling like an idiot –she knew exactly where her eyes were, "Is it…a mermaid thing?"

Her eyes widened as she sucked a breath in sharply, her body stilling as she studied his face for a few seconds, "She told you?"

"About mermaids in your family," Lian tried hard to keep the edge of disbelief from his voice without success, "Yes."

He watched her beautiful eyes go blank, her face expressionless as she inclined her head before standing up, moving around the table towards the house behind him, "If you will excuse me."

"I…" he wanted to apologize but he wasn't sure what exactly to say –dear God, when had he become such a blubbering idiot?

She slightly bowed before turning towards the house –it was built by the edge of a cliff, one of many in the coast of Weihai –stopping several feet from him, the wind tousling her hair as she turned to look at him over her shoulder, her bright purple eyes showing a wealth of sorrow that hit him like a punch in the gut, "Your disbelief will destroy that which you do not believe in."

A shiver ran down Lian's back as he watched her walk across the paved path, disappearing around the corner of the house.

Your disbelief will destroy that which you do not believe in.

Why did that sound like a warning…a prophecy of something yet to come?

He shivered again before turning to look towards the cliff, his breath stuttering as he watched July standing at the edge of the cliff, her aunt nowhere in sight.

Seconds passed as she stood there, the wind tugging at her hair, the purple kimono she wore over white cotton pants lifting as the waves crashed against the cliff's face, the sky darkening into a navy blue with stars strewn across it.

Seconds passed by, his eyes never leaving her as she moved closer to the edge, her eyes trained on the turbulent ocean below, the water splashing over the edge of the cliff to wet her feet, almost as if it were reaching out for her…

The tide was rising –simply put, his fanciful thinking had an explanation.

As Hanai's ominous words echoed in his head, he reminded himself there was nothing supernatural about July or her family.

After all, there were no such things as werewolves, vampires, shape-shifters or mermaids.


January 22nd

Rick let out a quiet huff as he juggled the bags in his arms, reaching for the doorknob to the back door.

Stepping into the kitchen as soon as the back door swung open, he stopped in shock at the scene that greeted him.

Leah was sitting on the floor, leaning against the bottom cupboard as she cried into her hands, blue and green frosting splattered across the kitchen floor, some of it spotting the walls and refrigerator.

Sitting in the middle of the mess were Alyx and Andrey, their blue eyes wide as they looked up at him, frosting in their hair, hands, clothes and smeared over their little faces.

Stepping carefully to the side, he set the bags on the table, the festive tablecloth Leah had bought especially for this day hanging halfway down the floor, "Leah…what happened?"

"I'm so stupid," Leah sobbed without looking up, her shoulders shaking as she continued to blubber, "I put the cake on the tabl –they saw it –the tablecloth was too lon –I should have left it on the count –it's not their fault and n –now everything's ruined!"

Pursing his lips to keep himself from laughing at the image her stinted explanation had painted, he looked down to watch the twins as they looked at each other then back at him before getting onto their feet, their little Converse sneakers leaving behind prints on the frosting as they toddled to their mother, Alyx climbing into her lap as Andrey moved into her side, his frosting covered hand patting her head as his brother tried to pry her hands from her face.

"I'm so sorry," she let out a sob, sniffing as she let Alyx tug her hands down, his little fingers reaching up to wipe at her face, smearing frosting across her cheeks, "Today's suppose to be special…and now it's ruined."

Alyx's bottom lip poked out as he struggled to climb Leah's round belly, her arms wrapping around both of them as she kissed Andrey's forehead then Alyx, their little hands leaving frosting over her face and hair, as well as the turquoise top she wore with black leggings.

Rick blinked back tears at the tender picture they made, looking down at the floor, unable to find where he could step without tracking more of the frosting.

Despite wanting to keep the mess to a minimum, he knew he had to get to his hormonal wife before she started thinking he believed her to be a horrible mother.

Crouching next to her, he stroked his hand over the back of her head, his fingers curling around her neck, "Leah, baby, it's going to be okay."

"It's –it's their first birthday," Leah sniffed, turning red-rimmed eyes towards him, "And there won't be a birthday cake."

"I'll take care of it," Rick pressed a kiss on her forehead, Andrey looking at him as he snuggled into her side, Alyx holding on tight to a hank of her hair, "Go get in the shower then take a nap."

"But the twins –"

He smiled at the soft hiccup that escaped her, his thumb rubbing the soft spot behind her ear, "I'll take care of them. The party is not until two –I have five hours."

Leah looked into his blue eyes, sniffing before she gave him a nod, Rick taking Alyx and Andrey from her before she grabbed the lip of the sink and pulled herself up.

Leaning forward, he kissed her lips, the salty tears mingling with her own sweet taste as she kissed him back, letting out a shuddering breath when he pulled back, their foreheads pressed against each other for a few seconds before the twins moved together as one, leaning forward to give her cheeks open mouthed kisses as they gurgled –it was their version of a buzz.

Laughing, she reached up to wipe at the tears, her eyes widening as her hand came away with frosting, "Oh God, I'm a mess."

"You're still beautiful," Rick's voice was sincere as he smiled down at her, bouncing the boys as they began to wiggle, "Now go relax and leave everything to me."

"Okay," she nodded with a sniff, giving him a watery smile before kissing the twins, the boys turning to look over their father's shoulders to watch as she kicked her shoes off at the doorway of the utility room before leaving the kitchen.

As soon as she was out of sight, they turned wide blue eyes towards their father, waiting quietly while he looked from one then the other before they all looked towards the splattered cake on the kitchen floor.

"Well," Rick watched the boys as they looked from the cake back to him, blue eyes twinkling as they gave him identical dimpled grins, "Guess first thing I gotta do is get another cake, right?"

"Da-da," Andrey nodded as Alyx pointed at the ruined cake, his little eyebrows lowering into a furrow over his eyes, "Da, da."

Rick chuckled at their syllable-long answers –they'd yet to expand from 'da' –as he placed them on the floor, rubbing the back of his neck as they toddled eagerly towards the blue and green mess, their little fingers digging into frosting as they let out squeals of joy, "You two may be willing to eat it off the floor but I don't think the others will be so accommodating."

Alyx giggled as he looked up at his father, pointing his little frosted finger at him, "Da! Da!"

Rick chuckled as Alyx shoved his fingers into his small mouth, sucking at the sugary taste before crouching down to stick his wet fingers back into the frosting, "Okay, you guys do that while I get us another cake, then I'll clean up this mess…and you."

Andrey nodded as he stuffed a piece of breading into his mouth, bouncing his knees in rhythm to some internal music as he licked frosting off his hand.

Picking up the phone, he dialed the number by memory, already knowing the one person that would be able to rescue him and save the party Leah had been planning for over a month now.

He didn't think there was any need for a cake –especially with the twins stuffing their faces with all that frosting. He was certain by the time it came around to cutting into a cake, they were both going to be so sick of sugar they won't want a piece –good way for them to learn their lesson.

Just like he and Kristos had when they'd gotten into mana's stash of kok –even now, the memory of those chocolate-glazed, cream filled cookies made him want to gag.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Sam, it's Rick."

"Hey man, how's it going? Party's still on, right?"

"Uh…if your wife's able to help me out with the latest glitch, then yeah, party's still on. Is she around?"

"Yeah, let me get her for you."

Rick listened as Sam set the phone down, his yell for Emily loud enough to make him wince –sometimes, Sam could be quite…unmannered.

"Hi Rick. Sam says you need some help."

"Yeah," he smiled, thinking how well Emily's sweetness rounded out Sam's rough edges, "We had a bit of a cake catastrophe –""

"What happened?"

Rick watched as the boys moved on from eating the cake to painting with it, their small fingers smearing it over the refrigerator door with gleeful abandonment –oh, the kitchen was going to be hell to clean up, "Andrey and Alyx happened."

Emily laughed at that, already having babysat the little terrors enough times to know what they were capable of, "How can I help you?"

"Would you be able to bake me a cake…cupcakes, cookies, muffins –I don't care as long as I can stick a candle in it."

"I'll get started on that right away," she said with a giggle and he knew she was shaking her head in amusement –he would have laughed out loud himself if he hadn't had a weepy hormonal wife declaring the day ruined because of a splattered cake, "Call Sue and have her come over to help with the twins while you clean the mess –there's no way you'll be able to contain it to the kitchen if you don't."

"Good idea, thanks."

"Oh, and Rick."

"Yeah?"

He laughed at her parting words, "Take a picture of them –she'll find it funny later."


February 3rd, Wednesday
9:18PM

Leah let out a tired sigh as she folded the last towel, placing it on the stack in the laundry basket before reaching to rub her lower back.

Picking up the baby monitor, she rolled her shoulders, turning the lights off in the utility room then kitchen, pleased with herself at having a clean kitchen, laundry done and all her babies tucked into bed asleep.

Rubbing her back as she walked down the hall, she realized it was a small victory getting to go to bed before midnight but small or not, she was going to enjoy it.

A sniffle followed by a sneeze then a small cough let her know she had started celebrating too early as a croaky voice called out, "Mama!"

Turning away from her bedroom doorway, she moved down the hall, flipping the light switch in her daughter's room to find her baby girl sitting in the middle of the bed, her little arms wrapped around Mou-bear as she looked up at her with sad blue eyes and a red nose, "I feel yucky, mama."

"Oh, baby," Leah sat beside her, reaching out to touch her forehead, her skin warmer than usual as she rubbed a small fist under her nose, "I think you're sick, sweetie."

She sneezed, sniffing as she looked up at her mother, "I don't wanna be sick."

Leah gave her a soft smile as she leaned down to kiss her forehead, "I'll take you to the doctor in the morning –she'll be able to give us something to make you feel better."

"I wanna feel better now," Emmie blinked her big blue eyes as tears welled up in them, her little nose reddening as she sniffed.

"I'll get a cool washcloth for your head," Leah kissed her forehead, rubbing her small back as she smiled down at her, "That'll help with the fever."

Emmie sneezed, sniffing as a tear rolled down her cheek, "I want Daddy."

Leah's heart lurched in pain because no matter how much she wanted to give her daughter what she asked, she couldn't what with Rick being out in the woods on four legs –sometimes it wasn't easy being a single mom during the nights when he wasn't here, "Daddy can't be here, sweetie. He's being a wolf tonight."

Emmie sniffled as tears began falling down her round cheeks, "I want Mou then."

Leah couldn't hold back the smile –that was always the drill with her baby girl whenever she wasn't feeling well or got hurt: first Daddy, then Embry, "Baby, Mou is in Seattle for school."

Emmie's bottom lip poked out in a tremble before she let out a soft sob, burying her face into Leah's side as her small shoulders shook.

Tenderly stroking her hair, she rocked her, her heart aching at the utter desolation in Emmie's cries. She knew her daughter loved her but her little girl's source of comfort, safety and confidence came from the two most important men/wolves in her life: her father and her soul-mate.

Kissing the top of her head, Leah kept the gentle rocking, hoping it would lull her to sleep.

A soft sniffle before she let out a shuddering breath, a sob catching then more tears soaking her shirt.

"It'll be okay, baby," Leah assured her as she wiped a thumb over her flushed cheek, "Daddy will be here in the morning."

Emmie nodded –she wasn't a whiner –but tears kept coming as she hiccuped, her turned-up nose red as she sniffled.

Giving her forehead a kiss as the phone began to ring, she smiled down at her daughter, "I'm going to answer the phone then come get you for bed, okay?"

Emmie nodded as she rubbed a small fist over her eyes, a sneeze having her small nose running.

Moving into the kitchen, she picked up the phone on the third ring, hoping the twins had slept through it, "Hello?"

"Hey, Lee, how's it going?"

Leah smiled, easily recognizing the voice, "Doing okay. Were your ears ringing?"

"Uh?"

"Emmie's asking for you. She's got a bit of a fever and a runny nose –"

"I'm on my way."

"You don't need t come, Embry. You have classes tomorrow and it's just a cold…Em? Embry? You hung up, didn't you?"

Shaking her head, she returned the receiver to its cradle and headed back to her daughter's room.

Thirty minutes later, a soft knock at the front door had Emmie's droopy lids flying open.

Pressing a kiss on her warm forehead, she walked out of her room, rubbing the small of her back as she headed towards the front door.

Her eyebrows arched at the sight that greeted her, "Did you run here?"

"Yes," Embry wiped his bare feet on the welcome mat, his breathing still a bit labored, "It's faster than driving."

"Right," Leah nodded in agreement, a sneeze coming from Emmie's bedroom reminding her why Embry was standing on her front porch in cut-off jeans and a worn t-shirt with no shoes, "Come on in."

"Thanks," Embry walked into the living room, pointing towards the hallway, "Is she in her bedroom?"

"Yes."

Giving her a quick nod, he headed that way, a smile spreading as Emmie clambered out from under the covers as soon as she saw him.

"Mou!"

"Hey Princess," he sat down on the floor beside her bed, reaching up to cup her small face, "How are you feeling?"

"Yucky," Emmie sniffled as she rubbed her nose, "I don't like it."

"Neither do I," Embry tapped his finger against her small nose, "You look like Rudolph with that red nose, though."

Emmie giggled, her little hands taking his larger one to hold on her lap, "Rudolph is a girl deer."

"Really?"

"Uh-hu," Emmie nodded, sniffing before she continued, "Boy deers lose their an-lers in the winter."

Embry chuckled, "I did not know that."

Emmie's rosebud mouth spread into a yawn, her blue eyes droopy as she asked, "Will you stay until I fall asleep?"

"Of course," he helped her crawl under the bed covers, tucking the flower printed comforter around her as she looked up at him, "What if I wake up before morning?"

"I'll be right here," he leaned forward to kiss her forehead, tucking Mou-bear under the covers with her.

Emmie yawned again, tucking her little hand into his and pulling it under her chin, "Tell me a story."

Embry smiled as he rested his arms on the mattress, "Let's see…there was once a princess –"

"What was her name?"

"Her name," Embry's thinking face had her giggling before he gave her a smile, "Princess Emerie the Beautiful."

Emmie giggled as she nestled her small head into her pillow, "Is she smart?"

"Very smart," Embry reached up with his free hand to stroke her soft hair, "Princess Emerie had a best friend –"

"His name's Mou," Emmie sneezed, rubbing her nose against her pajama sleeve.

"It is," Embry asked with a smile as he stroked her forehead with his thumb.

She nodded, another yawn escaping her.

"Alright then," Embry watched her long eyelashes lower as she fought to stay awake, "One morning after breakfast, she went out into the garden to play with Mou."

Emmie blinked her eyes quickly in an attempt to wake up, "Was he waiting for her?"

"Mou always waits for Princess Emerie."

She gave him a sleepy smile, "What happened next?"

"When she went out into the garden, she discovered something strange."

"What?"

Embry grinned at the inquisitive look she gave him, "All the flowers in the garden were missing."

Emmie sat up with a gasp, her blue eyes wide, "Where'd they go?"

Embry lifted his shoulders, "I don't know. Where do you think they went?"

Emmie pursed her lips in thought as she settled back into her pillow, her face brightening as she thought of something, "King Daddy picked them all to give to Queen Mama because he loves her so much."

"There's an idea," Embry watched her big eyes close as she let out a soft sigh, "But Mou and Princess Emerie decided to investigate to see if their theory was correct."

Emerie let out a soft hum, finally succumbing to sleep as she held on to Embry's hand.

Watching her sleep as minutes trickled by, he let out a yawn before lowering his head to rest on his arms, his eyes closing as the sound of her steady heartbeat and soft breathing lulled him into a deep, peaceful sleep.


Rick let out a tired yawn as he trudged down the hall towards the back bedroom, stopping before he reached it to walk backwards until he reached the opened doorway into his daughter's room.

He wasn't exactly sure how he felt about finding Embry asleep in her room, his head on his arm as his baby girl held on to his other hand in her sleep.

Wasn't this the kind of thing fathers of teenage girls were supposed to deal with?

His baby was not even four yet…

Moving down the hall into his bedroom, he leaned over his sleeping wife, kissing her soft lips until she let out a sigh, her beautiful brown-green eyes fluttering open, "Good morning."

He smiled, sliding his hand under the covers and her sleeping shirt to rest his hand on her round stomach, "Good morning. Why is Embry sleeping in my daughter's room?"

Leah chuckled as she reached up to stroke his jaw, "Emmie wasn't feeling well last night."

"Did you call him?"

"No," she moved her thumb over his bottom lip, laughing when he caught it between his teeth, "He called, which was unusual considering it was late. I'm sure he must have felt her feeling miserable."

Giving her thumb a nipping bite, he let it slip out of his mouth before kissing her forehead, "Well, now that Daddy's here, he should be able to go."

"Rick, be nice," Leah pushed herself into a sitting position, "He ran down from Seattle because Emmie needed him –and he needed to be here with her."

Rick gave her a smile before kissing her mouth again, "I'm going to shower then make breakfast. Get some more sleep."

"Are you kicking Embry out?"

He gave her a smile meant to reassure her, "He has a class at ten."

"Rick…"

"He can stay for breakfast."