a/n---- I know its been forever since I updated either of my stories and I do apologize for it. Mediate89's computer went down on us and let's face it,... Im shit without her betaing so an update just wasnt possible without her Lol. Thanks for the reviews on last chapter, and I hope you guys leave me some for this chapter. Its getting closer and closer to the end...

Chapter 24

I yawned tiredly as I walked out of the bathroom. I'd just gotten a shower after working a long, busy day at the hospital. I was beyond tired with all of the extra shifts I'd been picking up to try and help as much as I could with mine and Embry's new goal. We'd been dating for nine months now and really wanted to share a home.

"You took too long," Embry complained when I padded into the living room. He was sitting on the couch with Bridget in his lap reading a book. "I've been here fifteen minutes already."

I rolled my eyes knowing he wasn't really upset. "Where's my mom at?" I asked as I took a place beside him. Embry's arm wrapped around me, pulling me closer to his warm body.

"She's in the kitchen. I told her I could watch Bridget while you showered and she started dinner. I can watch her, you know," he said matter-of-factly. "It doesn't hurt anything."

I laid my head on his chest, smiling a little at Bridget when she tried to pry the book out of Embry's hands. "Aren't you home early?"

Embry kissed the top of my head. "Yup. I came to tell you the good news. I think you'll be happy about it, anyway."

I lifted my cheek from his chest to look him in the eye. "You won the lottery?"

He rolled his eyes and pecked the tip of my nose. "No. But it sure would help pay for the house we just got about an hour ago."

The shock of the news jolted through me. I sat straight up, wide-eyed. "We got the house?" .

Embry nodded and grinned. "Yup. We got it. I have to go tomorrow and finish up the paper work and then we can start working on it and moving in."

"Oh my god!" I almost squealed. "Are you serious?"

It was a small house. Very small, but big enough for the three of us. It had three smalls bedrooms, a bathroom, kitchen, a tiny laundry area and a small living room. It was on the very edge of the reservation and wasn't too far off from Paul's place. It needed a few things done to it, but otherwise it was perfect for us. It would be perfect. It would be ours.

Embry relinquished his hold on the little book and Bridget smiled gleefully. "Of course I am."

I hugged him tightly. "I cant believe it," I whispered.

Embry squeezed me back. "Neither can I."

"What's happening?" Mom asked loudly, breaking our embrace. Bridget turned her head in mom's direction and extended one of her chubby hands.

I glanced at Embry. We'd mentioned looking for a place to my parents before but neither of them actually expected us to get one. "Embry got the house," I informed her with a tentative smile.

Mom sucked in a deep breath and looked like she wanted to say more than the "Congratulations" that she gave.

Bridget crawled over Embry's lap toward me. "Come here, princess." I pulled her into my arms and cuddled her to my chest. "You're happy we have our own place now, aren't you?" She babbled ecclesiastically.

"I'm gonna go home for a bit," Embry said tickling Bridget's tummy. "But if you guys feel like going to the beach or something later just call me, I'll be up."

I nodded and he bent over to kissed me. I shut my eyes, drinking in the sweet affection before he pulled away and kissed Bridget's forehead.

"I'll call you later. I love you," I told him.

Embry got up from the couch and smiled down at me while he slipped his sneakers back on. "Love you too honey," he said before letting himself out into the rainy night.

It didn't take my parents long to start the inquisition after he left. Where was this house at? How were we going to handle the bills? Did I really want to move in with a guy? What if we broke up? What if I got pregnant again? What about Bridget? The questions were never-ending and they lasted on and off for two straight days.

I assured them that I was comfortable with this decision and that I was more than ready to get out and start a life of my own.

I started packing the following Thursday. I had more clothes than I'd realized and didn't hesitate to throw away things that didn't fit or that I simply didn't like anymore. Bridget was with Paul's mom for the day and I was enjoying the peace of having the house to myself. I was humming and sitting on the floor going through my wardrobe when I heard a whistle from the window. I looked up, a smile already forming.

"Hey, you. I have a front door you know."

Embry grinned back and stuck his head through the pane before climbing inside. "This is more fun."

I made my way through piles of clothes and over to the window. "What brings you over so early?" I asked, wrapping my arms around his waist. He was shirtless as usual and his shorts were hanging low on his hips. The heat coming from his body felt great in the cool breeze billowing through the curtains.

He circled his arms around me and enveloped me in a tight embrace. "I wanted to see you."

I ran my hands up and down the smooth copper skin of his back until he did what I wanted him to do. His lips crashed against mine softly and his hands moved to the back of my head to hold me in place. Without thinking, I took a step back to move to the edge of the bed and pulled him down with me.

I shifted around on the bed, wrapping my legs around him. A low moan came from Embry when I bit down on his bottom lip. Embry's mouth moved down to my neck, licking lightly and then sucking. This time the moan came from me from the sensation he was causing. I shut my eyes when I felt his hands push up the thin t-shirt I was wearing and slide underneath my bra. I didn't stop him. I wanted him to keep going.

Embry's hands cupped my breast and squeezed lightly. He was trying not to be too rough. I let my fingers run through his soft, dark hair. Our lips were back together again, our tongues fighting each others. We stayed like this for a few minutes until I worked up the courage to make a move I knew he wasn't going to make. I pulled away from him to watch his facial expressions as I shifted and started sliding down his shorts.

I barely had my fingers under the elastic waistband when Embry's hands grabbed mine. "No," he said softly before rolling off of me.

I pulled my shirt and my bra back down, feeling the rejection sink in. "Okay," I said quietly, wrapping my arms around myself. Nothing stung like your boyfriend telling you he didn't want to have sex with you after almost a year of trying.

Embry glanced at my door. "Your parents are here," he finally said, looking everywhere but at my face.

I bit my bottom lip and nodded. I knew if he really wanted to have sex, he would offer to take me to his house. His mom was at work. Obviously he didn't. "Fine," I said with a dejected sigh.

It bothered me. It bothered me a lot that Embry had yet to do more than kiss me. I couldn't help but wonder why.

Embry stood up from my bed. "I think I'll go," he said. There was a bit of a flush to his cheeks.

"Is there something wrong with me?" I asked before I could chicken out.

He didn't answer me for a moment. "No, of course not." He leaned down and kissed me softly. "I really should go now though," he added, backing away toward the window. "I'll come get these boxes when you're done. Just call me. Love you." He ducked out onto the lawn and bolted away with his super speed before I could even reply.

I didn't see Embry again until the next day when we started moving things into the small house. We had a little sofa and a tv in the living room. We'd got a kitchen table from Embry's grandmother, and we already had our beds. Well, I had my bed. Embry didn't bother bringing his. We didn't need an extra bed. Although, I had no clue as to how I would spend an entire night with Embry in the same bed without touching him the way I wanted to.

"Here, I'll take that one," Embry offered taking one of the boxes labeled 'Bridget's Room' from me.

I didn't argue and passed it to him, grabbing another one and following him through the house. "So, I was kind of thinking that we could just half the closet," I told him walking through the doorway of the room we'd taken as ours.

It wasn't huge, but it was the biggest of the three small bedrooms. We'd put our bed, a dresser, and nightstand inside of it and had boxes piled up everywhere. Most of them were mine. "Yeah," Embry responded, dropping a box on the floor with a thud. "I don't think I'll need as much room as you. I don't wear clothes." He looked up and grinned.

I rolled my eyes. "I couldn't decide what to leave behind. What'd you bring?" I asked, leaning down and making to open one of his boxes.

Embry swatted my hands out of the way. "Stuff. Stuff that's personal guy stuff."

I giggled at him. "Porn? Memorabilia from past conquests?" I joked before lifting the lid from the box and peeking inside.

"Nah. Its just some shorts." Embry smiled lazily. "What'd you pack in all these boxes?"

I shrugged, grabbing one and taking it to the dresser. "Clothes, pictures, shoes, movies. You know, girl stuff."

Embry make a clicking noise with his tongue and grabbed his own stuff, unpacking it all in less time than it took for me to unpack half of mine. I was still on box number five when he went to the kitchen and started cleaning it up. We spent the entire day packing, cleaning and getting everything ready. It seemed to take us forever before everything was declared good enough to live in.

We headed back to my house for dinner. Embry was frowning the entire time. He didn't like the idea of being cooped up with my parents. Our families didn't want us together anymore than they'd wanted me with Paul. Bridget and I both loved Embry though, and he loved both of us. To me, that's the only thing that really mattered.

"Embry-Bear?" I started in a teasing tone when we pulled up to my house.

Embry squeezed my hand. "Yeah, honey?"

"I think this is the best decision I've made in a long time," I answered with a smile.

He leaned over and kissed me on the cheek softly as we pulled into the driveway. "I think so too."

Dinner was quiet. My dad asked Embry questions about the house-- How was he planning on supporting a small family? What was his job like? Would he stick around when the bills got rough?-- and questions about our relationship. Bridget was in the high chair munching on her own dinner, giggling and blowing kisses at me. I could tell she was tired, so it wasn't long after dinner that I gave her a bath and put her down for the night. The last night in my parents' house.

I got up the next morning and got Bridget ready for the weekend. It was Friday which meant that Paul was coming for her and taking her for tonight and tomorrow and would bring her back on Sunday morning. Bridget was full of smiles as always when I woke her up. I had ten minutes before Paul would be here for her.

"Hey, Princess. When you get back we'll be in our new house," I told her quietly while I pulled her shiny black curls into a pony tail.

Bridget grinned and started her babbling, mixing in some words she knew every so often. One word was unmistakable though when Paul knocked on the door and let himself in.

"Dadee!"

"Bri!" Paul exclaimed, making her squeal. He grinned and took her from me so he could snuggle her against his chest. Bridget leaned up to kiss his nose and laughed while I smiled on at them.

"Here's her bag. I packed her some extra things just in case," I told Paul when his eyes cut toward me. He stared at me for a moment, almost as if he were looking for something before he nodded and took the bag from me.

"Alright. I guess we'll be on our way then so you can go to work." He glanced over at Bridget. "You ready, Princess?"

Bridget hit his shoulder lightly. "Down!" she demanded.

He sighed and placed her down, taking a hold of her small hand. "I'll call you before I drop her off. I'll see you later, Sarah."

I nodded and leaned in at the same time he did. We shared a quick hug before I kissed Bridget goodbye and showed them out the door.

By lunch time my head began to pound as patient after patient annoyed me at the hospital. Paper work kept piling up for me to file and sort. It seemed like everyone was sick today or needed me to check their billing for them. Usually I loved my job, but I was on edge today. I was going to my own home for the first time ever after I was finished here.

When my shift was over I got into my mom's car and headed toward the little house on the edge of the reservation. I'd be alone for about an hour, as Embry didn't get off work until later. I went inside, using my shiny new key to unlock the door and hung my jacket over a chair. I decided to start dinner so Embry wouldn't have to wait long for it after he got home. Home. This was our home now.

Embry came in at about six o'clock looking tired and worn out. I wondered briefly what sort of grueling tasks they had him doing. It took a lot to wear down a werewolf.

"Hey, honey," he greeted as he kicked his shoes off at the door. He may have been exhausted, but his eyes were bright.

"Hey, Embry," I replied stirring a pot on the stove. "I made you some dinner." It wasn't much; just some biscuits, gravy, some carrots and a few potatoes, but Embry seemed grateful. He nodded appreciatively and started to fix himself a plate.

"Looks great," he said as he started ladling some gravy over his biscuits. I didn't know if he was just trying to make me feel good or not, since cooking wasn't exactly my specialty, but he made sure there weren't any leftovers.

We wanted to relax on our first night in our new house, so we decided to watch a movie after dinner.

We each took a shower to wash off the day and then settled down on the old sofa cushions as the previews began to play. We'd decided on an old comedy that wasn't very funny, so I shifted my focus to Embry instead. He was wearing his light grey t-shirt and still smelled of soap and warm water. I burrowed into his side and he tightened his hold on me, absentmindedly stroking my shoulder with his fingers. I inhaled deeply and ran my hand across his well-defined abdomen.

I started kissing his chest and went all the way up to his neck. Embry brought his head down and met my lips with his. It wasn't long before I was straddling his waist and our moans and groans drowned out any sound from the tv. I tangled my fingers through his damp hair and pulled back to look him in the eye.

"Embry," I swallowed. "are we... are we ever going to do anything more than this." Embry's expression didn't change but I felt myself redden. I didn't want him to think that I was some sex-crazed whore, but it had been almost a year since I'd done anything like that with a guy and I knew he wasn't ignorant to that fact. And I knew that he had needs as well as I did. There was really no way to miss it when Embry got excited.

He sighed after a moment and reached up to brush a lock of fair hair behind my ear.

"Embry, is there something wrong?" I didn't want to sound too pushy. "I mean... "

"What do you want to do?" There was suddenly a fire in his eyes along with a determination I hadn't seen before. I immediately felt self-conscious. Was he really offering to give me what I wanted? Now, after months of always pulling back when things got too heated? I realized I wasn't entirely prepared for this kind of situation and stuttered over my words.

"I... I.... well, I... " Embry cut me off with a kiss and ran his hands along my sides under the thin fabric of my night shirt.

"Anything you want," he whispered huskily as he nuzzled my neck with his nose.

"Embry, are you ready?" I could hear my heart thumping in my ears and vaguely wondered if he'd notice.

I felt his mouth turn up against my jaw. "Honey, I've been ready since high school."

Then why the wait? It didn't make sense, but I didn't ask.

Embry moved his lips from my collarbone to my mouth and started a wrestling match with my tongue. When I was able to speak again, all I could manage was a soft 'okay' but that was all the encouragement he needed because he picked me up and carried me down the hallway to our new bedroom.

"What about birth control?" Embry asked once we'd undressed. He was hovering over me with his arms braced on either side of the pillow to support his weight. He knew I couldn't take anything while I was still nursing Bridget, but there were ways other than pills or monthly injections. Besides, I knew my cycle well and I knew there wasn't a chance for any accidents at this point.

"Nothing will happen." When he didn't looked convinced, I asked, "Do I smell fertile to you?"

Embry blushed profusely but after a moment he shook his head. I smiled and leaned up to kiss him softly.

"See? That's how Paul always--" I cut myself off. Now was definitely not the time to be mentioning my ex-boyfriend.

Embry chuckled good-naturedly and kissed me back. "Okay, but do you mind if I still wear something, just in case?"

I shrugged. "Go for it."

He smiled shyly and reached over to grab a condom out of the nightstand drawer. I watched him sheath himself and unabashedly compared him to my former lover. He wasn't quite as thick as Paul had been in his most intimate area, or as dark but he was a bit longer and very well-rounded. All-in-all, it was a pretty impressive package.

Embry finished and threw the wrapper on the other side of the bed. I tore my gaze away from the show and began to snake my arms around Embry's neck. The look on his face startled me. He looked worried. He was trying to smile, but apprehension seemed to be radiating off of him in waves. He swallowed a nervous lump in his throat and leaned down to kiss me. If there was one thing Embry was good at, it was kissing, but he suddenly seemed very unsure of himself.

I reached up to brush his bangs out of his eyes. "Baby, are you okay?" Embry nodded and cupped one of my breasts. It seemed to fit perfectly in his large, warm hand and I could feel goosebumps forming on my skin, but I tried not to let that distract me. "We don't have to do this."

"Just tell me how I do, okay? No secrets." He parted my thighs with his knees and poised himself at my entrance.

I nodded, happy that he was cutting right to the chase. I'd had more than my fair share of foreplay over the past few months. "Okay," I agreed.

"Okay," he repeated, before slowly sliding himself inside of me. He drew in a sharp breath as he buried himself to the hilt. I squirmed at the sensation of being so filled by another man.

"Is this okay?" Embry asked, taking a moment to assess my reaction.

I nodded and my body seemed to sigh in relief as he started moving slowly back and forth.

Embry started breathing heavily after just a few minutes and as I took in the grip he had on the sheets and the way his thrusts were becoming desperately frantic, I knew he was about to come. I had barely begun to climb when he squeezed his eyes shut and I felt him shudder, release, and then go soft inside of me. He relaxed his body and panted beside my ear for a moment before pulling back and detaching himself from me.

When he pulled off the condom, I knew he was done. I tried not to let my disappointment show. That wouldn't even have counted as a quickie if it'd been me and Paul. I hated to bring Paul into this again, even in my thoughts, but hell....

Embry sighed and covered his face with his hands.

"Embry?"

He peeked at me through his fingers. "I'm sorry," he groaned.

Then it struck me.

"Embry, have you done this before... with anyone?"

He dropped one hand to his lap and ran the other through his thick, black hair. "I was sort of hoping you wouldn't notice," he said with a grimace.

I stifled a giggle. "Oh, Embry." I scooted closer to him and wrapped my arms around his body. "Is that why you kept pushing me away?"

"I wasn't pushing you away," he said defensively.

"Okay, well at least I know now that it isn't me. I was getting worried," I admitted.

Embry kissed the top of my head. "Of course it wasn't you." He sighed. "Sorry I sucked."

"It wasn't really that bad for a first time." I began running my fingers along the smooth skin of his biceps. "And you know, practice does make perfect...."

By the end of the night it was clear. Embry was a very fast learner.