Yeah, so I didn't write much on the baby shower only because I'm not too big on the girly stuff. I'd have preferred to hang out with the guys. But some drama happens that I didn't foresee until I started writing. And-and-and, I had forgotten something MAJOR until I thought I was done with this chapter and then remembered that it was JULY! That means a WEDDING! No huge details though, but it's still sweet. Or I thought it was. No lemons. Sorry. But hey, the next chapter? Um, we're having a BOY! Bwahahahahahaha!

*Disclaimer*

Please Enjoy!

July

JPOV

"Jake?"

"Hm?"

"Can I talk to you for a sec?"

Looking up from my menu, I met Xavier's bright green eyes. He looked a little tense. We were sitting in one of the diners on the rez while Nessie's baby shower was in full swing up at the house. Shannon, Xavier's girlfriend, was sitting across from me in the booth.

I looked to her.

She shrugged delicately. "I'll tell the waitress we need a moment."

Shrugging myself, I scooted out of the booth and followed him outside.

"What's up?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

Before turning to face me, he let out a deep breath. When he did turn, he looked bothered, frustrated, and terrified all at once.

Going up to him, I put a hand on his shoulder. "Xavier, talk to me. What's going on?"

He met my eyes. "You can't say anything. Especially to Shannon."

"Okay, I swear it. I won't say anything. Now spill."

"She's it."

Confused, I said, "Who's what?"

"Shannon. She's my true mate. That's why I'm so into her, why I have been from the beginning. It's a pull in my gut to be near her." Clearly on edge, he spun away from me, hands going to his hair, tugging.

"Okay, so what does that mean?" Something was getting lost in translation since I wasn't understanding his disquiet.

He blew out a frustrated breath, like he wanted to hit me, like I was being dense. "That means I have to tell her about me," he nearly yelled spinning around, and then he lowered his voice talking between his teeth, "that I'm a werewolf."

Now I understood. "You don't have to tell her immediately. You've only been dating a few months."

"You don't understand. I can't keep this from her. She's starting to get suspicious, Jacob. I don't have parents or a home to take her to. She's wondering if there's something wrong with her."

Putting my hands on his shoulders, forcing him to look at me, I said, "You have time, Xavier. She's not going to break up with you anytime soon. I do see your point, though. We'll figure out a way to...Xavier?"

He'd gone rigid, eyes glaring through the window of the diner. Turning, I followed his gaze. Shit. Some guy was talking to Shannon, leaning his hip on the booth beside her. She wasn't even looking at him, a bored expression on her face while she studied the menu and he tried to gain her attention.

My grip on Xavier tightened as he started to growl. The fact that Shannon was uninterested was a saving grace.

He shook his head, forcing himself to stay put. "It's the full moon. It's too close. Anger brings the wolf." Closing his eyes, he swallowed hard.

"She's not interested in him, giving him the cold shoulder. Just breathe. Calm down. She'll kick him to the curb."

He opened his eyes. "I'm good. I'm alright."

Until the kid twirled one of her curls around his finger. That's when she looked up, glaring at him.

Xavier saw it, a vicious growl ripping through him, eyes flashing. It unnerved me how fast the calm had been overtaken by the rage.

Before I could get a better grip on him, Xavier tore out of my grasp and practically ripped the door off its frame. I'd caught a look at his eyes before he'd put me at his back. Amber. That other kid was in deep shit.

Rushing in after him, I got to him just as he pushed the other guy so forcefully that he hit the ground and slid all the way down the aisle, slamming into the wall with enough force that the tiles cracked. Grabbing Xavier as he tried to launch himself at the other guy, I wrapped my arms around his chest and wrestled him toward the door. His growing fangs snapped and snarled as the guy sat up gingerly as if in pain.

The other customers panicked. Women were screaming or gasping, looking on in fear. People rushed out of their seats. Xavier watched them in full predatory mode. I could feel it. I could feel the wolf taking over his personality, turning it to something cold and calculating.

"It's okay," I ordered angrily to all the people inside. "He's new to the pack. Just stay where you are."

When I spoke, they listened. The diner went quiet and eerily still. Sometimes, it was good to be alpha, good that they saw me as chief.

I'd learned that with his kind of wolf, the anger would turn into a free for all, no longer focused on the person originally intended, but could spread to anybody the wolf found nearby. I'd rather it be me than some innocent bystander caught in the crossfire.

The last thing I saw before I threw Xavier out the door was Shannon's wide, fearful eyes as she stared at her boyfriend, his face contorted into something unrecognizable by his rage.

As soon as we were outside, he had more room. He used it to swing away from me. Facing me, he went into a crouch, those amber eyes alien. We were in the street now, people stopping to stare as we faced off. Sliding out of my jacket, I threw it to the bench on the sidewalk.

"You want someone to fight? Here I am."

I figured that I could take him. As clear-headed as I was, I could think. He was lost to the wolf. The one thing I did worry about was how strong he was with the wolf so close to the surface. He may not have been as tall as I was, but he had gained a lot of muscle in the past few months, bulking up tremendously. If he got his arms around me, he could crush my bones, just like what had happened years ago with that bloodsucker.

Predictably, he rushed for me. To my right, the tree line of the woods between here and Forks began. If I could get him there, he could shift and run out this temper tantrum.

Stepping aside, I grabbed for his arm as his momentum rushed him past me. Finding purchase around his wrist, I congratulated myself too soon. He swung around, snarling, the claws of his other hand ripping down my left arm leaving deep gouges in the muscles. Growling through the pain, I used my handle on his wrist- which I thankfully hadn't dropped- to twist him around, pulling the arm up sharply to the middle of his back. Using my injured arm, I gripped the scruff of his neck. He was as immobile as I could get him.

"Into the woods. Now!" I commanded as I marched him to the treeline. People from the diner and other shops had flooded outside to see the show. I paid no attention to them, all my focus on the wolf in front of me.

After a few yards, we made it to the trees. I shoved him away from me roughly.

"Shift, Xavier. Get it out of your system because you're not going back into my town with a bad attitude."

From the ground, he just glared up at me with those alien eyes.

My alpha-ness moved to the front of my mind and with "the voice", I ordered, "Now, Xavier!"

Even though he wasn't my kind of wolf, he recognized that I was an alpha and giving him a direct order. Slumping, he ripped off his jacket before moving to his hands and knees. In front of me, he started to shift. Bones cracked through the skin, muscles seeing the light of day as they slid back over the re-knitted bones. Sick sucking sounds came from his body as well as more snaps, crackles, and pops. Nowhere near as smooth as Walker's or Caden's, but that could have been because he was fighting it.

Behind me, something crashed through the woods. A moment later, someone practically ran into me. Shannon came to a complete stop when I held my good arm out to stop her. When she saw Xavier writhing on the ground, she gasped, hand going to her mouth.

Finally, after several minutes, a charcoal wolf stood in front of us. He was big, his head reaching my collarbones. Amber eyes studied me before looking sadly to Shannon. He hunkered down, ears flat to his head, tail between his legs, whimpering slightly as she moved to hide behind me.

"Go, Xavier. I'll take care of her. Go to Calahan."

After a moment, he turned and took off into the woods. I felt Shannon's small, shaking hands grip the back of my shirt. Damn. She shouldn't have had to find out this way. Turning in her grip, I wrapped my good arm around her, pulling her to my chest. She buried her face and sobbed.

"It's okay. Let me go get my jacket and I'll take you home."

"No! I want to to stay with you. And I have your jacket. I dropped it."

Looking down, I saw it at her feet. Gently extracting myself from her, I picked it up and held it away from all the blood seeping down my left side.

"Okay, come on. I need to get my arm stitched up before I lose too much blood. I'll explain after, alright?"

She nodded, eyes on the ground.

As we started walking, her arms wrapped around my right arm and didn't let go until we made it up to the Cullen house. She was numb by then and let me go to sit on the couch.

"Shannon," I said, kneeling in front of her, using my jeans to help catch the blood. When she looked at me, I said, "I'll be back in a few minutes, okay? I've got to make a call and get fixed up. You're safe here. No harm will come to you. If someone asks, tell them you're here with me. If you want, you can tell them what happened. This is a safe place. Do you understand?"

After a moment, she nodded. "Safe place," she whispered. "Got it."

Giving her a small smile, I put a hand to her hair. "We'll figure all this out." And then I stood up to go in search of Carlisle.

RPOV

It was the day of my baby shower, and I was about to collapse with exhaustion. Shelby, Cricket, my mother, and my aunts had stayed after to help clean up. Jacob was spending the day with Xavier and Shannon, Xavier's girlfriend, teaching them how to drive and such.

Sitting down heavily in one of the dining room chairs, I watched as Esme bustled around my kitchen packing up the leftover food. As expected, I'd gotten the crib Jacob and I had picked out. Well, two of them. One for the nursery in our bedroom, the other for the nursery upstairs. Pacifiers, clothes, bath supplies, bedding. All of that and more had been gifted to us, as well as several wolf-themed items. Blankets and a play pen.

May and June had gone by much the same as April. As the weeks passed, Will's kicks and punches had gotten stronger. The aches and pains budding into something that the children's Tylenol wouldn't touch. Jacob spent an hour every night massaging my shoulders, lower back, and hips as well as my feet and ankles. He was heaven-sent.

Will had grown so much that I now couldn't see my feet unless they were propped up or I leaned over really far. Thankfully, though, my breasts hadn't grown anymore. That would have sucked royally.

Carlisle had changed the due date to late September, early October. Hopefully, I'd go into labor naturally instead of being induced. Jacob and I were already prepared, though. He'd packed a bag of clothes for the three of us, and I'd packed the other baby necessities so that we could stay down at the house for a couple days. Carlisle would want to make sure that Will and I were okay after his birth.

During the past two months, Jacob and I had also gotten another of the upstairs bedrooms ready for Will. We were hoping for a time where both of us would be ready to let him sleep in his own room.

With a little more energy in me from sitting down, I managed to push myself out of the chair and waddle over to the basket of neatly folded baby clothes. Grabbing it, I made my way to my bedroom. Shelby followed with Brayden. The patter of little feet followed her. We both turned to see Leila making her way to us. She'd turned a year old in June and was walking on her own. A little clumsy, but she still made it.

Emily ran up behind her, scooping her up. "No, no, Leila. You can't go down those stairs by yourself."

She giggled in her mother's arms.

"She's getting so big," I said, smiling at her.

Emily gave me a tired but happy smile. "She's everywhere. Gyms are for pansies. I'd love to see someone else run after this one. I can barely keep up with her. Lost ten pounds since she's been walking."

"Something to look forward to," Shelby said, nudging me. "Brayden's already started pulling himself up to standing with the help of our legs or the furniture. He'll be walking soon, I'm sure."

"How old is he now?" Emily asked.

Shelby hefted him up on her hip. "Nine months."

Between them, Brayden and Leila reached out toward each other, gripping hands. The three of us, in unison, muttered, "Awww."

"Let's not let Henry see this. He'll have a fit," I said, reaching into my pocket for my phone so I could send a picture to Jacob.

Lately, Henry had been all about Leila. He'd turned six just before she'd turned one. And when she'd started walking, he'd shadowed her. For a six year old, he was all about protecting her. He was conscious of walking between her and anything she could fall over. And if she did fall, he helped her back up. He also kept her from the stairs. We were all fairly certain that a romance was inevitable with the two of them.

Speaking of, he must have woken up from his nap because he appeared beside Emily, gripping her leg and craning his neck to look at Leila. She looked down at him and giggled. Emily set her down on her feet. Immediately, Henry was there, holding Leila's hand.

"Come on, Leila," he said, now able to round out his words. "Let's go play."

Slowly, he led her back to the living room to sit in front of the fireplace where most of the toys were.

"That's so cute," Shelby said.

Emily laughed. "Yeah, Sam is already planning 'the speech'." She made the quotations in the air with her fingers. As if she realized that I was carrying the basket of clothes, she frowned and reached for it. "Give me that. You don't need to go down the stairs holding that when you can't even see the stairs."

Smiling graciously, I let her have it. I'd gotten used to being doted upon. Besides, there was no use fighting with her when she was right. It had gotten to the point where I needed to hold onto the railing whenever I used the stairs, a feeling of lost equilibrium that made me uneasy. When we got down into the bedroom, Shelby sat Brayden down on the bed, where he immediately started to crawl over the blankets. She followed him around, arms held out, just in case. Emily sat the basket on the bed. Brayden went for it, grabbing the edge of it, trying to get his legs under him. The bed was too soft and he couldn't manage it. Shelby helped him up. He grinned at me over the basket while he bounced up and down.

Emily and I worked the new clothes into the drawers in the nursery and the new blankets on the end of the changing table. The crib had been collapsible and Aunt Alice had already brought it down, setting it up. After pulling the bedding out of the basket, I decided to go ahead and set the bed up. Emily helped me figure out the locks on the side of the crib so that I could moved it down and actually reach the mattress. The sheets were dark green. Already picturing Will to look like Jacob the way Brayden looked like Seth, I imagined the color would look wonderful against my son's dark skin and hair.

A light hand rested on my shoulder.

"He'll be beautiful," Emily assured me.

Blinking at her, I frowned. "Did I just-?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

I shook my head, looking inward. Sure enough, my mental wall was down. "Sorry. It's getting harder to control."

Laughing, Emily bent over the mattress to finish smoothing out the wrinkles. "Don't apologize, Ness. It's fine. It's a part of who you are. Besides, some things, you shouldn't control. You're pregnant, close to the end of the pregnancy. You're excited to meet your son. Perfectly normal, I promise. My last couple of months, I was so impatient to meet Leila. I just wanted my baby girl in my arms after years of trying to get pregnant with her. She was my little miracle."

Rubbing circles on my huge belly, William kicked out against my hand. Smiling softly, I asked, "Do you think you'll ever have more kids?"

Once she stretched out the last wrinkle, she straightened up and sighed. "Honestly, I don't know. I want more, at least one more. Sam and I aren't...feverishly trying at the moment, not like we did when trying for Leila. Besides, I'm older now. If it was that hard to get pregnant with Leila, I can only imagine how hard it would be for another baby plus the pregnancy and birth. I've heard it's not easy for older women."

It was my turn to pat her shoulder. "You're strong, Emily. You could do it."

"You think?"

"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it."

Her smile was radiant. "That's why I love you. You're always bluntly honest."

I shrugged. "Eh, saves time."

She tilted her head in concession. "That's true."

"Uh, I hate to interrupt."

Rachel was in the doorway, phone in hand. She waved it. "Just got off the phone with Jake. He tried to call you but you didn't have your phone on you. He's down at the Cullen place getting stitched up."

I was instantly alert, blood turning to icy slush with panic. "What?! What happened?"

She quickly backtracked. "He's fine, just a few deep cuts."

When she didn't start explaining, I stepped forward. "Rachel." Her name was a demand through my clenched teeth.

She shared a look with Emily. "Apparently, some kid made a pass at Shannon. Xavier got pissed and started shifting. Jacob pulled him into the woods to keep from creating a scene." She lifted a hand. "And before you ask, he didn't phase because he didn't want Xavier's wolf to see him as a threat. That's why he got scratched up."

Breathing deeply, trying to calm my heart, I tried to focus on the whole picture. Jacob was alive and apparently fine. No need to worry over him. "What about Shannon?"

"Down at the house, too. Shaken up."

Brushing past Rachel, I went for the stairs. "Well of course she is. She didn't know. Xavier was waiting to say something until he was sure about her."

"She knew about Jacob."

"Yeah, because she's from the rez. Jake and the pack 'came out' a few years ago."

Emily, Rachel, and Shelby followed me up the steps. As I went for my coat and the front door, I said to the others, "I'm heading down to the house. Jacob got hurt and I need to check on Shannon. Poor girl must be freaking out. Not to mention she's down there with a bunch of men."

Mom smiled at me. "We'll finish cleaning up."

"Thank you. I really appreciate it. All that you guys did today. It was great. I had fun."

Her smile widened as she shooed me out the door. "Go."

Rushing out the door, I was joined up by Adam, Derek, and a smaller wolf I could only assume was Rhett. He was honey-colored with gentle green eyes.

"Hey, guys. I need to go down to the house. Care to join me?"

The three of them gave me wolf-y smiles and wagged their tails.

"Thanks," I said, taking that to be an affirmative.

We made it down to the house in record time with me being pregnant. Derek had stayed close to me, letting me use his body to steady myself as we made our way down the incline. When we got on level ground, I moved faster, busting through the front door and shrugging out of my coat at the same time. Moving into the living room, I tossed it over one of the recliners.

A small red-haired girl was sitting on the edge of the couch, back ramrod straight, ankles crossed, her fingers tightly interlaced in her lap. She couldn't have been more than sixteen. Though she was looking down, her eyes were unfocused, shock-y.

"Shannon?" I asked gently as I moved toward her.

Blinking rapidly as though my voice had pulled her out of her thoughts, she looked up at me. Her eyes studied my face before moving down to my stomach. Moving some magazines aside, I sat in front of her on the coffee table.

"Hi, Shannon. I'm Nessie, Jacob's wife."

"Jacob?" She blinked like a deer in headlights.

I nodded slowly. "Yes, the man who brought you here? Jacob. He's my husband."

"You're very pretty," she blurted. And then seemed to realize it. "I'm so sorry. I don't normally...I'm not that forward."

Leaning forward, I placed my hand over both of hers where they were still gripped tightly in her lap. "It's okay. You're in shock. But thank you. You're pretty, too. I see why Xavier likes you so much."

Her eyes widened, the name obviously bringing back the memories. "Xavier...he-he just..."

"I know," I said softly. "Take a deep breath for me, okay? Just breathe slowly."

She did as I asked, shoulders moving heavily with her deep, even breaths. At first they hitched unevenly, but when I started to breathe with her, they evened out.

I smiled encouragingly. "That's it. Good. Now you won't hyperventilate."

"Thank you," she said almost too quiet to hear.

"You're welcome."

Her gaze moved back down over where my hand rested over hers. Though her hair covered her eyes from me, I knew she was crying because her tears dripped off her nose to land on the back of my hand. I let her get it out. It was scary stuff what she'd seen today. Her shoulders moved with the silent sobs.

And then, almost as if she were angry with herself for crying, she moved a hand out from under mine to roughly swipe at her eyes. "I'm sorry. I don't usually cry. But knowing about it and seeing it are two very different things. And Xavier, I know he's not from the rez so...he couldn't be one of the pack." She lifted her head so she could meet my eyes. "Right?"

I took her shaking hand in both of mine. "Not part of Jacob's pack, no. Xavier is...a different kind of werewolf. Have you ever heard of lycanthropy?"

She shook her head.

"It's a disease, an infection. With the Quileute wolves, the wolf is in their genes. Xavier, on the other hand, probably survived an attack of some sort from another werewolf. His kind are called Children of the Moon. I'm going to guess that he became so angry that another boy was attempting to flirt with you that he shifted. The full moon is only a couple days away."

The expression on her face made it seem like she was startled. "He...he started...for me?"

It made me laugh. She wasn't concerned that her boyfriend had turned into a giant dog, but that he'd done it out of sheer protectiveness. "It makes sense," I managed after the giggles had passed. "In the animal world, males are very protective of their females, especially if it's a monogamous type of animal, like a wolf."

Swallowing hard, her eyes moved back and forth as if she was sorting through information. "So...he considers me his?"

"I'd say that's pretty clear after today. Wouldn't you?"

She smiled a little, and it transformed her face. She was the type of girl who didn't smile often, probably because she was shy and withdrawn. Jacob had talked to me about her. He'd always felt good about being able to make her crack a smile. He'd said that Xavier was pretty good at it, though.

"I guess this means he doesn't suffer from commitment issues."

We both laughed.

"The Children of the Moon have this thing called true mates. If Xavier is that protective of you, I'd wager a guess in that he thinks you're his."

"But we've barely been dating," she said in bewilderment.

I gave her a look and a shrug. "In our world, that's just a number, Shannon. Jacob and I didn't date, just spent every waking moment together. I'm his imprint."

"But they don't have imprinting, do they?"

I was about to answer when another voice stopped me.

"No."

Shannon's hazel eyes widened, and I turned on the table to see Xavier in the foyer looking past me to her from the doorway. His green eyes shined with worry through his sandy hair that laid over his forehead. A grey tank and open flannel shirt displayed the white scars over his tanned skin that ran from jawline to disappear under the shirt.

He swallowed hard. "For us, it's more like a gut feeling."

When he moved into the living room, she tensed gripping my hand hard, but he proceeded anyway, kneeling down beside me.

"Xavier," I said with caution. "Are you okay?"

He nodded. "I'm good. Calahan calmed me enough to turn me back."

I nodded. "Okay."

His green gaze moved back to the scared girl on the couch. "Shannon, I am so sorry. I meant to tell you. Really, I did. That's what I had wanted to talk to Jacob about outside. I was just...scared, I guess that you would be too afraid of me."

"I was scared today," she whispered.

Standing up, I moved so that he could take my place. He gripped her hands in his, holding them against his chest. "I know, and I hate myself for that. I was just so angry, seeing him near you, touching your hair. And it's so close to the full moon. The wolf inside me wasn't happy either."

Behind them, Jacob came down the stairs quietly. He and I met eyes. His left arm was taped up with white gauze from shoulder to wrist. The worry came back, pitted in my stomach.

"Does..." Shannon started, swinging my attention back to her. "Does your wolf," she shivered, "so weird to say, but...does he claim me?"

Tentatively, as if he wasn't sure of his welcome, he brought a hand up to her hair, to stroke it. When she didn't pull away from his touch, he ran his fingers through it, and nodded. "Yeah, he does."

"What does that mean for us?" she asked, leaning into his touch.

He smiled. "It means I get to try to explain things to you, maybe introduce you to my pack. I know you've been wondering why I don't introduce to my parents or take you to my house. The truth is, my parents are dead and I don't live in a house. I live in a tent in the woods with my pack." He cupped her cheek. "It wasn't that anything was wrong with you. I just had to tell you about me before introducing you to my family. And you've already met Jake. He and Ness have been really good to me even though they're having their own baby."

"You consider Jake family?" I couldn't help but ask.

Apparently, I broke the spell. He looked at me and nodded. "Yeah, like a brother or uncle. Probably brother. I've always wanted an older brother."

"Well, you got one," Jacob said, speaking up for the first time.

Xavier hadn't noticed him standing there until he spoke. Getting to his feet, he looked over at Jacob in horror.

"Jesus! What the hell did I do to you?" he gaped as he went to stand in front of Jake.

Jacob shrugged. "I'm okay. Just a bunch of stitches. I've had worse."

"He really has," I said, grinning.

"But...but-" Xavier spluttered.

"Really," Jacob said. "I'm fine. The gauze is just to keep from ripping up the stitches. The cuts will be healed in a day or so. Consider it a sparring match."

His shoulders slumped. "I'm so sorry, man."

Jacob put a hand on his shoulder. "Listen, it's okay. We'll talk to Walker and Caden about teaching you some control, alright? We should have thought about that before training you."

"Calahan helped me calm down and forced me to shift back. I've never felt anything like it."

"Well, I'm sure Walker wouldn't mind you talking to Calahan if that's what you wanted. Anything to help you. You're not alone in this. We'll take care of you. And I won't let anything happen to Shannon."

Xavier laughed once. "You really sound like a big brother."

Jacob shrugged. "I have two older twin sisters. Plus, I learned from Sam. He took care of the rest of us when we phased. He was alpha for a while until I took over my birthright. I learned a few things."

Shannon stood up to stand beside Xavier. He draped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side. She rested her head on his shoulder.

"Well, thank you. For what you did today. I was seriously going to kill that guy. I don't remember much, but I do know that."

I walked over to Jacob. He took me into his arms, placing a kiss to my hair. I rested my head against his chest.

Jacob held out his good hand. "I know. That's why I felt it was better for you to fight me instead of him. He didn't stand a chance."

Xavier reached around Shannon to take that hand. "Thanks."

"Nessie?" Shannon asked quietly.

"Yes?"

Her hazel eyes met mine. "You're not human...are you?"

Jacob and I shared a look before I decided, what the hell. "No, I'm not. Well, not completely."

She nodded as if she'd just needed confirmation and then shook her head. "I don't want to know. I think I've had enough revelations for one day."

We all chuckled and Xavier pressed a kiss to her hair.

"Let's get you home, okay? You didn't eat anything and you're still in shock. You need food."

"Good idea," Jacob said.

"What about your truck?"

"I'll get my brother-in-law to pick it up. He has a key." Jacob dug into his pocket for his phone. "I'm going to have one of my wolves go with you just in case you have another...moment."

Xavier nodded. "Good idea."

Jacob put the phone to his ear. "Hey, Lucas. Are you close to the Cullen place?...Good. I need you to go with Xavier and Shannon back down to the rez. It's close to the full moon and Xavier is having difficulties reigning in his wolf...Good deal. See you in a minute."

Not even a minute later, the kitchen door opened. Lucas and Morgan both came into the living room, hand in hand. We all chatted for a moment before Xavier and Shannon left to get some food in her system with Lucas and Morgan at their backs. Jacob and I headed for home after he helped me into my coat. I carried the leather jacket I'd gotten him for Christmas. Derek, Adam, and Rhett followed us all the way up to our porch.

"Thanks, guys," Jacob said. "We're good so go find something else to do," he said playfully.

Yipping and barking, the three of them took off into the woods.

Jacob shook his head. "Crazy animals."

Without warning, I punched him in the stomach. He grunted and stared at me. "What the hell was that for?"

Unlocking the front door, because everybody had obviously left, I glared at him over my shoulder. "You scared the hell out of me. I thought something...ugh. You just scared me."

Once we were in the house, our coats hung up, Jacob took me into his arms. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. Rachel wasn't supposed to say anything too terrible."

"She didn't. I just...when she said you were getting stitched up, I just got this horrible image in my head."

Cupping my face, he kissed my forehead. "It's okay. Just a scratch. I'll heal."

Sagging, my forehead sank against his chest. "I know."

"So," he said, clearly changing the subject, "what did we get today? Or, I should say, what did Will get today? Not even his birthday."

That made me laugh. Will kicked furiously. "We got our cribs, and-"

"Cribs?" he interrupted. "As in plural?"

"Yeah. One for the nursery downstairs, and one for his nursery upstairs. We couldn't use the guest crib. It's a guest crib."

"I suppose. What else?"

"Clothes, bottles, toys, bath supplies, bedding, blankets. Pretty much everything we need. We're set."

"Show me. I wanna see."

Grinning, I grabbed his hand and pulled him downstairs. It made me ecstatic that he was that much into this. A lot of guys, after hearing the list, would be like "cool, what's for dinner?" Not Jacob. He wanted to see every little thing that would be our son's, everything that he would wear, sleep on, or drool on.

He loved the sheets on the bed, especially after I showed him my thoughts from earlier, the ones that Emily had seen.

"You really think he'll look like me?" he asked quietly.

I shrugged, rubbing his back. "I think that your genes are probably more dominant than mine. The curly hair might peek through. Maybe. I wasn't that great at biology. But yeah, I do think he'll look just like his daddy. I hope so."

He frowned. "Why not you?"

"Because I look in the mirror every day. I want to see my son as a reflection of his father. The wonderful man that you are, strong, handsome. My two men." Chuckling, I rubbed my stomach with my other hand. "Now I know how Shelby feels. Her two men. My two men." I remembered how she'd once described Seth and Brayden to me and repeated it to Jacob. "My king and my prince."

He turned to me with a smile. "King, huh?"

I rolled my eyes. "Of course you'd hang onto that one." Going up on my tiptoes, I gently kissed his lips. "But, yes. My king."

He kissed me back. "If we have that little girl, she better look like you for the same reasons. My queen and my princess."

"Boy, you sure do know how to make a woman weak in the knees. Queen, huh?"

Chuckling, he sank to his knees in front of me, hands gently holding my stomach. He pressed his lips to me. "You need to hurry up, son. Your mommy and daddy can't wait to meet you," he whispered.

I fell in love with him all over again in that moment.

A couple weeks later...the end of July.

TriciaPOV

Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod!

Pacing in front of the mirror in my and Embry's bedroom, I shook out my hands, my wedding dress trailing behind me. I had yet to put the veil in my hair, but I was shaking too badly.

A knock came at the door.

"Who is it?"

"Nessie. Can I come in?"

Flying for the door, I nearly ripped it off the hinges, so happy to see her. She'd quickly become one of my best friends, almost like a sister. We talked every day either through text or a good old-fashioned phone call.

Nessie's eyebrows met her hairline. "I take it you're a little nervous?"

I let out a shaky laugh that sounded a touch hysterical. "A little? No, not at all." And then I looked at her to give me something to do. She was draped in an elegant red goddess-like dress, her bronze curls rounding out the look of divinity. Even through the dress, her baby-filled belly was easily seen. "You look amazing," I said, starting to calm down a little from her calm company.

"Thank you." Holding out her hands, she clasped mine and came into the room, dragging me with her, kicking the door closed as she moved. "And look at you! So gorgeous."

"I feel like Barbie. Even look like her. I look like the ice princess."

"Nonsense! You look beautiful. We should put your veil in, though. It's almost time."

"Have you seen my mother?"

She nodded, going for the garment bag. "Yeah, she's making sure everyone gets seated."

"And my dad?"

"Waiting down the hall. And before you ask, Embry is already waiting at the altar for his bride."

Stopping in front of the mirror, I met her eyes in the glass. "He is?"

Grinning, she nodded and lifted the comb of the veil. I tilted my head back to she could slide it in. "Yes, he is. And he looks just as nervous as you do. Which is stupid," she added in a hard, firm tone.

Blinking, I said, "What?"

When I tilted my head back up, she put her hands on her hips, emphasizing the baby bump. "You and Embry. It was just like when Rachel married Paul. She was nervous. What, like he was going to run away? Please. They're imprinted men. Out of the couples, it should be them who are nervous because it's the women who get to choose." Gripping my shoulders, she turned me to face her. Her eyes were warm, like melted chocolate. "Tricia, sweetie, there's no need to be nervous because he sure as hell isn't going anywhere."

"Were you nervous?"

She shook her head, curls brushing down over her shoulders. "Not once. Wanna know why?"

I nodded desperately.

"Because I love Jacob. And he loves me. Period."

Frowning, I shook my head. "I don't understand."

She sighed. "Think of it this way. He imprinted on you, loving you instantly. You fell in love with him because he's always been what you needed when you needed it. That won't change after you say your vows, Tricia. What will change is your relationship. My dad told me just before my wedding that marriage means that your relationship is no longer an adolescent, that it's now bloomed into adulthood. This, today, is your starting line to the rest of your life. With Embry. You're vowing to be there for him no matter what, even though that's probably something the two of you have said to each other in private. But this wedding is a declaration, not just to him, but to the world, to those who are going to be here, that this is the man you are willing to give your all to, everything you are, and everything you will ever be. He's doing the same thing, telling the world that you're his woman, that he will do whatever it takes to protect you, to love you." She smiled at me. "You love him. He loves you. Period."

Leaving me to think about what she'd just said, she went to the shoe box next to the garment bag.

I turned back to the mirror and stared at myself. Nervous. Why was I nervous again? I couldn't remember. Was it because I was scared Embry wouldn't be there? Or was I scared of something else? And then I thought back to the day I'd thanked him for letting me move in, for taking guy space. He'd seemed taken aback by that as if he hadn't thought of it that way. And he truly hadn't. He'd told me he'd waited for years to imprint.

Standing a little straighter, I studied myself. His wife. Our relationship had grown in the last few months. We'd gotten into a steady schedule. Embry going to work, me keeping up the housework and bills. I'd even opened up a saving's account. Every week I'd do the grocery shopping and made sure there was food on the table when he came home. After dinner, he'd make love to me so many times that it was all a blur when I finally laid against his chest and fell asleep, his lips pressed to my skin.

Staring at myself, I realized Nessie was right. Embry and I had long ago married our souls. Today was our declaration to everyone else, sealing our commitment.

Nessie knelt in front of me as best she could, setting my shoes at my feet. She smiled up at me. "Ready?"

Slipping my feet into my shoes, I nodded. "Absolutely."

Another knock sounded at the door.

"Trish? It's me. Walker."

"Come in." Even my voice sounded calm, steady.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nessie smile smugly.

The door opened and Walker slipped in. I couldn't help but laugh. He looked handsome enough in his crisp tux, but he'd done nothing with his hair. It wasn't slicked back or anything. Just falling into his eyes as usual. So totally the brother I knew and loved.

Coming at me, he grinned. "God, you look amazing," he said, pulling me into his arms.

Nessie cleared her throat and went for the door. "I'll go get seated, let them know you're almost ready."

"Thank you, Nessie."

She grinned before slipping out the door.

Laughing, I smoothed down his lapels. "You look pretty sharp yourself, big brother. I love what you did with your hair."

He grinned crookedly. "Eh, well you know. Had to stay original in this penguin suit. Can't let anyone think I'm being tamed."

"Heaven forbid," I mocked.

Running his hands down my arms, he gripped my hands, getting serious. "You okay?"

I nodded. "I am now. Nessie has a gift with words, I'll tell ya."

"He's getting pretty nervous out there. It's kind of nice to watch him squirm."

"Walker," I scolded.

"What?" He shrugged. "He's marrying my baby sister. Gotta have a little fun." He put his hand to my cheek, getting serious again. "I'll always be your brother, Tricia. Always. No matter what happened in the past. So if you need something, anything..."

I covered his hand with mine, fighting tears for fear of ruining the make-up Mom had put on me. "I know-I know that. I'll always be your sister."

"I love you, okay? I'll do anything for you."

"Same here, Walker. I love you, too."

"Crazy ride, huh?" he said with a choked laugh as if he were fighting off his own tears.

Sniffling, I laughed, nodding. "Yeah. And it's not over yet."

"Amen to that."

For a long moment, we just stared at each other.

Another knock at the door, this time soft.

"Aunt Tricia, Daddy, the music started," Haleigh said.

Walker cleared his throat. "Thank you, baby girl. We'll be out in a second."

"Love you, Daddy!"

We both grinned.

"Love you, too."

"She's adorable. I can't wait til she gets married."

He growled a little. "Don't even go there," he said paternally.

I grinned again. "You're adorable, too. The dad suit looks good on you."

He rolled his eyes. "Thanks. It feels good. Well, I better go before Embry comes looking for you." Leaning in, he kissed my forehead. "Congratulations. I'm happy for you, baby sister."

And then he was gone, leaving the door open. Dad stepped into the doorway and stared at me. This was the first time he'd seen me in my dress.

He grinned, though his eyes were shiny. "You ready? Your music is coming up."

Grabbing my bouquet, I went to follow him out. We moved in silence to the sliding glass doors that opened up to the backyard. No longer nervous, I slid my arm through his and breathed in deeply.

"Nervous?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Not in the least."

"Good. You look beautiful."

"Thank you, Daddy." Tearing up again, I turned to him. "I wish Mom were standing here, but I'll say this to you anyway. Thank you for adopting me, for giving me the great life you have. If it weren't for you, I never would have turned into the woman I have. I wouldn't be this strong. I wouldn't know how to fight for what I believe in. And if you hadn't brought me to Forks, I never would have met Embry, my future. I owe my life and my love to you. Both you and Mom. But also, thank you for giving Embry a chance. I know he was rough and aggressive with you, but I think he's been better."

Dad smiled down at me. "He has been, and I can see what you see in him. He was protecting you from me. I get it. After meeting a lot of his friends, I see that aggression when they're with their wives. Especially Jacob and Seth with Nessie and Shelby."

I nodded. "Yeah, they're all like that. It's a tribe thing, just the kind of guys they were raised to be. But still. Thank you."

He kissed my temple. "He loves you. And you love him. I didn't want to see it when you looked at each other, but I could only ignore it for so long before your mother pointed it out to me that she still looks at me the way you look at Embry. After that, I couldn't deny it. Because I saw that he looked at you the way I still look at your mother even after all these years. I love her more now than I did the day I married her. And I think the same will happen with you and Embry."

Outside, my music started up.

Choking back my tears while Dad opened up the sliding glass door, I whispered, "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you, too," he said as he started walking us out.

The backyard had been turned into one of the most magical places I'd ever seen. Twinkle lights were everywhere, looking like fairies in the trees. My accent color was a deep sapphire blue. Ribbons and flowers were hung everywhere. Alice had really outdone herself.

But the one thing that held my attention was, obviously, Embry. He was standing at the make-shift altar of giant logs. His tux was crisp, fitting him like a well-tailored glove. His bow tie was the same color blue as the accents on my dress.

As I approached him, he grinned, eyes shiny. His expressions kept changing though because he was trying to hold back his tears. Eventually, he gave up, pressing his thumb and forefinger into the corners of his eyes, his throat working nonstop. After a moment, he took a deep breath and opened his eyes once more. Dad and I had made it to him. Holding out his hand for mine, Dad unhooked my arm from his and placed my hand in Embry's.

As was usual for a bride and groom, we didn't once look away from the other as the preacher started up. When the time came for our vows, we'd decided to write our own.

Embry went first.

"Well," he started. "What can I say? Here we are." While everyone chuckled, he took my hands in his. "Tricia, when we first got engaged, I really didn't think that this day would be as emotional as it very obviously is for me. But standing here, looking at you, at how beautiful you are, I just really can't believe that we're here, that you're here with me. I never thought I'd find my soul mate. I thought I'd have to settle. But then you came along and completely changed everything. I truly love you more than words could ever describe. At first, I was scared of these feelings, because every time I've loved someone, they always left me, so I thought it was better not to care. But you," he laughed, "you just barged your way into my life and demanded a spot, demanded my attention. You've always somehow known what I need and never questioned it. You gave me whatever I needed. Whatever it was from your heart and your soul. You've given me the greatest gift that a man could ever ask for: a woman who will love him yet keep him in line. I couldn't think of anything else to ask for from you, except this, to be my wife. I promise to always protect you, to always take care of you, and to love you no matter what life throws at us. I will always fight for you. And I don't want you to ever doubt that."

When he was done the preacher looked to me, but I had to take a moment to dab the corners of my eyes and choke through my emotions. His last two lines were words he'd said to me before, after I'd told him how much his standing up to my dad and Walker had meant to me.

Clearing my throat, I squeezed his hands. "Embry, you sure know how to take my breath away," I started in response to his vows. The guests laughed. "But really, before we met, I felt lost, disconnected from the world. I didn't really feel like I had a purpose but to get up and go to school, not making a lick of difference to anybody or anything. Then, the most beautiful thing happened. You knocked on my front door." The women in the crowd sniffled. "I never told you this, but the first moment I saw you, I felt motivated like I had something very important I had to do. After our first meeting, every time I saw you, the feeling tightened in my heart, urging me to be close to you, to seek you out. Sometimes, you'd pull away from me. So, I forced myself on you, pushing things too fast to get you to understand that I wasn't going anywhere. Where you went, I'd follow. I didn't care if I hadn't known you a week. You quickly became my world, and I knew someone or something had broken you. So, here, today, my declarations to you are that I will spend the rest of my days trying to pick up the pieces that someone else left behind; I will love you until and long after you heal from those wounds; and I will always give you my all, give you everything you need from me. I love you, and I am honored and proud to call you my husband."

He'd teared up again, his eyes wide to keep the tears from falling. The preacher went on about the rings and such.

And then:

"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife." He looked to Embry. "You may now kiss your bride."

As everybody cheered, Embry swept me into his arms and pressed his lips to mine. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders right before he dipped me, grinning against my mouth.

Both of us laughing, he tilted me upright once more. We faced out to the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to present to you Mr. and Mrs. Embry Call!"

The cheering became louder. Walker whistles between his fingers. Mom dabbed at her eyes. Nessie was rubbing her belly and grinning at me, winking when she met my gaze. Deep into the woods, howls broke out, startling people at first. To me, the chorus was beautiful and perfect.

"I love you, Mrs. Call," Embry whispered down into my ear.

Grinning over at him, I kissed his lips gently. "And I love you, Mr. Call."

He waggled his eyebrows at me. "Let's go have some fun, shall we?"

And that's exactly what we did. We danced, laughed, and partied throughout the night, taking pictures between dances. Cutting the cake and eating dinner. The speeches were sweet and tear-inducing. It was hilarious watching Nessie and Embry dance together. He held her so gently that she fussed at him. Jacob and I had shared a few dances before Haleigh had demanded his attention. I'd danced so much with Walker and Dad that I'd had to take my shoes off as blisters had started popping up. But it was still fun to twirl around with them. Mom and I had shared tears.

Overall, it was perfect. My last dance was shared with my husband.

At the end of the night, since we weren't going on a honeymoon (our choice), and after everyone had left before coming back in the morning to take down the tents and tables, Embry and I had changed into normal clothes and sat down on the couch. The house was quiet, lit only by candles, as I rested against his chest, playing with his wedding ring. It was platinum per Alice's demand that I pick whatever I wanted. Just a simple band.

"It feels so different," I said. "Being married."

"Yeah? How so?"

"I feel...older. Like...like I've shed my cocoon. Your vows, they made me see myself differently, as if I've actually made a difference."

His lips were soft in my hair. "You have, Tricia. My world was empty. Now, it's full of so many promises. I just can't tell you how much you mean to me, how much you've changed me."

For the millionth time that day, I teared up. "I won't ever leave you, Embry. I could never bear to hurt you."

"I know. And I won't ever leave you. I'd rather die."

Craning up, I kissed the underside of his jaw. "Our starting line," I whispered.

"What?"

Shaking my head, I smiled. "Nothing. Just remembering some inspirational words from a certain alpha female."

He nodded as if he understood. He probably did.

That night, we fell asleep on the couch, in each other's arms.

I wasn't sure about him, but as for me? I dared to dream big about our future, about our starting line.

You can be honest, that wedding section was off, but hey, I didn't want it too opulent because I didn't want it to contend with Ness and Jacob's. Duh. These stories are about them after all. But hey, drop me a review or a PM! They really keep me going, giving me that oomph to update more often than once a month! Love you guys so much! xoxoxoxoxo