Month number two! Woo hoo! Little baby bumps! I'm so excited! I am working ahead of the game to try to get this one finished, but remember, your reviews could help me out, so please don't forget to review. I take inspiration from your ideas. I read each and every one of them. I really hope you're enjoying this as much as I am. But just so you know, May and June are going to be skipped since they'll be a lot like April. But we'll get to that. Oh and...LEMON! in this chapter. :)

*Disclaimer*

Please Enjoy!

February

JPOV

It was snowing again. Ness was laying on the couch, a blanket thrown over her legs, which were resting on my lap. I was watching tv while she read. Every now and then, her hand would rub circles on her growing belly. She was starting to show, a slight swell over the rise of her jeans, but not quite big enough to show through her shirt. Even I couldn't help but to reach over to rest my hand on her lower belly. She'd just smile and kept reading. Her hair was in a loose braid over her shoulder, her lower lip between her teeth. Every time she picked up a book, her expressions were priceless. She'd frown, grin, cry, and laugh. I loved seeing her like that.

Her eyes glanced up over the top of the book and stared at me questioningly. "What?" she asked, smiling.

"Huh?"

"You're staring at me. What is it?"

Shaking my head, I reached over to press my hand to her stomach. "What? I can't stare at my gorgeous, pregnant wife?"

She giggled. "I didn't say that."

My hand rubbed circles over her abdomen. "You're just...glowing. It's good to see you relaxed again."

She sighed happily. "The danger is gone. I'm not stressed anymore."

"Yeah, it's strange that I'm not running around trying to avoid a disaster. They don't even want me on patrols anymore, like that's beneath me."

Rubbing her foot on my stomach, I jumped when her cold toes touched my skin. I wrapped my hands around her foot and massaged, trying to get some warmth into it. When she sighed happily, I went for the other one.

"They're just trying to take care of you, Jake. Take care of us. You know what Adam told me the other day?"

"What?"

"That you and I saved the pack, the tribe, that we're practically royalty now. They're not letting Seth run either. None of the leaders are running. Only the pack members."

"I'm still a pack member."

She laughed. "But you're the alpha, the leader. Adam said that what we did saved their lives so they owe us. We're not allowed to work. Just take it easy."

I rolled my eyes. "They're crazy."

Laughing again, she rubbed a hand up my arm. "Now you know how I feel whenever you don't let me do anything because you want to take care of me. Just let them take care of you. Otherwise, they'd feel like they haven't repaid a debt."

I dug my thumb into the arch of her foot. She moaned. "They don't owe me anything. They're my wolves. I'm supposed to do things like that."

"Tell that to the whole pack. Even Walker's pack isn't letting him do anything. He's trying to help them build on Roderick's land and they won't let him do anything unless he orders it."

"How's that going, by the way?"

Now, she was always on the phone with the other females, laughing and chit-chatting. It had become a gossip fest over the phone lines.

Shrugging, she adjusted her position and stretched her back. "According to Christa, it's going well. Already they have three huge cabins built. They're bigger than ours, and can room like five or six couples. More like community housing. But for a hundred or so wolves, that 's not too bad." Digging in her pocket, she pulled out her phone. "She sent me pictures."

She pulled them up and handed the phone over to me. I flipped through them. "That's a lot of land. And, geez, you're right. Those things are huge."

"Mhm," she said, nodding. "Apparently, their kind of wolf is more...I don't know, nature-y? I guess. They need to run and exert some energy to keep from shifting. They really are very different from you and your pack."

I handed the phone back to her. "I'm glad I don't have to deal with that. We got lucky."

She nodded, absently playing her fingers over her stomach. "Any word on Seth?"

Now that I was strange topic. Not being able to stop touching her, I rubbed my hands over her legs under the blanket. Her toes had gone back under my shirt.

"I don't know. He seems almost back to normal. Every now and then he needs a minute. Caden says that his genetic-wolf is fighting with the infection-wolf. It's like, they're fighting inside of him, trying to take over. His genetic wolf is winning because it's more closely tied to his blood and everything that makes up is body. He phased with Shelby and said that that helped. Apparently, the phasing is still the same since it's his genetic-wolf. Caden thinks that if the infection-wolf were to surface, the phasing would be painful. Maybe not as slow as the Children of the Moon, but still painful. Neither Caden nor Calahan have ever dealt with something like this, so they're just trying to help him keep the two separated in his head. It's when they start to fight that he has issues. But they're getting few and far between."

"That's really good. Shelby says that being around Brayden helps him out a lot. And being near her. Adam and Caden thinks it has something to do with the pull of the imprint. It's pulling at his genetic-wolf to stay at the surface."

I nodded. "That would make sense. I know that you would help focus me if it was me. And it very well could have been me. I just don't know how to pay him back for that."

Putting her book on the table, she moved so that she was cuddled up next to me. "All you can really do is be supportive. Remind him of who he is. Be there for Shelby and Brayden if they need someone when Seth's not available. We just need to look after his family."

I gave her a look. "We're starting our own family."

"This is true. But I'm fine. And we both owe Seth for what he did. It's the least we could do. Shelby's like my sister anyway. Consider her your sister-in-law. I'd do the same for Becca or Rachel. And so would you. They're your sisters. You even told Shelby that she was like a sister to you. This is how we repay them." She shrugged, reaching for the book once more and scooted back again to lean against the arm of the couch. "That's just how it is."

Essentially, she'd just told me I was being a selfish ass. "Yeah, you're right. Seth won't tell me if they need something, so you gotta let me know if Shelby says anything, okay?"

Ness grinned at me over the book. "Of course."

Before I could turn the mute off on the tv, her stomach rumbled. We both looked at each other, eyebrows raised in amusement. Laughing, she put a hand to her stomach.

"Baby's not hungry, is he?" I asked, chuckling.

"I think he is."

"Blood or crackers?" I asked as I stood up, putting her legs on the couch.

Frowning, she rubbed her growling stomach. "Hmmm, you know what sounds good?"

"What?"

"Those blackberries in the fridge. They smelled amazing earlier."

I raised my eyebrows again. "Blackberries?"

She nodded, a blissful look on her face as if she were already tasting them.

"You think you can handle them?"

Another shrug. "We have to try. I can't survive on just crackers and blood. And they sound so good. I don't feel queasy thinking about them."

"Alright." I went for the kitchen ans grabbed the container out of the fridge. After washing them off as best I could, I grabbed a bottle of water and took them to her. "Blackberries and water it is."

Luckily there was a trashcan next to her. I watched intently as she opened the container and popped one of the plump berries in her mouth. She chewed experimentally at first, and then closed her eyes, smiling.

"Mmm, so good."

I relaxed a little. I'd still be a little tense until she held them down for over an hour. I felt so helpless when the sickness took over and she couldn't stop heaving until everything was out of her system. Even the water. But for the past few days, she'd been able to hold the water down, which was good. She needed to stay hydrated.

Waving a hand at me, she swallowed and said, "Watch tv. It'll be a while before I start throwing up, if I do."

It was remarkable to think that some men left their pregnant women to deal with this stuff alone. I could never leave Ness to deal with being pregnant with my child on her own. Who else would take care of her if I didn't? I had a responsibility to her and my unborn child. How did men ignore that?

She went back to reading her book, popping the berries into her mouth, and wiggling her feet in my lap.

Happy was a good look on her.

TriciaPOV

"June or July?"

"What?"

"When do you want the wedding? June or July?"

Embry muted the tv and looked over at me. I was sitting on the floor between the couch and the coffee table, messing around on my laptop. There was no need to shop for dresses because Alice had promised me she'd make it, but I was still going over styles and trying to piece something together.

Leaning forward, Embry looked over the table and my spread of pictures and notes. "Baby, I don't care. Whichever you want."

I growled, which wasn't nearly as impressive as his, but still got my point across. "Seriously, which do you want? Which sounds better as an anniversary date? I really want your input."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him scratch his chin, really thinking about it. "June would be easier to remember because that's your mom's name. But it is closer to your brother's wedding."

I snorted. "Please, he's already married. And you know full well he's going to have to tell Mom and Dad, or he's going to be celebrating two anniversaries. I don't see why they don't just move the wedding to November, their actual wedding month."

"Maybe they didn't think of that. You should mention it."

"Yeah, but I don't want my wedding before my brother's."

"But like you said, he's already married. We can always push ours back."

Throwing my pen down on the table, I blew out a breath and scrubbed my face. "Ugh. I don't want to push it back. I want to be your wife, dammit."

Chuckling, he reached down, gripped my wrist, and urged me up. He pulled me down on his lap so that I was straddling his legs. His hand came up to brush my bangs back behind my ear. "You will be my wife. In the animal world, you're already my mate. We cemented that the first time I made love to you. I want more than anything to watch you walk down an aisle in your wedding dress, smiling at me. I want that so bad I can already dream about it. But it's not a race, Tricia. Just slow it down a bit. We'll make it. I promise."

His hands moved up over my ribcage. One hand went up to the pen that was holding my hair up and took it out, shook out my hair. It cascaded down to my elbows.

"That's better," he said.

Smiling, I rolled my eyes.

"You okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I just don't want to hurt Mom and Dad. Dad knows something is off about us, but I told him that we couldn't tell him what. At least not until you and him learn to get along. Speaking of which," I punched his shoulder, which didn't faze him at all, "stop antagonizing him."

His eyes widened. "I didn't do anything."

"Yes, you did. Every time we go up there, you get defensive and a bad attitude. I know you told me you'd try to get along with him, but so far I'm still playing referee. And I don't appreciate it." When he just stared at me, I said, "I know you want to protect me, and make him respect me. But that's not going to happen when he thinks that that attitude is what I live with. You need to show him how good you are, not how tough you are. Just have a normal conversation with him. Christa's trying and she's getting along with him better. You have more in common with him than you think. I don't want to be that couple where we don't get along with our in-laws." Thinking about that, I amended myself. "Well, I'd probably punch your dad if he ever came back; and I know I wouldn't get along with your mom for leaving you, but still. I get along with my parents and I want you to as well."

His fingers played in my hair, spreading it over my shoulder. "I didn't really know I was that bad."

Grinning, I traced his cheekbones with my thumbs. "I actually thought about that. It's your nature." I shrugged. "In wolf packs, the dominant males are just naturally aggressive and very protective of their females. Their females help keep them in line, though."

He laughed. God, I loved that sound.

Big hands gripped my hips. "Well, I'm glad you said something. I promise to really try."

"Good." Leaning forward, I kissed him. "I love you."

"And I love you," he said against my mouth, and then deepened the kiss.

His tongue slid along my lips, seeking entry. I opened enough for him to slip inside. He took that as invitation and invaded me, tasted me. Those strong arms wrapped around my body and pulled me closer. My fingers slid over his neck and into his hair. A purr echoed up from his chest, vibrating against my breasts and up into my mouth. Fingers searching, I finally found the buttons to his shirt and started undoing them. He wasn't wearing a tank underneath so smooth skin was revealed.

Putting his hand under my butt, he hefted me up, broke the kiss, and shoved his face into my cleavage that showed above my tank top, teeth nipping at my skin.

Laughing, I tugged on his hair to pull him back up. "I have stuff to do. I gotta call Christa. We can finish this later."

Growling, he pulled back. "You just like making me wait."

Hopping off his lap and back onto the floor, I reached for my phone even though my body was screaming for his hands on my skin. "Anticipation makes everything better."

As I wrapped my hair back up and stuck it with a pen, he grumbled. "You really are the devil, aren't you?"

I just shrugged. "Only for you," I said, turning to wink at him as the phone rang.

"Hey, Tricia. What's up?" Christa said as the phone clicked

"Hey, nothing much. Just going over wedding stuff."

Christa laughed. "If I have to look an one more ruffle, I'm gonna puke."

"I know what you mean. But, hey, I was thinking about something while trying to figure out my and Embry's wedding date."

A noise told me she was probably moving around. And then her voice sounded far away. "Haleigh, Daddy told you no tv today. That means no movies. Go color or play outside." I grinned as she came back on with me. "Sorry. She's all about her Disney movies. I'm trying to get the stuff to start home-schooling her."

"That's alright. It's cute. So, Walker is really Daddy now, huh?"

She chuckled. "Oh yeah. And he takes it seriously. Not that he shouldn't. I just find it cute, too. He rolls his eyes every time I say that. So what were you thinking about?"

Laughing, I said, "Um, well, I was thinking about my parents. Well, uh..."

"Tricia, honey, just spit it out."

Taking a deep breath, I went for it. "Well, if you have your wedding in March, you and Walker are going to have to remember two anniversary dates. You were married back in November. Unless you tell Mom and Dad that you were married, they'll be celebrating the March date, not the November one."

Silence, and then something clanged. "Wow, I didn't even think about that. Holy crap. You're right." Something like a door opening and closing floated over the phone.

"Who's right about what?" I heard my brother ask clearly. He must have come up to hug Christa or something.

"Your sister. We can't have our wedding in March when we were actually married in November. I can't handle two anniversary dates."

There was movement on the phone and then, "Hey, little sister."

"Hey, big brother," I answered.

"Are you causing trouble again?"

"Walker!" Christa admonished.

"What? Anyway..."

Laughing, I shook my head even though he couldn't see it. "No, I'm just thinking about Mom and Dad. Dad's already having issues. He knows there's something different about our significant others . And telling them that you were already married without them there would crush them. I just thought that your big to-do should be closer to or on your actual wedding date."

"And you still want your wedding this summer, right?" More noise before I could answer. "You're on speaker phone now."

This part made me uncomfortable. "Well, I was hoping for it, but then again, I didn't want my wedding before yours when you announced it to Mom and Dad first."

"Oh, honey," Christa said. "Plan for whenever you want. Like you said, Walker and I are already married. And I think you're right. Ours does need to be in November. We'll come up with something to tell your mom."

"Are you sure? Because I can move ours to next year. Embry doesn't care."

Behind me, Embry nudged me in the butt with his foot. I waved a hand behind me, shooing him off.

"No, no. Don't do that. This is our screw-up. We should have waited to get married anyway, but we wanted it for Haleigh. To be married before adopting her," Walker said.

"I understand your reason. I was just thinking about Mom and Dad. They're pulling through both of us leaving the nest, but they know something is off. I told Dad that we really couldn't tell them yet, not until he can get along with Christa and Embry. Don't need him shooting his mouth off, ya know?"

"Oh, I know. No, you're right. Plan your wedding for the summer. Christa and I will break Alice's heart and move ours to November. I can't believe we didn't think of that."

Embry must have heard that because he whispered, "Told you so."

Reaching back, I slapped his thigh...and brushed against an undone zipper.

Instantly, my blood boiled.

Shivering, I managed to take my hand off his body and concentrate on the conversation.

"Well," I said shakily. "Glad I could help."

"Seriously, I think you just saved my ass, because I'd have only remembered November. Not March. Mom would have thought I was the worst husband ever."

When Embry's fingers played over my shoulder and under my bra strap, I knew it was time to end the call.

"You're welcome," I said as calmly as I could while his fingers trailed down, down, down to skim over my breast. "Well, I gotta go. Alice wanted me to piece together a dress."

"Sounds awesome," Walker said sarcastically. "We'll talk to you later."

"Sure, sure."

"Bye, Tricia," Christa said.

"Bye," I practically yelled before hanging up and throwing my phone on the table. I turned on Embry. "That so wasn't fair!"

He chuckled and my eyes followed the movement of his body all the way down his sculpted chest, chiseled abs, and that smooth skin right where his erection was currently growing from between the halves of his open jeans.

His voice was low and rumbling when he said, "Are you just going to stare at me all night? Or do something about it?"

Looking up at him, I knew there was as much hunger in my eyes as there was in his. Crawling up between his legs, I leaned up on my knees and peeled his jeans back to reveal the hard length of him. He just stared at me, hands combing back through my hair, pulling the pen out once more so he had freedom. Fisting his shaft, I stroked him as we stared at each other.

And then, with his hands on my head, he guided my mouth to him. Just before my lips touched him, I licked them to coat them with moisture, the tip of my tongue brushing the head of him. His shaft pulsed in my hand at the sensation. Grinning, I licked him from base to tip, giving him solid contact. I kept my eyes glued to his face as much as possible, watching him watch my mouth.

Without warning, I opened my throat and took him all the way down. His hips bucked, pushing him deeper. Those big hands pushed my head down.

"Fuck," he breathed.

After a moment, my throat closed and I started to gag. He let me up, spit coating him as I pulled off of him. Fisting him once more, I bobbed up and down on the top half of him, stroking the base and up with my hand, mouth and hand meeting in the middle. I could tell he was trying not to move too much for fear of hurting me. His hips were straining not to buck up.

He never lasted long when I did this, but the intercourse after was always something to die for. As I sucked, licked, and popped the head of him in and out of my mouth, that muscular body strained. Reaching behind him, he gripped the back of the couch, eyes squeezed closed, teeth clenched. He was beautiful.

While he was busy, I burrowed my free hand into his jeans and palmed his testicles. Now the air whooshed out of his lungs, chest heaving. He was very close. One more trip down my throat and he'd come.

So, I gave him one last, savory lick before opening my throat once more. Over the past few months, I'd gotten really good at this and could stay down longer. His hips bucked again as they always did when I did this. He'd told me he couldn't control himself. Which was fine. That hard length pulsed in my mouth, and I squeezed his balls. In the next instant he was climaxing and I had to back off a little in order to swallow him down.

When he was spent, I released him completely, licking my lips. His eyes slitted open and watched me. Within moments, he was rock hard again, as if I had never touched him. The only evidence that I had was that his shaft glistened with my saliva.

Reaching forward, he urged me to stand up. I did. He undid my jeans. Moving his hands around my hips, he cupped my ass and pushed my jeans down my thighs. I pulled my tank over my head, leaving me in just a lacy bra and panties. Hands back on my ass, he pulled forward so that I straddled him on the couch. He pushed two fingers between my thighs and stroked me to make sure that I was wet enough. I was.

Satisfied with what he found, he pushed the panties aside, positioned the head of his shaft at my entrance, and guided me with a hand on my waist down over him. With me wet and tight, his girth stretched me deliciously. A minute passed of me just sitting there, him allowing me time to adjust, before he moved down on the couch and began thrusting in and out.

Nothing gentle. Gentle was hard for him after oral. It was like the animal had been unleashed and I was just along for the ride. He held my hips so I couldn't move while he hammered inside me, hitting me so good and deep.

Opening my eyes, I looked down into his. And I knew he was owning me, marking me.

Eventually, he slowed and I leaned forward to brace my arms on the back of the couch. His hands smoothed up my body to cup my breasts around my bra. I arched when his thumbs pressed over my nipples, the motion caressing the inside of my body with his. Closing my eyes again, I focused on moving over him, hips a slow seductive dance as I forced every inch of him inside me, stretching me.

One of his thumbs pressed over my sweet spot and I convulsed. In one swift movement, my back was on the couch cushions, his body on top of mine, jack-hammering into me.

I cried out, fingers gripping his sides, nails almost puncturing his skin. His arms were braced on the arm of couch, giving him all the leverage he needed.

Embry growled and showed me no mercy. We'd both discovered that we liked the pain. That was why I had tried not to laugh at Embry's use of "chains" with my dad. We'd been contemplating using restraints in the bedroom. But he liked my hands on his body too much to bind me. I just wanted to know what it was like to be at his complete mercy.

A particularly hard thrust pulled me out of my thoughts and had me arching off the couch, our stomachs slick with sweat, sliding against each other, skin on skin. I wrapped my legs around him, ankles locked behind his thighs. His body was losing its control, bucking hard against me. And that kind of lack in control caused my body to mimic his, as if it were rushing to meet his climax, to be ready when he was. His thrusting slowed but deepened and hardened, forcing my body up off the couch. My nails sank into the skin of his back and slid around his ribs to his chest.

A vicious snarl left him on his last thrust before he came. As his body emptied into mine, my inner walls squeezed him down and brought on my own climax. Hard and fast. Screaming, I raked my nails down his torso that was tensed as he finished inside me.

Luckily, the couch was wide enough that he could collapse beside me. If he'd fallen on top of me, I wouldn't have been able to breathe because I was trying to catch my breath from that intense orgasm. That was one of the reasons I'd picked the couch to begin with.

Panting, I said, "I...like this...couch."

He laughed beside me through his own panting. "Me...too."

Kissing my temple, he raised up on his elbow and then pushed up so he could fall over the back of the couch.

"Embry!" I said in alarm. "What are you doing?"

He used the back of the couch to help him stand up. "Don't wanna get blood on the new furniture. You got me pretty good."

As he stood to his full height, I saw what he meant. It looked like an animal had clawed at his torso, almost all the way down to his shaft. Blood seeped down his skin.

I sat up on my elbows. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize-"

Leaning over the couch, he stopped me with a kiss. "Shut up. I love it."

"But...this is abuse."

That made him chuckle, and then it turned into a laugh. "It's not abuse if I love it. This lets me know that you still like what I do to you."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course I do. Any woman would." And then I gave him a look. "But another woman better not touch you. It'll be World War III if that happens. I will throw down."

Dabbing at the scratches with his shirt, he laughed. "I would pay to see that fight."

"You'd better bet on me. Another woman touches my man, I'll rip her apart."

"I'll always bet on you, devil."

"Good." As fast as I could, I managed to get off the couch before any more fluids got on it. Since he couldn't use a condom, leakage was inevitable.

I stumbled as I rounded the couch, legs still unsteady, and he caught me.

"You okay?"

I leaned into him, his blood smearing my alabaster skin. "Yeah, just a little shaky."

"I wasn't too rough?"

I gave him a look. "Are you really going to start that? I thought we agreed?"

"We did, but I still have to make sure," he said, smoothing my hair back behind my ear.

Apparently, it was a thing with the males to ask if their females were okay after rough sex. Nessie had told me that Jacob had been infuriating with it. So I'd had a talk with Embry. Unless I told him not to do something or that it hurt, he was good to go.

Kissing his chest, I hugged him. His jeans were still undone, but he was spent. And his shirt was still hanging onto his broad shoulders. "I'm perfectly fine. I didn't call foul once. I love it when you can't control yourself like that. But I know you'd never go too far and actually hurt me. That's not possible."

He hugged me to him. "I love you. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Grinning, I went up on my tiptoes. "And you're the best thing that's happened to me. I love you, too."

He met me halfway and pressed a gentle kiss to my lips. "Come on. Let's get you cleaned up. You have more wedding stuff to plan."

On the way to the bathroom in our bedroom, I said, "I think I'm going to stick with July. Having an anniversary in the month with the same name as my mom seems a little creepy to me. Although, you are right that it would be easier to remember. I just can't do it."

He laughed as he got the shower ready. "July it is, then."

RPOV

I'd finally kept something other than crackers and blood down. Those blackberries had been amazing. Jacob had gone out to get more. I'd also asked for other fruits like strawberries, peaches, plums, kiwis, and bananas. A smoothie made out of those sounded delicious. But I was still craving blood.

Getting up, I went for the fridge and a glass. As I was pouring, there was a knock on the door.

"Ness, it's Derek and Adam. And Rhett."

Shoving the blood back in the fridge, I excitedly rushed for the door.

Swinging it open, I grinned. "Hey, guys. Come on in. Jake went to the store for me. He should be back soon."

Adam and Derek came in. The other man, Rhett, followed. He nodded to me but kept his eyes downcast.

Feeling for him, I stretched out my hand. "Hi, I'm Nessie."

Surprised, he looked up. When he saw that I was smiling, he smiled back and took my hand. "Rhett."

"That's a really cool name. Not a common one."

"Thanks. 'Nessie' is cool, too."

"Oh, that's my nickname," I said closing the door behind him. "My full name is Renesmee. It's a combination of my grandmothers' names. But everyone calls me Ness or Nessie. Jacob gave it to me."

He laughed. "Well, that's cool, too. Interesting."

"Thanks. Well, come on in. We were just relaxing like everyone has been telling us to do." I went back to the fridge. "I hope you don't mind if I drink some blood. I'm pregnant and half-vampire. I'm craving it."

The boys sat at the table. Rhett shrugged.

Derek made a hand motion at me. "Go for it. Whatever our little alpha needs."

I snorted into my glass. "Little alpha?"

Derek grinned. "Hey, that baby growing inside you is gonna be pack leader one day. Male or female. Might as well go ahead and get used to it."

"Hm," I said. "Haven't thought of that yet, but I suppose you're right." I turned to Rhett. "So, how are things? Do you like it here?"

He shrugged again. I studied him. He was pretty cute. Young-ish, probably in his mid-twenties. But looks could be deceiving like with Caden. He still looked nineteen or twenty but was actually the same age as Jacob. Rhett had brown hair, freckles, and green eyes. Not as tall as Derek or Adam. But he was built like Adam. Lean muscle instead of bulky like Derek.

"It's really wet."

We all laughed.

I nodded. "That is true. I'll give you that. But otherwise?"

"Otherwise, I like it. It feels cozy. The woods are nice, too. Very calm. Your mate and his pack are very kind to the animals and the other nature."

After taking a sip from my glass, I said, "I heard that about you guys, that you're very into the nature thing. That you're close to it. Caden talks like you have monsters inside of you. Monsters don't respect nature."

Rhett adjusted in his seat. "Many people think it's unfair that they were infected, and they see the wolf as a parasite, creating discord between them and the wolf. I don't. In fact, my infection got me away from a bad situation. It saved my life. Usually, it's the wolves that were born like this who like the woods, who feel at home. They've never known any other way. Besides, before I was infected, I loved being lost in the woods. That's how I got attacked. Well, I shouldn't say attacked. I was offered the infection and I took it. She could smell the bruises on my skin under my clothes and knew I didn't have a good life. She offered me the world, and I've never looked back."

The way he'd talked choked me up. Clearing my throat, I patted his hand. "Wow. That's amazing."

He grinned. "It is. And it brought me here, to Adam and Derek. I'm still not clear on the whole imprinting thing, but it feels right."

"Don't worry. You'll get used to it. And over time, you'll understand. I'm an imprint myself, and I had issues even though I was madly in love with Jacob. I just thought that it was a mistake, that he didn't want to feel for me but was forced to."

"What changed your mind?"

"The fact that I was madly in love with him. And knowing that I had a choice. The object of the imprint always has a choice. But I still loved him. Everything about him, and I couldn't ignore it. So I didn't. Have they told you my story?"

He shook his head, eyes intent on me.

I got comfy in my chair, putting a leg up. "Well, as I said earlier, I'm only half vampire. My mom got pregnant with me when she was still human. I was born ten years ago."

His reaction was to frown and look me over. "Bullshit."

Laughing, I twirled my glass around. "Seriously. Ten years ago this past September. I grew so fast that I reached full maturity, physically speaking, two years ago. Jacob never told me about imprinting, and ordered the others to not say anything. But Emily, a human and a wolf's mate, told me about it. And I made the connection, that he hadn't told me. I was pissed off that he'd kept that secret from me. But then I forgave him, took him back, and then cooked up something stupid. You see, Jacob had been my mother's best friend when she was human, and had been there when she was pregnant with me. At the time, he wasn't the alpha. Sam was. And he wanted to kill my mom and me while I was still in the womb because they didn't know what I was. But Jacob wouldn't let them even though he knew that I was slowly killing my mother. Because I really was. The day I was born, I cracked her spine. She was severely emaciated because she couldn't keep any food down. I took all of the nutrition in her body, and slowly killed her. After her heart stopped beating, Jacob had wanted to kill me. So, that's what he was going to do. Before he could, however, he told me that we met eyes over my aunt's shoulder, and he imprinted. Sam and the pack couldn't touch me because of that. I was safe. Now, fast forward. That something stupid that I'd cooked up? If he'd wanted to kill me, how could he possibly love me? The imprint must have made him act in ways that he wouldn't have normally. I was convinced that if he hadn't imprinted, he never would have fallen in love with me. But then, while we were separated, Leah told me his whole story, and how much hell he'd been put through. And my dad told me that it was like speed dating for soul mates. There's no point in going through the dating-getting-to-know-you phase because you already know you're soul mates. Jacob and I, since the moment he imprinted, have been inseparable except for those times I pushed him away. And he only stayed away because I ordered him to. If someone else had, he'd have told them to fuck off."

For a long while, he just stared down at the table, taking in everything I'd said. I got up and refilled my glass.

"So, you're saying that Derek and Adam are my soul mates?"

Sitting back down, I drew my knee to my chest. "They're whatever you need them to be. So right now, I'm guessing they're your comfort, your guides to our world. You see, they've been madly in love with each other for years, and always scared to leave the rez in case one of them imprinted, forcing them apart. But then you came around, and they both imprinted on you. That says that they're meant to be together...with you."

Adam reached over to massage Rhett's neck. Derek rubbed his shoulder. He smiled at them gratefully.

"You and Jacob are okay with this, though?"

I grinned. "Absolutely. We don't mind same sex couples. Why should adding a third bother us? It's your lives." I leaned forward. "We know that Calahan is trying to cope with this. Jacob is doing, saying, anything he can to keep you three together. He knows how hard it is for Adam and Derek to be separated from you. You're their link. The question is, are you okay with it? I mean, are you happy with them?"

As he opened and closed his mouth, I shook my head.

"Sorry, that was too personal. I shouldn't have asked. Consider them rhetorical questions."

Before he could say anything, the front door opened. Jacob came in carrying the groceries. Adam and Derek were out of their chairs a moment later, taking them from him. He just stood there, looking like he was wondering what had just happened. I laughed.

"Anymore out there?" Derek asked.

"I should say no," Jacob said, still wondering what was going on.

"But there are," Derek said. As he passed Jacob, he clapped him on the shoulder. "I'll get 'em."

"What the hell is going on?" Jacob asked. "I can't even bring in my own groceries?"

"Apparently not," I said, still laughing. "Come sit down."

He did as I asked, kissing me as he did so. "Still okay?"

I nodded. "Mhm. Kept 'em down. Thank goodness. I need to start eating something. Fruit seems a good way to go." I motioned over to Rhett. "Jacob, that's Rhett. Rhett, this is my husband, Jacob."

They shook hands over the table.

"Congratulations," Rhett said. "On the fight and the baby."

"Thanks. I'm still kind of freaking out over the baby part."

Derek and Adam started fighting behind us about where something should go. Jacob looked over his shoulder, shook his head, and rolled his eyes.

"So," Jacob said, turning to Rhett. "You're sticking around, right? Calahan said some of his pack was wanting to transfer out. That it was either too wet or too crowded here."

Adam and Derek froze behind us.

"I...um, I don't know yet. I mean, I'm still here. My original plan was to leave, but," his eyes went to the two wolves behind us, "things change."

Jacob nodded. "They do. We'd love to have you around, though. The more the merrier. And you're friends with Adam and Derek. They're good guys and I trust them."

The two wolves sat back down on either side of their imprint. Both of them quiet, avoiding eye contact.

"We're sorry for saying anything. It's your business," I said as Jacob laid his arm on the back of my chair.

Rhett shook his head. "No. It's okay. I just haven't talked about it. Not wanting to hurt anyone, you know?"

We both nodded. It was a hard thing to deal with.

"I want to travel, but at the same time, I really like these two. They treat me right. I don't want to leave them behind."

Both Derek and Adam looked they just wanted to wrap him up and cuddle him between them. They both reached out to touch him at the same time.

Jacob and I exchanged a look.

Jacob leaned forward. "What do the two of you want?"

It was their turn to exchange looks.

Derek swallowed hard. "To stay with him."

Adam nodded in agreement.

Jacob looked back at me. I knew what he was thinking so I shrugged, leaving the decision to him. He looked back to them. "If that's what you want, then maybe we can work something out. Nobody ever said that you had to stay here. The danger seems to be over, and I want the two of you happy. You've done this pack proud. You've earned a slice of happy."

"Really?" Adam said, perking up as if he didn't believe he'd just heard right.

I nodded. "Why not? It would give the three of you a chance to bond and cement the imprint. It's kind of hard to do that here with all of us breathing down your necks."

"My only concern," Jacob said, "would be the other packs located wherever you plan on going. I thought there were rules about that kind of stuff."

Rhett nodded. "There are. I'm a beta, though. They wouldn't see me as a threat. And they'd be confused by Adam and Derek unless it was a pack that Caden had contacted. Then they'd know. But for the most part, I could just say that I'm traveling for another pack and these two are to keep me safe."

"That would work?"

Rhett nodded. "Oh yeah. Betas who travel but are already members of a pack are always sent with wolves who are more dominant than the betas. You see, omegas, lone wolves, have a certain wild scent to them because they aren't close to other wolves. Betas carry the scent of their pack."

Jacob nodded, his hand reaching out to rub my knee. "Then, if the three of you want to be together, to travel, I suppose Calahan and I could talk. I'm assuming you need his permission."

Again, the wolf nodded.

"I'm sure he and I could come to an agreement."

Rhett frowned. "You'd do that for me? You don't know me."

"True. But like I said, Adam and Derek are mine. When they're happy, I'm happy." He leaned back in the chair. "We really gotta get you guys to accept decency."

He laughed. "It's strange to see a pack be led by kindness and generosity. By love. And that it actually works is even stranger."

"Well, we are a strange bunch," Jacob said. "Maybe we're doing it wrong."

Rhett smiled softly and looked at the two men framing him. "No. I think it's the rest of us who've been doing it wrong." He looked at Jacob. "Thank you. Even if he doesn't go for it, thank you."

Jacob smiled. "You're welcome."

"We should be getting you back," Adam said. "Calahan said before dark. The sun is setting."

"You have a curfew?" I asked.

"Not just me. The whole pack. Calahan still doesn't know the area. And he's a cautious alpha."

"Clearly."

The three of them stood up. Jacob stood up and shook hands with all three of them.

"It was nice to meet you, Nessie."

"Thank you. You, too. Take care of our boys."

He grinned. "I'll do my best. When they let me."

Rubbing my stomach, I nodded. "I know exactly what you mean."

Jacob, Derek, and Adam all gave me looks. Rhett grinned.

"Don't go agreeing with him," Derek said. "We won't live that down."

Raising my glass to him, I smiled. "Too late."

The three of them fought on their way out the door. Once Jacob closed the door behind them, he took my glass, rinsed it out, and refilled it.

"Thanks, baby," I said, as he handed it to me. Despite their flourishing relationship, Derek and Adam had been keeping me fully stocked on blood.

"Welcome." And then he started cutting up some of the fruit.

The tropical scents wafted over to me, making my stomach growl. He heard it and chuckled, throwing all the slices into a bowl. When he was done, he set the bowl in front of me, and then went back to messing around the kitchen.

I frowned at the bowl. "Are you trying to distract me from cooking your dinner by putting food in front of me?"

"Now where would you get an idea like that?" he said, but I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Because I never eat first. And I can smell the bread and salami."

"Are you okay?"

"As long as I don't touch it or mess with it, I'll be fine. Could you get me a fork, please?"

A moment later, one appeared in front of my face.

"Thanks."

The fruit all looked amazing. No doubt he'd spent a lot of time with each item making sure that it was perfect. He'd been gone way too long for the small amount that he'd come home with. He sat down next to me at his spot at the head of the table. As usual, I threw my leg over his lap. The sandwich on his plate looked good, but it definitely did not smell good. My stomach flipped.

Listen, kid, I thought. You need to chill. We've got a bowl of fruit in front of us that we need to eat. You liked those blackberries, so quit fussing.

Yes, I was having a conversation with my unborn baby in my head. But hey, it kind of worked. Focusing on the bowl in front of me, my stomach settled a little. So, I dug in. Everything was phenomenal. Fresh, ripe, crisp. Delicious.

But I was still hungry after I'd practically licked the bowl clean. I went for another package of crackers. Didn't want to eat all my fruit in one day even though I was tempted.

"I also bought some chocolate ice-cream just in case you were feeling up to trying stuff," Jacob said as he polished off the sandwich.

Chocolate ice-cream, I thought. How does that sound? Please say yes.

No queasiness or gagging at the thought. That was usually a good sign when it came to food. Getting up, I grabbed a spoon, opened the freezer and said hello to the tub of deliciousness. Not even bothering with a bowl, I popped the lid off and dug in. Mmm, so sweet. Still soft from the ride home. Perfect.

Jacob laughed while I just stood there basking in the awesomeness that was chocolate.

"Pace yourself, babe."

"I don't care. At least I get the taste of it."

"Yeah, but you won't like the taste if it comes back up. That's why I can't eat peppermint anymore. Made myself sick on candy canes as a kid."

Sitting back down with my tub of awesome, I waved my spoon at him. "Shut up. I'm enjoying this. If this baby likes chocolate, we're gonna be best friends."

He rolled his eyes. "Chocolate. Carlisle's going to be thrilled with this breakthrough. And you've been taking your vitamins?"

I nodded, loading my spoon with more creamy goodness. "Every morning. Ooo, you know what sounds good?"

"I'm not going to like this, am I?"

"Hershey's dark chocolate. Maybe a Mr. Goodbar. Oh, and some chocolate milk. The organic kind, not the store brand. Store brand is too sweet."

He just stared at me, blinking. "Anything else you might want on that grocery list?"

"Chocolate-covered raisins." I smiled sweetly at him, knowing it had been a rhetorical question.

"Sorry I asked." Getting up, he grabbed our dishes and kissed my head. "I'll go to the store in the morning."

"You're such a sweetie. Do the other guys know how much of a softie you are?"

"The ones who are imprinted, yes, because they know how I feel. The others can kiss my ass."

Giggling around my spoon, I said, "I love it when you talk like that."

"Of course you do. You're a pregnant alpha female with a protective alpha male mate." He sat back down next to me after cleaning up the kitchen.

I dug my spoon back into the ice-cream and held it up to him. He opened his mouth and took it.

"That is good."

"Mhm," I muttered. "Probably won't last the night."

He kind of scooted away from me before saying, "I really don't want to be put in the dog house for this, but if you eat all that sugar, you could gain weight." And then he flinched, as if he expected me to hit him.

While his eyes were squeezed shut, I dipped a couple fingers into the ice-cream, scooped some up, and smeared it on his face. His eyes snapped open, surprised.

"I am fully aware of that, thank you very much," I said licking my fingers. "But baby gets what baby wants. I'm actually pregnant and I will take whatever comes with that blessing. Besides, my body will probably snap back after the baby's born. I've never really gained weight no matter how much sugar I ate. Remember that one Halloween? I've never been so sick in my life."

He laughed, wiping off the chocolate with a napkin. "We did eat a lot of candy that year. You spent the next two days puking it all up."

I pointed the spoon at him. "Exactly. But now, I'm feeding two. Plus, I fully plan on sticking to fruits. Maybe veggies but they didn't look as good as the fruit."

"Probably because the fruit also has sugar."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Hush, you. Just be glad I'm keeping it down."

"I am, baby. Trust me. I feel so useless every time you...yeah."

Dropping the spoon, I stroked his now clean cheek. "I know you do. And I was kidding. I am going to watch what I eat. But I also need to eat what I can keep down. I'm going to need my strength when the baby comes."

Running his hand up my arm, he gripped my wrist and put my palm to his lips. "Yeah, I didn't even think about that. I'm still trying to wrap my head around this."

"It's what we wanted...isn't it?"

"Yes," he said quickly, leaning forward. "Yes, Nessie. I want this, a baby with you. Is that what you're scared of? That I don't want this?"

Swallowing hard, I shook my head. "No. I know you do. You just...seem more worried than happy."

"I am happy." Sliding out of his chair, he went to his knees at my feet. "Very happy. Ness, I cried at the ultrasound. Or almost did. Held it back by force of will. The sentiment's the same, though. But I am worried, too. What if...what if I'm not meant to be a dad? What if I screw up? I don't want my own kid to hate me."

Heart melting, I cupped his face. "Jacob, that won't happen. You're going to be great. You are meant to be a dad, always have been. And screwing up? All parents do, except for those who think they're perfect. The kids of those kinds of parents, hate them. But just the fact that you're worried about that means that you're going to be great. We'll both make mistakes, but we'll learn from them. We'll grow with our kids. That's the way it's supposed to be. Do you really think that I'm not worried about that, too? I am. But I'm more excited about the fact that a child of ours is actually going to exist. Pieces of you and me together in one tiny person."

His eyes shined with those aforementioned tears. "No kid could ever hate you," he whispered.

Taking a deep breath, I stroked his sharp cheekbones and kissed him. "Come on, let's go watch tv before we get emotional. We'll be fine. And we have tons of help and support."

Gripping my wrists, he stood up, pulling me with him. "Gotta put the ice cream up first."

"Right."

Laughing, I put the lid back on the tub and shoved it in the freezer. As I closed the door, I got a whiff of the blood in the fridge. Immediately, my mouth watered. I'd been drinking more and more over the past month.

"Ness?"

"I'm craving blood again."

"You've already had like five glasses today."

"I know. I am half vampire. Which means the baby's-what?-a fourth vampire."

He frowned. "Yeah, but should you really be craving it that much?"

I shook my head, wrapping my arms around myself. "I don't know. Let's just go watch tv. I'll be ok."

But the further I walked away from the fridge, the more parched I became. Swallowing convulsively, I tried to get some saliva to coat my throat. Jacob noticed. As soon as I sat down on the couch, he went back into the kitchen, and came back with a glass.

I took it from him, drinking greedily. "Thanks."

"I'll stop by the house on my way to the store tomorrow to talk to Carlisle."

"I wanna go with you. I've been cooped up too long."

He rubbed my legs, pulling them over his lap. "Okay. If you feel up to it."

"Jacob-"

"If you get sick, Ness."

"Right. Yeah. Sorry."

"It's okay. I'm just trying to watch out for you."

"I know you are." I reached for his hand and laced our fingers. "And I really do appreciate it. I don't think I tell you that enough."

He played with my wedding band. "It's my job, remember?"

"Still, I should say it more. I seem like an ungrateful bitch."

He chuckled. "No, you're a woman who likes to move around a lot. I just don't want this to turn into a bed rest type of deal. That kind of shit scares me. But I agree. You do need to get out of the house more. Visit with the girls. I know you've been staying in because of me."

I smiled at him. "Thank you."

He rolled his eyes. "Don't be surprised if I call you once every hour."

"Or thirty minutes?"

"Or that."

Reaching over the coffee table, I grabbed the remote. "I think I can handle that."

JPOV

We were down at the Cullen place. Ness was on the bed, her shirt rolled up again. Carlisle was checking everything. The baby was a little bigger than before, with more of a baby shape. Now that made it more real to me. Her once flat tummy now had the famous baby bump.

"Definitely looks good," Carlisle said. "Exactly what a two month fetus should look like. I absolutely expect to be able to tell you the sex next month."

Without taking my eyes off the screen, off my child, I said, "Can we talk about the blood intake?"

"Of course."

He hit some buttons and started printing the picture on the screen before turning to us on the rolling stool. Ness cleaned herself up with a towel and lowered her shirt as she sat up.

"Tell me what's going on."

"Jacob is worried. I guess I am, too. I've been craving blood more and more over the past couple weeks. Yesterday I drank six glasses. At first it was one, maybe two. On the plus side, I can keep down fruits, chocolate, and water."

Carlisle frowned. "The fetus seems to be growing just fine, at a normal pace. The blood doesn't seem to be affecting it growth-wise. It could just be that your vampire side is needing the nutrition that the baby is taking. And since you can't eat meat or any other forms of protein that we can find, the vitamins aren't enough to replenish what you can't eat. So your body is craving that protein. Before the pregnancy, you were able to eat meat, balancing out your need for blood. That venue isn't there for you now, so your body is craving the one form of protein it can hold down."

"So, it's not the baby," I said.

"Correct. At least, I don't suspect so. If it was the baby, I'd say that that would mean it was more vampire. If that were true, it would be growing at a faster rate, the way Nessie did inside of Bella."

Nessie played with her hair, her lips between her teeth. "So, if I can get over my aversion to meat sometime during the pregnancy, I should stop craving so much blood?"

Carlisle shrugged. "I wish I could tell you for certain."

This was making me edgy, and he could see it.

"Even if this was a human pregnancy, every woman is different. Why do some women crave pickles, and others can't stand them? Their bodies find ways to give the fetus and mother what they both need. The facts I can give you are that Nessie is healthy. The baby is healthy. No accelerated growth. No weaknesses on Nessie's part, unless she's lied to me."

We both looked at her.

She looked between the two of us, and then shook her head. "I feel fine. Perfectly ok. My jeans are getting snug, but other than that, I'm fine. I eat what I can and I get full. And I take my vitamins."

"Then I say that the excessive blood intake is perfectly fine," Carlisle said. He put his hand on my arm. "I understand why you'd worry. But remember, this isn't a normal pregnancy, just like Bella's wasn't. Nessie isn't fully human like Emily."

I nodded. "Ok, I'll keep that in mind. But what are some other protein alternatives?"

He frowned. "Peanuts, peanut butter, broccoli. Any green vegetable actually. Spinach."

"Ugh." Nessie made a face and held her stomach. "All those sound disgusting."

Carlisle smiled and nodded. "Which is probably why you're craving the blood. If the craving continues to grow, we'll have to hunt more but further away. There's more variety up north anyway."

"Could that cause a problem for us?" Nessie asked worriedly.

He went over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "No, sweetie. We'll take care of it."

"I really don't want to move."

"It won't come to that."

"But what if we have more kids after this one, and I crave blood?"

She was starting to panic, but Carlisle caught it. He cupped her face in his hands. "Then we'll deal with it when it gets here. For now, we're worrying about this baby. And this baby is going to be born here. In the future, if we have to, we'll just leave for the duration of the pregnancy. There are plenty of places for us to go. A month or so before you're due, we'd come back here if that's what you wanted." She calmed a bit. "See? There is a plan. We'll make sure you're safe, you and the baby. Okay?"

Taking a deep breath, she nodded. "Okay. Okay, I'm good."

"Good. I don't want to have to put you on bed rest because you're stressing needlessly."

Her eyes met mine over Carlisle's shoulder. We'd just talked about that last night. Now I was panicking.

"I'm good," she whispered.

He looked over at me, and I couldn't hide my expression fast enough. "Both of you, honestly." He grinned. "This is a baby. You're supposed to be euphoric, happy. Not worried with anxiety. Jacob, we're going to take care of her, of both of them." He turned back to her. "Nessie, your baby is fine. Perfectly healthy. You should be celebrating."

I swallowed hard. "Forgive me, doc, but Ness was a baby, too. We didn't exactly celebrate her when Bells was pregnant."

"Yeah, and I killed my mom," Ness said in a factual tone.

I hadn't really meant the comment. It had just sort of slipped.

Carlisle sighed as if we were both being thick. "Listen to me. Nessie, you were a first. We didn't know what to expect. It was Jacob who thought to give your mother blood for nourishment. If we'd thought of that early enough, I doubt that any of that would have happened. So, it was our fault. Not yours. I mean, how could we not think to give you blood when you're half vampire? It was ludicrous on our part. But now, with you pregnant, we know that the blood is nourishment. You're perfectly healthy two months into the pregnancy. That's good. Have some faith. Please."

She and I shared a look. She reached for my hand, and I took it.

"It's not me I'm worried about. My baby, my husband, and my family are all I care about, and I need them all safe."

Now Carlisle and I shared a look. Both of our hearts probably melted.

I cupped her face. "We're fine. We just want to make sure that you're okay. And the baby."

She smiled weakly. "Well, then, we're square I guess."

There was a knock on the door.

"Is everything okay in there? You've been in there a while." Bella.

We all laughed.

"Come on in, Bells."

A nanosecond later, my mother-in-law burst through the door, Edward hot on her heels. She went straight for Nessie, who showed her the ultrasound photo. Edward came up to me, placing a hand on my shoulder.

Bella put her hand to Nessie's stomach. "Oh, my baby has a baby bump!"

I snorted. "Bells, when did you get so...girly?"

She glared up at me from where she'd put her ear to "the bump". "Not one word from you, Black. I had a baby, and now that baby is having her own baby."

"That just sounds wrong."

"Shhh! I'm listening!"

I rolled my eyes.

"Hi, Daddy," Nessie said, waving to Edward.

He grinned. "Hi, sweetie. How's the sickness?"

She shrugged. "Well, I didn't throw up last night, which was a first. But this morning wasn't all that pretty."

"Hopefully it will die down soon."

"Hopefully."

She went back to talking with Bella.

Edward turned to me. "So how are things at the shop?"

I shrugged, stuffing my hands in my pockets. "Uneventful, but busy. Xavier is learning fast. I'm managing it while Frank works to get a shop going up here."

"And who will manage that one?"

"Not sure. Haven't really thought about it yet. The deal is kind of a ways off, so we have some time."

"Well, I'm sure it will all work out." He turned to Nessie. "Sweetheart?"

Both Bella and Ness looked up from the ultrasound photo.

"Nessie, did you hear that Christa has moved the wedding to November? And Tricia has set the date for hers as July twelfth."

Huh? Wait, when did-?

Nessie jumped off the bed and came over to us. "No, I didn't hear. How did you find out?"

"She called Alice to let her know. Apparently, neither Christa nor Walker wanted to have to remember two anniversary dates."

Slapping her forehead, she laughed. "I totally missed that, too. Holy crap."

"Wait, wait, wait," I said. "Hold on. Tricia's getting married?"

Ness gave me a look. "Uh, yeah."

"When did this happen?"

Edward and Nessie exchanged a look.

Nessie laughed. Apparently my expression amused her. "Embry proposed on New Year's. I thought everybody knew that."

"Apparently not," Edward said quietly with a smile.

"That bastard didn't tell me a thing. Why didn't you tell me?" I asked her.

She shrugged. "I thought you knew!" And she thought about it. "But I guess that explains why you haven't said anything."

They all laughed at my expense.

I rolled my eyes. "You people are driving me nuts." Sighing, I reached for her hand. "We gotta get going if you wanna go to the grocery store. Frank needs me at the shop today."

She squeezed my fingers. "Okay."

We said our goodbyes to everyone. When we got in the truck, I tucked the ultrasound photo up in the visor with a clip.

Nessie grinned.

Now that we had a solid guess about the blood, she seemed more relaxed than she had last night after I'd pointed it out. She hadn't gotten much sleep, either. Rolling around, she'd tossed and turned, avoiding laying on her stomach. I'd been awake the whole time. At around four in the morning, she'd finally dozed off, me following her.

She was glowing again as we drove for the store. Watching her, I promised myself that I'd stop worrying so much. Neither Carlisle nor Edward was worried. That made the tension in my chest loosen. She was glowing with health, her hand constantly rubbing the small bump under her shirt.

If she could be this confident, then so could I.

I love Jacob. And Embry. What about that LEMON, huh? Tricia was an animal! I know you guys love them, so I decided to keep at least Tricia's POV in the story. Let me know what you think! Love you! xoxoxoxo