AN: Some of this chapter is a repeat, but I thought that him proposing was so cute lol. Don't worry, there's new stuff towards the middle. Review:D
Chapter 10
Edward Jacob Cullen-Black's POV
The thoughts kept bouncing around in my head. Ask her. Ask her. Ask her.
I picked Sara up for our two month anniversary with the intention of asking her the Big Question. Though we were young, I loved her, and thanks to imprinting, I knew that there would never be anyone who could even come close to matching the love we shared. I wanted to make her mine permanently, even if we had to have an extremely long engagement.
"I know we haven't known each other very long..." How did you tell the girl you loved that two months and five days was all you needed to fall completely-head-over-heels-in-love with her?
Quit being a wimp and just ask her already.
"Two months and five days." Sara piped up, her eyes lit up in a smile which I automatically returned. As nervous as I felt, I knew that she was right there with me.
"Yes," I agreed, trying to hold back an overbearing smile when I realized that she was counting the days just like I was, "two months and five days...but I feel like I've known you my whole life."
"I know you better than I know myself, it seems sometimes." My heart leapt.
Ask her already, moron!
"Because of imprintin-" I started, trying to remember my speech properly. I had spent the better part of last weekend, when I wasn't with Sara, planning out what I should say.
"I don't think that that's the imprint, or at least not just the imprint. Something about you just has felt right." By now, my heart was doing nervous back-flips.
"I didn't believe in imprinting before I met you, but then the magic got to me." I said, frowning at how this was coming out. Shoot! I saw panic and defiance in her eyes, so I continued in a rush. "It consumed me entirely. All I could think about was you and I would do anything to protect you, even from my sisters. Though they're flesh and blood, you are so much more to me, Sara."
"You mean a lot to me too." Her cheeks turned the most precious shade of pink.
"So, I guess I have to believe in imprinting now," I tried to joke, trying to get a smile back onto my imprinter's face, "because imprinting brought me you."
"I'm glad for imprinting too." She kissed me lightly. "Now, how about that picnic you promised me?"
"I'm almost done, please, I have to say this." I said and when she told me to continue, I did.
"You know that I love you..." I said, looking at her hopefully. Though we had said those three words many times before, I needed to know that she understood where I was going with this. Luckily, she confirmed it. "What I'm trying to say is...we have our whole lives planned out already. I know that you're the only one that will ever capture my attention...I don't see why we have to wait to get started on our life now."
"Wait, what are you saying, EJ?" Sara asked and my nerves kicked in again.
I knelt down and pulled the ring box from my pocket. "Sara Suzanne Clearwater-Call, will you marry me?"
She was frozen in shock and I cursed myself for springing this on her. Of course it was too soon! Why did I ever think she would go for this. We were seventeen, too young to actually get married without parental permission.
"Please say something, Sara."
"Yes." She whispered, getting down on the sand next to me. I wondered if I had just imagined her answer but she reached for my hands gently.
"Are you sure? I don't want you to do anything you're not ready for..." I could still see the doubt in her eyes. It flashed and was gone before I even had a second to notice it. But like everything about her, I noticed the slight flicker.
To reassure me, she said "yes" louder and wrapped her arms around me. I felt her feather-light kisses on my cheek, the base of my neck, close to my ear, along my jaw, and finally on my lips before she pulled back and gave me an exasperated sigh. "Of course I'll marry you, silly boy."
"You have no idea how happy you've just made me." I stated simply, trying to calm my nerves as I took the ring out of the box and placed it on her small left ring finger.
For being half-vampire, I had never felt more human.
Sara gave me butterflies like nothing else and I wondered briefly if this was how Grandma Bella had acted around Grandpa Edward when she was still human. I could understand why they would call her a klutz if this was how she reacted around mythological men like Grandpa and Dad. Because Sara's gentle face and killer personality did that to me. I was tongue-tied and battling butterflies whenever she was near.
"You have no idea how happy you've just made me." Sara contradicted, a dazzling smile across her lips. She pressed said lips to mine and I could hear both of our heartbeats reacting to the sensation.
When we were breathless, I pulled away for her sake (half-vampires can hold their breath longer than even a wolf can) and rested my forehead against hers.
"Wow." Sara commented, looking down at our intertwined hands. Her left ring finger glittered in the pale moonlight. "This is really happening."
"It's not too late to back out now." I joked, but the seriousness was behind my statement. If Sara didn't want this, then there was no way that I was going to push her. She was almost seventeen and I had just turned it. We had forever together since she was going to continue to phase to be with me, so there was no reason to rush things. It was her pace.
"Never." Sara whispered confidently. "You're stuck with me now." She stuck her tongue out at me playfully and I let out a chiming laugh.
"Alright, Mrs. Black, whatever you say goes." I said, the hummingbird in my chest fluttering at the thought of her taking my last name.
"And what if I want to keep my maiden name?" Sara taunted, though I could tell that she wasn't serious.
"Then I'd let you." I replied honestly. "But where's the fun in that?"
"What about a combination?" Sara teased. "I could be Sara CCCB. Kinda cute, don't you think?"
"What would that make you? A Clearwater-Call-Cullen-Black?" I teased back.
"Wow, I bet our parents never imagined that their lives would forever be intertwined back when the Pack was formed." Sara admitted, staring off towards the ocean.
"Yeah." I replied unsteadily.
Of course we both grew up knowing about the Pack and its history. I just never imagined that I'd ever become a part of its future. I didn't phase so I never thought that I'd be connected to the Pack like my sisters were.
There was a lot of bad blood between the Uley's and my dad, only because of the rift that was caused when two packs were suddenly needed after my mom was born, and then again when Rosie was born and our presence here started triggering massive pregnancies towards the locals.
We really did join the Pack back together finally-once-and-for-all, my family did I mean. Sammy Uley imprinted on Carlie, his long-lost-uncle Jesse imprinted on Rosie, and Sara imprinted on me. All of the main wolves' children were connected to our family now either by blood, marriage, or imprints.
"I can't wait to tell everyone." Sara said finally. I could tell that it was forced a little as I knew that her thoughts drifted towards her parents.
"They'll be happy." I replied sternly, willing myself to believe it as well.
For the last two months, Embry had been nothing but nice to me and I could tell that he was happy that I would be taking care of his little girl for the rest of eternity, thus meaning that he would never have to see her die. I could tell that he was happy for me, though, since he could sense his wife's disapproval, he was a bit nervous when the subject was brought up around her.
Though our engagement was quick, I knew that Embry would stand behind me. I talked to him about it the very first time that I met him, wasting no time in telling him that someday I would marry his daughter, and at the time he had laughed and said "you're already in the family, son."
Then there was Leah. She was another story completely. I knew that Sara's mother didn't exactly approve of our relationship, but it wasn't like I could ever hurt her daughter. I know that she was still slightly upset about Sam breaking her heart all those years ago when he imprinted, then fatally wounded her cousin Emily, but that was water under the bridge now, I hoped.
She was only upset that she couldn't be happy with Embry until they mutually imprinted at my parents' wedding, years after she was miserable over her breakup with Sam. I think deep down she still blamed my mom for that, though it had nothing to do with her. Leah couldn't be angry at Dad since he was her only friend at that time.
"I'm not so sure." Sara muttered quietly.
"They're your parents. Aren't they supposed to want what's best for you?" I asked and when she nodded, I continued. "Do I make you happy?"
"Unbelievably." Sara answered automatically, without even a second thought. I smiled at the instantaneousness of it.
"Then your parents will be happy for us." I concluded, wrapping my arms around her torso. "Now...let's go share the good news, eh?"
Sara nodded, reaching down to strap on her saddles, and I grabbed the long forgotten picnic basket.
When we got back to her house, it was well after midnight. I had informed Embry that we would be out late, but that I wouldn't touch his daughter so he didn't need to worry.
Unfortunately, trying to sneak Sara back inside her house that contained four active wolves was a lot more difficult that expected. Her twin little brothers were the ones who answered the door when she turned the key.
"You're in troooouubbble." Tommy said, a smirk on his lips.
"Can it, Tom." Sara said coldly, her happy bubble from earlier gone.
"Touchy-touchy." His twin teased and I glared at Timmy.
"Sara Sue!" Leah roared, coming into the living room with fiery eyes. "I was worried sick, where were you?"
"At the beach, Momma. Like I told you." Sara said honestly.
"You were supposed to be back two hours ago." Leah asked, unconsciously sniffing the air for any traces of sex on us. I knew that she did it every time the two of us entered the house, but her lack of trust was a little more than irritating.
"I...look, Momma." Sara said, holding out her left hand for her family to see.
Embry walked into the room looking tired. "What's all the commotion?"
"You're daughter is pregnant." Leah stated and I let out an involuntary hiss. Embry's eyes narrowed when he saw the ring and then he was crossing the room. He had me in a chokehold before I even knew what hit me.
"Daddy, no!" Sara cried, pounding her fists against her father's back to get him off of me. "It's not like that! You don't understand!"
"I told you not to touch my daughter, did I not?" Embry asked, his grip on me tightening as he spoke. The oxygen around my mouth seemed precious and I fought to inhale some of it. For a half-vampire to need air, his grip had to be extremely strong around my neck.
"Daddy!" Sara demanded once more, her eyes filled with tears. That was what broke me. I couldn't stand to see my imprint crying. I willed every fiber of energy I had left and pushed Embry far away from Sara. I crouched in front of my imprint protectively, gasping for breath.
"She's not pregnant." I spit out when I finally got some air to my lungs.
"Then what's with the ring?" Leah asked suspiciously.
"I love your daughter, ma'am, and plan to marry her once we graduate." I stated as calmly as I could.
"Like heck you will." Leah stated just as calmly. "No child of mine will marry a leech."
"You're denying me my imprint?" Sara asked in disbelief. "Isn't that hypocritical?"
"You will not talk to your mother that way, young lady." Embry said, though I could tell that he was only responding to his imprint's needs. His eyes looked remorseful.
"She's being unreasonable!" Sara exclaimed defiantly. "I'm marrying EJ in the spring, and there's nothing you or anyone else could do to stop it."
She stormed out of the house and I trailed behind her, following her trail of furry. When she finally slowed down, I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her to my chest. She wept for twenty minutes before her tears stopped and her breathing evened out.
"I'm sorry about them." Sara apologized, but I just shook my head.
"It's not your fault." I stated, kissing the top of her head. Though she was tall because she was a wolf, I was still a good two inches taller than her.
"Any regrets?" I asked a moment later when she didn't say anything, holding my breath as I waited for her answer.
"Never. Not a single regret." Sara answered. "I love you, EJ. I just wish that my parents could see that too."
"They will." I promised into her hair. "They will."