For a long moment, they were speechless. Then they noticed a package on Billy's lap, wrapped in pink. "Is somebody going to open the door?" Billy looked from one face to the other, then lowered his eyes. Embry's face drained of color, but Jacob stepped forward and pushed the door open.
"What are you doing here, Dad?" Jacob held the door while Embry turned on his heel and escaped to the kitchen.
"Is it a bad time?" Billy's glance fell on Leah, who was frozen in place, the baby in one arm and a full bottle of formula in the other hand. "I brought a gift from the tribal council for our newest member." They knew the council always presented a tiny pair of hand-crafted deerskin moccasins on the birth of a Quileute child.
The silence dragged on, everyone suspended in time. Finally, Leah found her voice. "No, it's fine, Billy. Please come in."
Wheeling his chair closer to Leah, Billy extended his hand. Touching Susie's head lightly he recited a Quileute blessing. "Congratulations, Leah. She's just beautiful. And I understand she's named for your mother." He looked up at Jacob.
"Is something wrong, Jacob?" Instead of answering, Jacob turned abruptly, exited through the front door, and strode to his truck, gunning the motor and spraying gravel in his hurry to get away.
Turning back to Leah, Billy cocked his head. "Leah? What's going on?"
Leah sighed deeply and glanced at Amber. "Honey, would you please get Mommy a glass of water? Daddy will help you."
Amber scooted off, feeling important, and Leah leveled her gaze at Billy. "It's not my story to tell, Billy, but you'll find out sooner or later. Embry did one of those dna tests to finally find out who his father is. The results came in yesterday. I'm sure you'll hear from Jacob sooner rather than later, but I can't speak for my husband."
Billy's hand trembled as he picked up his hat and placed it carefully on his head. "For now, I'd like you to leave," Leah continued. "I don't want my family to be upset on this happy day. I hope you understand."
She set the baby's bottle on an end table and went to hold the door open for him. He left without another word.
Renesmee could tell by Jacob's face that something was wrong. "What happened, Jake? You didn't have another fight, did you?"
He shook his head. "My dad showed up at Embry's, and I just left. I know I have to confront him, but I honestly don't know what to say."
"Then give it some time. After 35 years, there's surely no hurry. Get your thoughts together before you talk to him." As it turned out, that was not an option. That evening, Billy showed up at their door.
"We need to talk, Jacob. Or at least I need to talk." Jacob stepped outside, closing the door behind him. The family was watching a movie, and Renesmee had signaled with a nod that she understood.
Billy sat still in his chair while Jacob paced. "I'm sorry, Jacob. I know I've let everybody down."
Jacob ran a hand through his hair. "Everybody? Does that include Mom?" He looked down at his father, his hands clenched at his sides. "I love you, Dad. And I've always respected you as a good and honest man. Now suddenly I find I don't know who - or what - you are."
Billy leaned back in his chair, folding his hands in his lap. "I honestly didn't know for a long time. Not until Embry phased. The man I thought was his father, the man Tiffany lived with when he was born, was Makah. I assumed he was Embry's father, and I figured he would be listed as such on the birth certificate."
"Embry has his birth certificate. There's no father listed. Maybe you should start at the beginning, Billy." The old man winced at the wrongness of the name, but he didn't argue.
"I'll tell you the truth, Jacob, but I realize there is no excuse. Just an explanation. Your mother threw me out." He shrugged. "She was totally justified. I was drinking heavily and she just couldn't take it any more. She was raising two young daughters with no help from me and was pregnant with another child. So I headed to the bar, where I ran into Tiffany."
Jacob had settled onto the edge of the porch, but he popped up and resumed pacing.
"We drank until the bar closed, then stumbled down to the beach. One thing led to another, and I woke up the next morning on the beach with the worst hangover of my life. Tiffany was gone, and I realized later she had gone home to her boyfriend. She was living with a Makah brave and stayed with him for about a year. So I assumed that the baby belonged to him. I had no reason to think that our one time would have resulted in her pregnancy."
"I suspect that's what you WANTED to believe," Jacob snapped.
Billy nodded. "Maybe that was part of it. But I pulled myself together. Old Quil gave me a place to sleep - and a good talking-to - and I got myself cleaned up and sober. He helped me find a job, and eventually your mother took me back. I never told her about Tiffany and me. You have to understand that was for her sake. Getting it off my chest would have been a relief for me, but it would have destroyed her."
Jacob wheeled around and glared at his father. "That's bullshit. Mom would have thrown your ass out, and that's what you couldn't risk! Don't you dare sugar coat it - your actions were purely for self-preservation."
He continued pacing, his mind racing. "So Mom never knew. She died when I was eight, never knowing what kind of man she was married to. But then we started phasing," Jacob prompted. "And you had to know the truth."
Billy's shoulders sagged under the weight of Jacob's accusations. He sighed and continued. "Of course I did. That was solid proof Embry was Quileute." His voice broke, and he took a moment to compose himself and collect his thoughts. "I figured what was the point of destroying my reputation when you were teenagers? Embry was 16. His mother had raised him alone all those years. I stood to lose the respect, not only of my children, but of my tribe. So I kept my silence." He bowed his head. "I'm sorry I hurt you, son. I love you and I respect the man you've become."
"It's not me you wronged," Jacob growled. "You owe your apologies to Embry and Tiffany, and especially to my mother - but it's just too damn late for that!"
Billy released the brake on his wheelchair. "I have done stupid things that I'm ashamed of, but I did love your mother. I hope you believe that. And I love you and your sisters. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me."
"I hope so too," Jacob replied softly. "I really do." And he turned and entered his house, leaving his father to find his way in the dark.
The twins looked up when he walked into the family room. "Daddy, is Grandpa here?" Jenny asked.
"No, he had to go home," Jacob said with a forced smile. "Hey, did somebody make popcorn?" He reached into the bowl and grabbed a handful.
"I helped," Mei said proudly.
He took his usual seat next to Renesmee on the couch, slipping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. "I'll never lie to you, no matter what the cost" he whispered in her ear.
She patted his knee. "I know."
On the other side of town, Embry returned with Leah's water, sensing their family was alone. "You told him?" Leah knew he would have overheard their conversation.
She nodded. "The cat is out of the bag."
Amber's ears perked up. "Cat? Are we getting a kitty, Mommy?" Leah looked at Embry and shrugged.
"That's not an altogether bad idea, Mommy," he said, leaning down and kissing Leah lightly. "What do you think?"
"We'll give it some thought," she promised Amber. "But first we'll have to do some research. It's a big responsibility, and you'll have to help take care of it."
And so it was that the fifth member of the Call family came to live in their little house on the reservation. Amber insisted on naming him Nemo because he was orange and white striped, like the clownfish in her favorite movie. It was a good thing he was Amber's kitty, because he hated wolves with a passion.