a/n--- Hey guys! Sorry its been so long to update, I got kind of side tracked with the last chapter of Heartbreak, which if you havent read yet, you should go and do, Mediate89 also beta'd this chapter so snaps to her :P I have a new story called "Just Smile" that you should also check out. Its a Leah story. Now.... Onto the chapter... please remember to review!!

Chapter 20

I grabbed the keys to my mom's car and started out the front door. Paul was asleep in my room with Bridget so I decided to run to the store for some diapers before it closed. I slid my feet into my flip flops and grabbed a jacket.

I started the car and drove slowly down the road. I was still kind of funny about driving ever since Paul had pushed me into getting a license. I turned slowly into the parking lot and parked straight through the spaces so I wouldn't have to back out.

I headed inside after checking to make sure I'd brought my wallet. I'd started working again a couple of weeks ago at the tavern with Paul's dad. It helped some with diapers and things. Paul still worked at the garage. He worked during the week now too. He'd quit school completely. He said it was a waste of his time and that he really didn't have time to go anymore. Not with the pack, Bridget, and trying to work. He usually gave me four hundred dollars a month for Bridget which was a big help. Paul claimed he didn't need much for himself anyway.

I walked through the sliding door and smiled at the lady behind the register before I went to the baby aisle. I grabbed a pack of Pampers and a two liter of soda for Paul when he woke up. He was staying up with Bridget tonight while I got some sleep. Being a mother was more exhausting than I thought it would be. I handed the cashier a few bills and she dropped the diapers into a bag and handed them to me. I shoved the change into my pocket and headed back out.

"Sarah!" A voice shouted behind me.

I turned around, wondering who was calling my name and then I spotted him. "Embry?" I could feel a small smile forming on my lips. I stopped walking and waited for him to catch up to me. "What are you doing out?"

"Picking my mom up. I took her car to Makah to see my grandma." Embry grinned. "You don't have Bridget with you?" he asked, peering into the windows of the car.

I shook my head. "Nah, she's with Paul. They're both passed out right now. I had to come grab some diapers."

Embry nodded, still smiling at me. "I didn't think it would be possible, but you look better than you did before you had the baby."

I felt the pink in my cheeks rising and looked down to the ground so he wouldn't see it, even though it was nearly dark. "So... I haven't seen you around lately." I had missed him the past few times I'd been at Sam and Emily's. He shrugged and leaned beside me on the car.

"Been doin' a lot more patrols lately. Keeps me busy." He looked down at the gravel for a moment before looking back up at me with his chocolate brown eyes. "So, what's the deal with you and Paul now?"

I glanced away, looking at the street. "What do you mean?"

Embry shrugged. "Are you guys going to like... stay together? Or are you not together at all or what?"

I kept my eyes away from him, why in the world was he asking? Everyone in the pack knew we were together… somewhat. "Yeah, were together. For now at least. Until he imprints. I don't know how that's going to work out when it happens. Neither of us is going to want to accept the change we'll have to make." I might as well be honest with him. The whole pack would know.

Embry scoffed lightly. "Imprint." He shifted his weight so that he wasn't leaning against the car anymore. "That shit's ridiculous."

"I gotta go," I told him with a small smile. "Paul's going to wonder where I am." He nodded and backed away from me raising one hand in a wave.

"I'll see you later, honey."

As soon as I walked through the door I noticed Paul sitting on the couch watching Tv. I hung my jacket over the back of a kitchen chair and tossed the diapers over the couch. I walked around to give him a hug.

"I thought you were asleep."

He shrugged and yawned lazily as I made my way into his lap. I thought I heard him sniff before he backed away and said, "Where did you see Embry?' I looked at him, wondering how to answer.

"At the store. I went to get Bridget's diapers and he was waiting on his mom. We talked for a while outside."

Paul glared. "You guys hung out and talked?"

I nodded my head, knowing it was either tell the truth now or face it later when he found out. "Not very long. Just a few minutes." I leaned back toward him for a kiss. He shook his head at me and reached up and pushed my mouth back.

"Why?"

I sighed and backed away from him, knowing that he wasn't going to let this drop. "Because."

Paul gave me a hard look. "I told you to stay away from him, Sarah. I've told you more than once that I don't want you talking to him. I don't even want you near enough to him that I can smell him on you when you come home." He stood up from the couch; I looked up at him as he towered above me.

"It wasn't a big deal, Paul. We just ran into each other."

"No. Embry doesn't just run into people he wants to see. He waits and smells them out for a chance to talk to them."

I got up from the couch. "I'm sure it was just an accident, though."

Paul shook his head and walked over to grab his keys off of the counter. "It wasn't, I can promise you that. I don't want you talking to Embry again. It pisses me off. It pisses me the fuck off badly." I nodded quickly, not wanting him to lose his temper with Bridget one room away from us.

"I'm sorry," I said softly. "I didn't know you'd get so mad. I won't talk to him." That seemed to satisfy him somewhat.

"I'm still going to catch up with him. I told him a million times not to speak to you," he said as he opened the door. I followed him out hurriedly.

"Don't get like this, Paul. It wasn't a big deal. Embry knows I'm with you." He opened the door to his truck and got in. I rushed to the window. "Don't fight with him over talking to me."

Paul shook his head; he was gripping the steering wheel and shaking slightly. I hadn't seen him shake in months. "But…" he started to say and then stopped. I reached over and touched his face lightly.

"Calm down. You can't go anyway. You're supposed to watch Bridget tonight while I get some sleep," I reminded him, knowing if it came to his daughter he'd stay.

He sighed and rubbed his temples before pulling the keys back out of the ignition. "Fine. I'll stay. Bridget's more important," he said grudgingly as he got back out. I grabbed his hand and pulled him to me.

"I thought maybe tomorrow we could spend some time together." I looked up at him, knowing he'd take my meaning. It was well past our waiting time, but neither of us had made a move yet. I wrapped my arms around his middle, knowing the calming affect it would have on him.

Paul slowly snaked his arms around my back. He wasn't shaking anymore. "I guess I could go for that." His ran his warm hands up my shirt and caressed my back. "I guess it's been longer than I realized. Like... forever." It'd been even longer since we had the type of sex that we both wanted throughout the pregnancy but couldn't have. "I don't have to be to work until ten," he murmured huskily, moving his hands around to the front. He touched my breasts lightly, careful not to do anymore than that.

"I don't have to be at work 'til later, either. Your dad's taking Bridget home for your mom to watch until I get off," I said, melting into him. Everything felt new, like we hadn't touched each other millions of times before. "Let's go inside," I suggested, pulling on his hand when we broke our embrace.

We made our way to my room, both of us peeking in at Bridget in hers. She was tucked into her crib, sleeping. I turned the monitor on so we could hear her and rummaged through my dresser for pajamas. "Don't forget she's been whiny, so make sure you burp her okay?" I told Paul.

He rolled his eyes at me and lounged across my bed. "I know how to take care of her. I do it more than you do."

I gave him a dirty look. "You do not. I always have Bridget. I just don't turn her into a doll like you do." I turned away from him as I changed. I heard him sigh from where he was. "What?" I snapped when I turned back around and shook my hair out of its pony tail. I dropped down beside him on the bed.

Paul sat up, leaning against my headboard. "You. You haven't acted the same since you got pregnant. It's like you're not the same person sometimes." I glared at him as I crawled over to his side. I felt a sharp pinch on my butt and slapped his hand away. "See? Months ago you would have liked that."

I laid down underneath the blankets and looked at him. "Months ago you would have jumped on me the day six weeks fell on. You haven't even tried anything. It's like you're not attracted to me anymore or something." I stretched out, letting the soreness ache in my legs from getting used to work again.

"I never said I didn't want to do it. I just thought you were too tired or that you didn't want. You cover yourself. Major turn off," Paul said in an honest voice.

"Well I thought you didn't want me anymore. I thought you were disgusted by me. And you always put Bridget in bed with us. We can't do anything with her in there." I snuggled into the sheets. "You should probably go to the couch before my mom comes in." As cool as his parents were with us sleeping together, mine weren't.

Paul grumbled as he got up from my bed, stretching and making his muscles flex as he moved and twisted "I guess I can. I think I'm taking Bri to my house when she gets up at six, though. My mom will keep her for a while. Then maybe I can come back?"

I nodded sleepily to him. "Sure. After everyone else is gone too, okay? I love you," I mumbled, before drifting off.

I yawned as I drove home from the tavern. Paul had gotten off of work before I did and was getting Bridget ready for the bonfire tonight. It was cool out, but she'd be fine if we bundled her up and Paul held her. I still needed to change into something else, and put some more make-up on before we left.

I went into my house and greeted my mom before I disappeared into my bedroom and started getting ready. I pulled on a pair of jeans and a light pink shirt with tiny white polka dots covering it. I slid my feet into the snow boots Paul laughed at all the time and grabbed a jacket. I headed back out to wait for Paul and Bridget.

"Sarah, isn't it kind of cold to have Bridget out?" my mom asked.

I shook my head. "She'll be okay. We'll be by the fire and Paul's bundling her up pretty good." I left out the part about Paul's super werewolf heating abilities.

I heard Paul pull into the driveway and hurried out to the truck I glanced through the window and noticed Bridget sleeping peacefully in her carseat. "Wow, she's sleeping. What'd your mom do to her?" I asked incredulously. I hadn't seen Bridget sleeping this soundly for a week.

"Mom said she was fussy all day but when I got there she calmed down and passed out while I was feeding her. I brought two bottles for her. I didn't think you'd want to feed her in front of the pack," he added with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks for being so thoughtful."

Paul parked next to Sam at the beach and unhooked the carseat. He got out and carried Bridget toward the meeting area and sat her down on the bench. "We can't stay late. It'll be too cold for Bri," he told Sam, who nodded understandingly.

I started helping Emily get things ready. I'd brought a few bags of chips and some other snacks with us. The pack amazed me with their appetites every time we got together with them. Emily sighed and held her back.

I smiled sympathetically. "It's miserable, isn't it?"

She nodded quickly and sat down as soon as Sam came over and insisted on taking over. "I think she's almost as hard headed as you were," he told me with a grin. It was no secret I had tried to do more than I should have when I was pregnant.

I glanced at Paul who was beside me guarding Bridget. "Do you mind if I walk down the shore?" I asked him.

He shook his head. "No, I'll hold her when she wakes up to help make sure she's warm enough." I nodded and gave him a quick kiss.

I walked all the way down to the rocks, stepping over driftwood and marveling at how beautiful the beach was at sunset. It'd been forever since I'd been on the beach. Since Paul and I were sneaking around almost a year ago. I hadn't realized we'd been together so long. I was happy with Paul. More than happy. I'd always been infatuated with him and now I loved Paul to pieces. Having Bridget with him just made it all the better for me. I still worried though, about him leaving me. I knew too, that he worried I'd leave him first, and he wouldn't be able to handle it. Paul was entirely too possessive sometimes.

I stopped at the cliffs overlooking the water and sat down on a boulder, happy to just be alone for a while. I leaned back on my elbows and watched the seagulls. Bridget would be waking up soon. I hadn't got to spend much time with her today and I was starting to feel guilty about it. I felt guilty anytime anyone but me or Paul had her. Bridget was ours, not someone else's to take care of. I heard a scuffle behind me and turned my head.

"Hey, honey," the deep voice drawled as a figure dropped down beside me. I smiled at him.

"Hey, Emb."

Embry studied me for a moment as if he were searching my face for something. "You're out pretty far on your own," he commented, finally looking away.

I shrugged. "Yeah. I just wanted to get away for a bit. Paul has Bridget by the fire." I picked up a rock and tossed it, watching it skip into the waves.

"Oh. Paul's here?" He frowned slightly. "You didn't get in too much trouble the other night did you?"

I laughed at him, knowing what he meant. "Not really. He wasn't happy with me either, though. He said to keep away from you."

Embry grinned widely. "So Paul doesn't want us near each other? I wonder why. I've never done anything to make him think I'd try something if he wasn't near." He laughed a little bit and tossed a rock that went much further than mine had.

"Show off," I muttered. I threw another one out. "Paul's just... territorial, I guess. He doesn't like it if I pay too much attention to other people." I hadn't ever said that as freely to anyone as I just had to Embry. I glanced at him quickly, hoping he hadn't got the wrong idea.

Embry nodded slowly. "I can sort of see why. If I had what he had, I would be the same way. Only I wouldn't have treated someone as badly as he did." I knew he was referring the beginnings of mine and Paul's relationship. I'd always wondered why Embry didn't have someone. The others dated here and there and Embry really was a sweet guy, and not at all bad-looking either.

"He's not so bad anymore. Not since I had Bridget. She's calmed him down a lot. We haven't been arguing as much lately," I told him honestly. "And Paul's a great father. He takes good care of Bridget."

Embry smiled slightly and looked out across waves. "Lots of guys would make great fathers. Or step fathers." He glanced at me meaningfully. "But I never had either."

I shifted toward him. "What happened?"

"Oh, nothing happened to him. I don't think so anyway. I just don't know who he is. My mom won't say and I won't ask. It isn't between very many guys though. Not very many men carry this gene to make us phase the way we do."

I frowned at his nonchalance. "I guess I'm lucky I have Bridget then. I don't think I would have wanted a son to carry on the wolf thing. It changes you guys so much. I know Sam used to smile more, and Jared was a football player. Paul was your normal kid, partying and all. I don't know much about the rest of you, though."

Embry turned to me. His eyes were glinting in the dark that was creeping over us. "Let's see. I'm seventeen. I used to like to ride dirt bikes a lot. I've always been friends with Jake and Quil. I used to box too. I loved it, but I can't do it anymore because I might hurt someone. Well, hurt them more than I'm supposed to. And I'm graduating next year… if I decide to keep going to school. It's getting harder and harder to keep up with that sort of thing."

I listened to him, noticing how husky his voice was without him even trying to make it that way. I looked away, suddenly feeling guilty for sitting here with him. "I should get back or Paul's going to be mad," I told him softly. "I told him I wouldn't be gone long."

Embry stood up with me. "You know... you don't have to put up with his tantrums. He's not the boss of you."

I laughed bitterly as I zipped up my jacket. "Easier said than done. I'm his. I'm his until he finds his other half. And maybe after that too. I need him too much to be without him."

Embry sighed and followed close behind me as I started walking through the sand. "That's not fair to you, though. Don't you ever think of yourself?"

I stopped walking and turned to face him. "No, I don't. I can't think of myself. I need Paul. I need him to be with me. I need him to be a father to our baby. I need him to support us right now."

Embry studied me. "You could find someone else if you wanted to. And there are jobs in Forks and Port Angeles."

I shook my head at him; he'd hit a nerve. "I can't find anyone else. I'm seventeen with a two-month-old baby from a possessive boyfriend. No one wants some girl with another man's baby," I shot out, feeling hot tears spewing over as I finally said what I'd been thinking for a while now. I was damaged goods.

"Hey. I didn't mean to make you cry," Embry said softly, pulling me toward him. He hugged me tightly. "I was just asking is all. I won't bring it up again, I swear. Just stop crying okay?" He rubbed his warm hand up and down my back and let me nuzzle my face into his neck.

I let a few more tears fall. Embry was a lot like Paul, physically. Very warm and strong. He smelled differently though, more like cedar than pine. A lot like Sam, actually. I pulled away from his hug quickly. "You shouldn't have done that. He's going to kill us now."

Embry laughed and we started walking again. "I'm not scared of him. Just hug Sam or something. He'll never notice. Just tell me if he over reacts. I don't want to let him hurt you anymore."

I distanced myself from Embry when we got back to the meeting area. I waved to Paul who was sitting near the fire. Bridget was awake now and looking around curiously. She and Paul's upper half were covered in a thick blanket. I went over to them, forgetting all about being covered in Embry's scent.

"Hey, Bridget, Mama's been dying to see you," I cooed to her. I kissed her forehead and sat down close to Paul, stuffing my cold hands into the pouch of his sweatshirt.

Paul glanced at me and I saw his nose twitch slightly. He didn't say anything, though. I tickled Bridget and kissed her tiny hands. Paul had put mittens on them. "I doubt she can even move in all those clothes, Paul." Quil came up to us with a smirk. "Even I don't wrap Claire up that much."

"Claire's not a two-month-old baby either," Paul shot back at him. He looked down at me. "I was wondering where you went to."

I shrugged, trying to brush it off as no big deal. "I went to the cliffs and sat for a while. Embry met up with me halfway on his way here from the woods." I knew if I didn't mention Embry somewhere in there it would be a lot worse later.

"Oh. You guys went for a stroll together?" he asked lowly.

I quickly shook my head. "No, we just walked back here. He was on his way to the bonfire too."

Paul looked disgusted. I got up and fixed him a plate of food and then took Bridget from him so he could eat. I held her close and fed her a bottle.

"You're not hungry, Sarah?" Jacob asked me.

"No, I'm fine," I assured him.

Paul finished the second half of his hotdog in one bite and rolled his eyes.

We stayed and visited for another couple of hours before I told Paul that it was getting too cold. He agreed and passed me Bridget so I could settle her into her carseat. Paul pulled his hoodie over his head and folded it across Bridget's body for added thermal protection. Even from a short distance I could feel the garment still radiating Paul's intense body heat.

We said our good-byes shortly after and made our way to the vehicle.

"Are you mad?" I asked Paul softly once we were all buckled in.

He glanced down at Bridget and roughly shifted gears, putting the truck into drive. His mouth was set in a straight line and I knew then that he was just waiting for Bridget to be tucked away in her bassinet before he let me know just how mad he really was.

He pulled up to his house and carried the carseat across the driveway, not seeming the slightest bit chilly even though it had to be below freezing by now and he was wearing nothing but a thin undershirt. His parents must have been asleep because the house was dark and Paul had to fumble around with his key to unlock the front door.

When we got inside we went straight to his bedroom. I sat down on the edge of his bed and took my boots off while he carefully lifted the sleeping baby into his arms and laid her down on the changing table. Paul didn't speak to me or even look at me as he changed Bridget's diaper and laid her down for the night. When he crawled into bed beside me, he turned away toward the wall and went straight to sleep. I was glad Paul had decided not to yell at me or start throwing things like I had expected him to, but at least then I would be getting some kind of attention.

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