Three Years Ago

Leah stared down at her engagement ring, the simple design already burned into her mind despite not having been on her hand longer than a day. The thin band was already her prized possession, the representation of all the love, tears, and struggle she and Sam had battled over the last three years. Leah knew that it would have taken him months of saving to buy the ring. His sacrifices only made it more endearing to her. Wedding ideas and dream visualizations of their future children seemed to be all she could think about. It was all that distracted her, anyway.

Sam had proposed at their family dinner the night before with all of their loved ones there to witness. It had not been a surprise that Sam had decided to leave the gathering early since he had so many responsibilities. However, he had begun acting oddly shortly before announcing he was going home. Leah had admittedly spent most of the evening with Emily at her side and hoped Sam had not taken offense. He had been unexplainably short with Leah and Emily near the end of the evening. Sam immediately apologized afterward but remained sulky and snappish. Since leaving her house, he had been silent aside from texting her back to say that he loved her and goodnight. For a moment, Leah wondered about his behavior when considering the continued rumors that he was abusing some kind of substance. She felt immediate guilt for even contemplating such a thing as she stared at her ring. Leah looked up and grinned as Emily pulled into the drive. Her cousin jogged from her car to the porch and sat next to Leah.

Emily asked, "How is Sam today?"

"I was just wondering that myself. It's almost four. I haven't heard from him since last night," Leah admitted.

Emily asked, "That isn't normal for you two, is it?"

Leah shook her head. "No. Since we got our phones, we usually do the good morning, and how is your day kind of thing. He has been quiet today. I hope he isn't sick. He was acting ... off last night, and he never gets enough sleep."

Emily offered, "Well, do you want to go check on him? We can drive over real quick if you would like. Make sure he is okay." Leah grinned at her and nodded. She yelled to Harry that she would be back soon before running over and climbing into the passenger seat of Emily's car. Leah pointed out the way to Sam's house, nervous about his welfare and eager to show Emily the charming cabin he lived in.

Leah asked, "Remember how I said I had somewhere to dance when I could?"

Emily asked, "Yeah, why? Is it at his house?"

Leah nodded, biting back a grin. She said, "The house isn't huge or anything, but the living room is pretty large because it started out as a one-room cabin. I go over there to clean up for him sometimes and take advantage of the living room," Leah said.

Emily teased, "Do you dance for Sam, LeeLee?"

Leah blushed, laughing as she shook her head no. "He knows I do it, but it's not exactly his thing," Leah said. "Guys aren't often into ballet, you know?"

Emily laughed and said, "Listen, honey, you would be surprised. Especially if you are dancing around in a leotard." Her happy mood was crushed by alarm at the sight of the screen door broken in half and the screen shredded as the top half hung precariously from one hinge. The door behind it was splintered, hanging slightly open as well. Leah scrambled to remove her seatbelt and threw open the passenger door. As Leah bolted for the house, Emily yelled, "Wait! Leah, don't!" Leah pushed the inner door open a bit and lifted her leg to climb over the broken screen. She felt Emily gripping her shoulder, pulling her back as she warned, "Leah, stop!"

Leah tried to shove the inner door open and screamed, "Sam!"

Emily huffed and said, "Hush! Leah, look. Something happened here. We need to call your dad's friend or something."

"Who? Charlie?" Leah was frantic as she hissed, "I need to see if Sam is okay." She screamed for Sam through the doorway again, tears spilling down her face in panic. The clicking of buttons caught her attention as Emily lifted her cell to her ear.

Leah spat out, "This is ridiculous!" She jerked from Emily's grasp and started to climb over the door again.

Sounding closer to an annoyed parent than her best friend for life, Emily huffed and said, "Hello, can I please speak with Charlie Swan?" She jerked Leah back from the doorway again and hissed, "Stop. If something is wrong in there, it's a fucking crime scene, Leah." Emily spoke calmly again as she said, "Hello, Chief Swan? This is Emily Young. Leah and I are at Sam Uley's place, and it looks like someone has broken in." Leah could hear the sound of his gruff mumbling through the receiver.

Trying desperately to disguise how frightened she was, Leah called out, "Please, Charlie, come out here?" He said something else that Leah could not make out.

Emily said, "Wonderful. Thank you." She hung up the phone and pulled Leah into a hug as she said, "He is on his way. Charlie said he prefers to deal with anything on the reservation himself."

Leah rolled her eyes, knowing full well that Charlie would come the minute he heard her voice. Charlie would always come when Leah called. Leah sat down heavily on the ground, wrapping her arms around her knees. The sudden visual of Sam coming home to find Charlie searching his place made her wince. She could not help but think about the rumors once again. What if he was lying about his habits? I rarely see him for more than a few hours at a time. What if he was on something, and I just never fucking knew? What if Charlie searches the house and finds fucking drugs inside? What if someone came after Sam over drug money or some crazy bullshit like that? Leah glanced around at her surroundings and sighed, knowing she was probably ridiculous yet unable to quiet her mind. His temper could be frightening at times, and she wasn't looking forward to fighting with him over having the police at his house. She said, "You know, if nothing is wrong and Charlie comes here for no reason, Sam is gonna get pissed."

Emily glared suspiciously at Leah and said, "I thought you said everyone likes Charlie? He sounded pretty worried."

Leah said, "Well, Charlie tends to worry about everyone. Sam just really likes his privacy." She looked up through the broken door, sniffling as she wiped tears from her cheeks. She stood abruptly and rushed at the heavy, broken inside door, finally scooting it open. The mess she was met with made her gasp in surprise before letting out another sob. His kitchen was in shambles. The heavy kitchen table his grandfather had made by hand was overturned, one leg splintered at an odd angle, and two of the four wooden chairs broke.

Her tone softened as Emily whispered, "LeeLee, please don't go in the house. We don't know what happened or if Sam is even here, but it does not take a genius to see that something is not right." Emily turned around slowly, her brow furrowed in concentration as she stared suspiciously across the treeline. Leah shivered as the sensation of being watched washed over her, and she turned to search as well. Leah felt as if her blood turned cold when Emily confirmed her feeling and whispered, "Someone is watching us." Emily grabbed her hand and pulled Leah behind her to the car. The girls scrambled inside, and Emily promptly hit the lock button as they pulled the doors shut. Less than a minute later, Leah jumped, and Emily shrieked as a howl erupted from nearby, startling them both. From between the trees, it stumbled precariously as if only finding its footing for the first time. The black wolf was massive, much larger than any Leah had ever seen. She had definitely never glimpsed one so close to home. She squirmed in her seat as she panicked. It glared at them, glancing between Leah and Emily as if confused and then outraged by the sight of them. Suddenly, the wolf turned and rushed back into the woods, howling as it went. Emily paled and turned her frightened face toward Leah as she said, "I know the wildlife can be dangerous this close to the park, but … "

Leah felt numb with shock as she said, "I have never seen one that big. But, this is why Charlie worries. People disappear around here, Emily. Absolutely fucking disappear. Hikers mostly, but others sometimes, too. Charlie is constantly part of search teams and helping pick dead bodies out of the woods." Leah hadn't realized she was physically shaking until Emily reached out to clench her hand.

Emily teared up as she said, "Well, something tells me that wolf is part of what busted up the house. I could feel it watching us. It looked me dead in the eyes, Leelee. Something is really wrong here."

Leah bit down on her lip painfully as she tried to hold back her sobs and new fears overwhelmed her mind. Her voice broke as she croaked out, "If someone hurt Sam and he wandered off injured..." She sobbed again, unable to speak about the possibility of a massive wolf devouring her fiance in the woods somewhere.

They sat in silence as they waited for Charlie. Emily held her hand to her chest and sighed with relief when he pulled up behind her car. Leah threw her door open and ran to Charlie. He readily hugged her trembling frame as she sobbed against him. It was something she had not done since she was a small child and terrified she would get in trouble. Charlie tried to soothe her, guiding her to sit on the hood of his cruiser. He was saddened by her fear, genuine concern on his face. He rubbed her upper arms gently while she tried to catch her breath.

His voice was gentle, fatherly as he crooned, "Hey, hey. It's going to be okay, kiddo." He glanced over at Emily, who remained frozen next to her driver-side door. He forced a smile at them both and asked, "So, what's going on over here?"

Emily explained, "We found the place like this." She pointed toward the broken doors, the screen now scraping the porch as it swung in the breeze.

Leah said, "We don't know if Sam is even here. Emily wouldn't let me go inside."

Charlie nodded at Emily and said, "Well, now, that's a good thing. You never want to rush in on a robbery or a break-in, Leah. That is how people get hurt." He patted her shoulder affectionately and glared toward the house. Leah took a deep breath and released it slowly, letting his calmness comfort her frantic heart. He said, "Let me go check shit out, kiddo. Hopefully, Sam just isn't home. Maybe you two should wait in the car for now, huh?"

The girls climbed back into the car as Charlie approached the door. He glanced back toward them and took a deep breath, surprised by the condition of the kitchen. Charlie announced himself clearly before carefully making his way inside. A few minutes later, he climbed back out and shook his head. The girls stepped out of the car as he said, "Sam is not in there, kids. The kitchen is a complete wreck, but it doesn't look like anyone was in a struggle. There is no blood anywhere. Only the kitchen is busted up, and nothing of real value is missing. I have come by here to visit with Billy a couple of times and have a pretty good idea of what it usually looks like. The TV is in there, his stereo is fine. It's mostly just furniture turned over and broken. If I didn't know how hard the guy works for what little he has, I would think he had done it himself."

Leah softly defended, "He takes care of this place, Charlie. You know that. He would never do this to his own place on purpose. He works so hard..."

Charlie nodded and handed her a cell phone. He looked up at the darkening sky and said, "I am going to make some calls to see if we can locate Sam. His cell phone was in there on the kitchen counter, so if you could try calling some of his friends, that would be great. I will get another deputy here to help me fix this door the best we can. There is a storm coming. Why don't you two head on home, and I'll be by a little later."

Tentatively, Leah said, "Charlie. There was a huge wolf here right before you got here. It scared the shit out of us both. You don't think…" Leah could not even finish the sentence as she turned to scan the woods surrounding the house.

Charlie said, "Whatever happened in the house had nothing to do with a wolf, Leah. There would be blood somewhere if an animal did this. The door is open, and there is food in the house. The wolf probably just smelled it and got curious."

Leah hugged and thanked Charlie again. As she turned to walk away, Charlie caught her left hand in his and grinned down at her ring. "We will find him, Leah. Don't worry." She forced a smile at him and climbed back into the car with Emily.

After searching for Sam frantically for days, Leah had fallen into a hopeless depression. She worried for him constantly, praying like hell that he would just come home. Jacob had been surprisingly supportive, helping with the search for Sam and comforting Leah when she broke down. Leah had become increasingly frustrated as the so-called adults around them kept telling her to keep the faith that he would return. Billy seemed to believe that Sam was simply going through something personal and needed time to himself. Leah had gone back to his house and cleaned up what she could. Though her parents had not been happy about it, she had practically camped at his house for the first week as she waited for him to come home. When he did not, Leah finally returned home to her increasingly frustrating family and the comfort of her own small bedroom. Emily visited her in spurts, at times behaving oddly distant and distracted. Leah assumed Emily simply worried for her cousin and was unsure how to comfort her. After all, how do you comfort someone when half of their heart was missing somewhere, the whereabouts unknown, and safety in question?

Emily did express still being worried about the wolf hanging around. She had spotted it again in the woods outside of her own home more than once. Emily could not help but suspect that maybe the wolf did have something to do with Sam, though Emily could not figure out why or what it was. She described it as a feeling she could not shake off, as if it were always watching nearby. Leah brushed it off as a mere coincidence, holding onto the frequent reassurance Charlie gave her. Their tribe had talked about a connection with wolves for an eternity. It made sense to Leah that some might be in the area, even if one of them was abnormally large.

By the third week of his absence, her hope he would be found alive somewhere was all but nonexistent. The likelihood of his discovery grew less and less as every day had passed. Searches had ended, only frustrating her more. Charlie had papered everywhere from Forks to Port Angeles in missing person posters. He checked on Leah frequently, visiting her parents as an excuse. She appreciated his concern, as he seemed to be one of the few who understood the sense of abandonment and loss that she felt. His ex-wife may not have died, but she had abandoned him to care for his elderly parents alone and had taken his daughter with her, devastating him all the same. By the end of that fourth week, Emily seemed to be avoiding Leah altogether. This time, Leah assumed that perhaps her depression over Sam was too much for Emily when she had to worry about caring for her emotionally draining Mother, too.

It was two in the morning when a soft knock on her window pulled her quickly from sleep, and Leah scrambled across her bedroom. She threw up the window, sobbing with relief as Sam stood outside. Leah leaned out the window to cup his face and look him over. His hair had been cut short, and if she was not mistaken, he had grown yet again.

Her voice broke as she asked him, "Baby, where have you been?"

Sam squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head sadly. Sam reached through the window and grabbed Leah under the shoulders. She gasped in surprise as he pulled her outside and into his arms, hugging her close. After placing her on her feet in front of him, Sam crushed his lips to hers. Tears rolled down his face in a rare display of emotion from Sam. The kiss he gave her was sensual and passionate. His kiss told her with certainty that Sam loved her. He had missed her, and he was relieved to have her in his arms again. The last thing she expected as he slowly pulled away from her was for him to say goodbye.

Sam choked out, "I love you, Leah. I love you with everything I possibly can."

Leah clung to him and said, "I love you, too. I'm just so glad you are home." Leah was nearly startled as a sob escaped him, and her stomach dropped as she looked up into his devastated face.

Sam took a deep breath and said, "Leelee, baby, we can't get married. We can't be together anymore." His words sent the world spinning around her. Leah felt her grief from the last month come down to crush her all at once. She stood frozen in front of him, floundering in despair. He said, "I want you to keep the ring. It was meant for you, and despite what I'm doing now, I do love you."

Incredulously, Leah asked, "Why are you doing this?" She took a step backward, nearly stumbling and catching herself with her hand on her window ledge. "You have been missing for weeks and come home to dump me? Sam, why?" Pain poured through her, and her chest ached as she struggled to breathe.

His anger at himself was evident as he said, "I'm not good for you anymore, Leah. I don't deserve you anymore."

Leah asked, "Why? Sam, please tell me what the hell is going on? Where the hell have you been? You have always been good for me, Sam. Talk to me!" She was desperate to know what had changed, what she could have possibly done to make him feel he wasn't good for her anymore.

He stared at her tearfully, stepping backward and away from her as he said, "I will always love you, Leelee."

Leah screamed, "Please, just tell me why!" She could barely see as a seemingly unending stream of tears rolled down her cheeks. After weeks of crying, it was a wonder she had anything left. Overwhelmed, Leah fell to her knees. The mournful screaming she heard next startled her as she realized the tortured voice was her own. Sam backed away from her further, shaking. She vaguely registered the presence of a frightened Sue as she rounded the side of the house, searching for her daughter.

A sob escaped as Leah begged, "Please don't leave me." She was not looking at him anymore, her stomach rolling as she stared at the ground between her palms. "God damn it, I thought you were dead, Sam. Don't do this to me." She glared up at him, shaking with anger.

His voice was nearly a whisper as Sam begged, "Don't make me say it, LeeLee. Just let me go."

Leah slowly stood, unable to control her trembling as she stepped closer to Sam. Angrily, she yelled, "Let you go? I spent the last month clutching onto hope with everything I have that you would be found alive." Leah turned back and leaned into the window, straining to snag his cell phone from her nightstand. Leah spun and tossed his phone at him. She nearly gasped as he caught it with ease, immediately shoving it into the pocket of his shorts. Her eyes trailed down his slick, muscular frame to his muddy, bare feet. She had not realized how damp the air was, how her pajamas were now soaked as they clung to her skin, and her own feet were covered in mud. Leah asked, "Sam, where the fuck are your shoes?" It was not lost on her that her mother stood three feet away and had wisely chosen to ignore her language for the time being.

Sam huffed and said, "That's not important."

As she scrutinized his appearance, Leah yelled, "You are like an entirely different person right now. You never go without a shirt. Your fucking hair, the one goddamn thing you pride yourself on, is gone. You have grown ... again. You were missing for a month, Sam." She barely recognized the man standing in front of her, only making her ache for him more. She rushed at him then, grabbing his hands and pulling them together against her chest. More tears fell as she said, "I love you. I have fucking loved you for three years. Through everything. I don't care if you did something stupid. If I am the problem, give me a chance to fix it." Leah choked out another sob as Sam slowly pulled away from her again.

He attempted to blink back angry tears as he said, "You didn't do anything wrong, LeeLee. You deserve better than what I did... Someone that is meant to put you first." Sam reached up to wipe her tears away while his own dripped from his chin. Leah tried to reach for his face in return, and he quickly moved away from her. He behaved as if he did not even want her to touch him, and Leah was sure the rejection pierced her right down to her very soul.

Sam said, "I don't deserve your grief, Leah. I don't deserve any of it. I don't ever want to hurt you again."

Angrily, Leah pressed, "Tell me why! What the hell happened that would make you give up every fucking thing we have?" She lifted her hand and shook her engagement ring adorned fist at him. "We were supposed to have a future together, Sam! You want me to let you go? Tell me why I should!" How could he do this? Leah had given him everything she had. Each knew their darkest thoughts, hopes, and dreams. Leah could close her eyes and picture every single curve, dip, and swell of his body, knowing full well that he could do the same. She knew the sound of his heartbeat, could visualize the exact position he laid in as he slept curled around her body on the nights she snuck out to see him. Her voice cracked again as Leah demanded, "Tell me why you are throwing me away, Sam."

Sam stared at her, his eyes burning deep into hers. He looked as devastated as she felt. Leah had not seen him in this much pain since his mother had abandoned him. His voice was a broken, shame-filled whisper as he said, "I slept with someone else, Leah."

Her stomach rolled violently as Sam backed away further. Another mournful, sobbing scream escaped as the admission seemed to knock the wind from her. He had been with someone else? The thought of her Sam wrapped around, inside of another woman left her gagging through her tears. Struggling to breathe, Leah ripped the ring from her left hand. She threw it at him with all of her strength, collapsing back to her knees defeatedly as it bounced smartly off of his chest. Sam rubbed the spot with one hand and bent to retrieve the ring with his other.

Sam begged, "I really want you to keep this. It was meant for you, and I meant it when I gave it."

Leah whipped her head up to glare at him as she hissed, "I don't want it. Go give it to the bitch you fucked. If I meant so goddamned much to you, you would never have fucked someone else in the first place." She wanted to hate him. Hell, she wanted to hit him.

Sam choked out, "You have no idea how wrong you are." He tossed the ring to the ground in front of her before sprinting into the trees.

Leah watched him disappear before hanging her head in defeat. Sue dropped to her knees beside her and wrapped her arms around her. Leah buried her face against her shoulder and fought to keep from screaming again as she wept. When she finally calmed down enough to pull away, Sue lovingly brushed her long, wet hair away from her face. Seth was leaning against the corner of the house, his young, kind, tear-streaked face riddled with worry for his sister. Leah stood and took a deep breath as she attempted to pull herself together. She turned to head into the house through the back door.

Retrieving the ring from the ground, Sue asked, "Leelee, honey? What do you want to do with this?"

Leah choked out another sob and said, "Put it up." The truth was that her finger already felt naked without it. A chilling realization hit her, and she shuddered as she glared at the ring in Sue's hand. Sam stopped being mine the day he put that ring on my finger. She flexed her hand, trying to push the lingering sensation away. She said, "Maybe we will need it to pay a bill one day. Let Seth pawn it to get a video game for all I care. Everything that it represents for me is broken now. I don't want it." Leah walked into the house and promptly stole the remainder of Harry's bourbon from out of his sleeping hand. He woke, squinting up at her as he huffed. Not wanting Sue to see her through the window from the television light, she quickly knocked back a few gulps and coughed as heat flowed through her chest. Sue and Seth were coming inside just as Leah swiped a cigarette and lighter from Harry. She rushed past them to her room. Leah shut and locked the door before leaning out the open, wet windowsill and lighting the cigarette. She shivered from the cold and scoffed as she wrung the water from her shirt outside.

For fucks sake, this is officially the worst night of my life. She fought the urge to scream again, taking another drag from the cigarette instead. Eventually, she grew lightheaded and tossed the remainder of the cigarette outside. Leah shut her window after drying things off and peeled off her soaked pajamas. She carelessly tossed them into her hamper, groaned at the faint muddy footprints on her bedroom carpet, and crawled into bed. Leah lay there a long time, sobbing over what she had lost until she fell into an exhausted sleep.

Present Day

After a few hours of troubled sleep riddled with dreams of the past, Leah climbed out of bed and showered. Knowing full well that there would be plenty of food sitting around, Leah got dressed and drove over to see her sister. She was not surprised to find Bella feeding Sarah in her highchair when she arrived. Her niece had recently developed an obsession with pureed bananas and was reluctant to swallow anything else.

Bella cooed at her plump, happy baby, "Sarah Hope. You should try these carrots for Mommy." Leah could not help but chuckle as Sarah cooed back at her mother, grinning. Bella made a funny face at her daughter, who merrily opened her mouth to laugh. Bella took advantage and slipped the tiny spoon between her lips. Sarah closed her mouth, her face scrunching up in a scowl. Leah barked out a loud laugh as she snagged a giant muffin from a bowl on the table. As

Leah sat down, Bella asked, "Did you get any sleep?"

"A few hours. Did you?" Bella was in one of Jacob's long button-up shirts. Her hair was in a wild pile on top of her head, frizzier than Leah had ever seen it. Her long, thick legs were tucked under her in the kitchen chair. Leah took a bite out of her muffin and moaned. Regardless of any issues between them, Leah would always credit Emily for one thing. Bitch can cook.

Bella said, "A couple of hours, finally. But, this one woke up at the butt-crack of dawn. Huh, Sarah?" Bella made another face at her daughter and snuck a second bite of carrots into her smiling mouth.

Leah laughed and said, "Fight it, kid. I need your mom to keep buying bananas."

Bella cackled and said, "Yeah, the last batch started to turn, so Emily made banana nut muffins. Paul came by to see Jacob, and we had to run him off. He ate four before they had even finished cooling. I'm pretty sure at least one full muffin was on the floor." Leah shook her head, picturing Paul talking with his mouth full and dropping muffin crumbles everywhere he went.

"If he ever stops phasing, he's going to weigh five-hundred pounds within a year," Leah said. Bella chuckled and shook her head.

Leah made a funny face at Sarah and teased, "Wait until I tell little Sarah her uncle Paul ate all her Nanners." Sarah squealed back at her happily, and Bella snuck in another bite of carrots.

Bella asked, "So, what exactly happened last night, Lee?"

Leah held her finger up, swallowing her food before speaking. She said, "So the club I like? It got bought out. These sleazeballs would not get off my ass last night. Literally grabbed me and tried to spike my drink. I poured my beer on them and smacked their heads together. Got offered a bouncer position."

Bella asked, "A bouncer? You sure you don't get enough of that shi- crap around here?"

Leah laughed at Bella's near slip, nodding. "I know. Seems a little low-key after a vampire war and all of that," she said. She paused, focusing on the noises of the house. "Just the fam at home today?" Leah could detect Jacob, Embry, and Ethan as they all slept in separate rooms.

Always amused by Leah's excellent hearing, Bella laughed and said, "Yeah. Angie is working."

Leah whispered, "Okay. So..."

Bella teased, "Oh, so this is a secret?"

"Bitch, do you want to know things or not? I met someone." Bella looked up at her in wide-eyed surprise, and Leah said, "He works there."

Bella stammered, "W-what's his name? What is he like?" She growled softly in frustration as Sarah refused any more of the carrots.

"He kind of has a weird name," Leah said and chuckled.

Sarcastically, Bella quipped, "Oh. Because weird names are just crazy around here." She rolled her eyes, chuckling. "Quil. Embry. Isabella." Leah laughed as Bella joked, "I mean, seriously? Eee-sah-bell-ah. It sounds like a pasta dish. Might as well have named me Ratatouille."

Leah clapped her hand over her mouth to keep from waking the house as she laughed. When she finally calmed, she said, "His name is Hodie. Said it's a nickname, though. He is a bartender. Kinda reminds me of Emmett. Like, if Emmett was an average-sized dude with blonde hair and blue eyes." Leah grinned at her step-sister foolishly.

"His eyes were blue when he was human," Bella said. "He used to be really tan, too. He was a logger for the railroad in the thirties."

Incredulously, Leah said, "Really? Well, anyway, he is cute. Kinda sexy. Friendly. He has a sort of deep, rough voice that I really like."

Bella said, "Like Sam and Quil. Surprise, surprise."

Leah scoffed and said, "Bitch, shut up. Anyway, he seems really observant, which kind of freaks me out, honestly. I will have to be really careful around him."

Bella asked, "So did he ask you out?" Leah described what had happened when she tipped him. Bella laughed, shaking her head as she blushed. She said, "I could never be that forward."

"You could if it was Jacob," Leah said. Bella hopped happily in her seat as Sarah began devouring a different orange-colored blob. Leah asked, "What is that?"

Bella chuckled and said, "Pureed lasagna."

Sarcastically, Leah teased, "Oh, well. No wonder. Did her daddy scrape the bowl? Jacob would probably lick that shit off the floor."

Bella cackled and stood. "Mind feeding her for a second?"

Leah switched seats and happily fed her niece while Bella had her pee break. She came back a couple of minutes later and sighed with relief. Bella poured them both a glass of tea, setting them on the table as Sarah enthusiastically struggled to get her mouth around her last bite of lasagna. Leah laughed and said, "She is Jacob's child. There is no doubt." Bella grabbed a container of baby wipes and cleaned Sarah up before setting her in her playpen.

Leah said, "I love how chill she is all the time."

"Except when Ethan starts crying. I can't tell if it worries her or if she just finds it annoying," Bella said. "Either way, she doesn't like it. Meanwhile, her noisy little mouth does not bother him at all."

Leah teased, "They will probably end up like you and Jake when you were little. Practically attached at the hip."

"I think she'll end up more like you than me." Bella smiled affectionately at Leah and added, "Bossy, stubborn, and surrounded by far too many brothers."

"Amen," Leah muttered and scoffed. "You know, Sam and Paul were assholes last night. You would think that what I do with my free time is up for debate. Pisses me off. I'm glad Jacob was cool about it."

Bella grinned, always happy to hear positive things about her future husband. She asked, "So, this Hodie? What did he think about you getting hired there? Quil sure didn't look happy when he chased you out the door last night."

Leah looked up from her niece, catching the mischievous grin Bella wore. Leah narrowed her eyes at Bella questioningly. What the hell is that about? Not for the first time, Leah wondered how much Quil had confided in Bella and Jacob. However, Bella had always been what Leah thought of as accidentally observant. If there was a secret among their circle, one way or another, Bella always figured it out whether she wanted to know or not. The best part about her was that she kept those things to her damn self. When Leah finished telling Bella about the conversation with Quil, Bella looked shocked again.

"Typical guy. They never realize what they have until they almost lose it," Bella said.

Leah admitted, "Nah. He's not a typical guy. Not really. He is an idiot, though. And, what do you mean by almost losing it? He dumped me, Bella. Trust me, he already lost it. I think he is just upset because if I start dating, he will be the only one still single in the pack."

Bella said, "Leah, you can't really believe that. He still cares a lot about you. I see it. Jake, Embry, and Ange see it, too. Hell, I don't know how anyone else doesn't see it. I suspect they do and are just keeping it to themselves."

Leah argued, "Well, I sure as hell don't see it. He has avoided me at every turn and made his thoughts on the idea of us very clear."

"Just because he thinks he can't be with you does not mean he does not want to be," Bella said sympathetically.

Leah said, "That is the thing, Bells. He made his decision and would not change it. Why should I give a damn when he is the one breaking his own heart?"

Bella gave her another sympathetic smile and said, "Because it's breaking yours too."

"Broke, sister. Past tense. It's his own fault." Leah chuckled and shook her head sadly. "I will not be lonely just because that is what Quil is choosing to be. I won't wait anymore, Bella. It's time for me to see what is out there."

Bella reached over and squeezed her hand affectionately. She said, "I'll be waiting to hear all about it when you do."