Chapter Three

She was already there, waiting for him on the dock that Emmett and Esme built. Dangling her legs in the river, staring at the pink-orange glow of sunset. One kick of her left leg sent a wide arc of water splashing from her foot. At the sight of her — safe and well and close — something inside him relaxed. He hadn't seen her in over a month — the longest stretch of time they'd been apart since the imprint.

Deciding to take a risk, Garrett sat behind her, one thigh on either side of her body. His thumb found its way along her arm, stroking the raised crescent of her scar. He couldn't bear to touch bare skin for long, given the way it burned him, but the fleeting brushes were enough. The eased tension in his chest warmed into something new as she leaned back and let her head rest on his shoulder. The motion bared her neck to his teeth. She didn't move, even when he feathered his lips over her pulse and tested her trust.

"You're affectionate today," she said.

"I think I missed you."

He felt, more than saw her smile.

"I think I missed you, too," she said. "I threatened to castrate Embry if he didn't cover for me this weekend. I've spent way too much time patrolling for Sam since Emily had the baby."

The baby. Leah would never have that, never carry a life that was half her, half him. Garrett hadn't given much thought to children, but was it something she longed for? Something to list among her regrets?

"I don't want kids," she said, as if she'd read his mind. "I've never been that crazy about them, but I decided for sure a few days ago. Seeing it through Sam's eyes... he's so happy, but I don't think I would be. Even if I stop phasing, motherhood isn't for me. I'd rather be the cool aunt. You know, the kind who takes them to get things pierced when their parents say no. That sort of thing. That's my area."

Panic sliced through Garrett's body, drowning out all but one thought. "Do you want to stop phasing?"

Another splash. A sigh filled the scant space between them, filtering into the cracks.

"I do," she whispered, at last. "A lot. But I won't, unless something happens to you."

Wrapping his arms around her waist, caging her in, he pressed his lips to her shoulder. The change in position gave him a peek down the collar of her shirt, leading his thoughts down avenues best left unexplored, given the limitations of their relationship — such as it was — and the incompatible nature of their bodies.

"Paul's imprint completed, or whatever you wanna call it," she said. "The insta-love thing. You know how he imprinted on Rachel? Jake's sister? Well, he was less than thrilled about it. Then, the other night, she cut herself when making dinner. He smelled her blood, freaked out because he thought she was hurt, and that was it. Practically got hearts in his eyes like a fucking cartoon. Now he's as sappy as the rest of them. Damn traitor. Quil is the only sane one left, aside from the ones who haven't imprinted."

"Hmm. Too bad I don't have any blood for you to smell."

She shrugged, her shoulder bumping against his chin. "Maybe I'm not supposed to fall in love with you. A bird may love a fish..."

"I hate that saying. What if the bird is a duck? Or a swan or a goose or some other such thing? They can float on top of the water, so that solves the question of where to make their home with their beloved fish."

Chuckling, she trailed her scalding fingertips up and down his arms. "Which one am I in this scenario? The duck or the fish?"

"The duck, I think. Feathers look more like fur than scales do, and fish are cold."

"That's true. Plus, you don't need to breathe, so you could live underwater."

"I could. I'd rather not, though, if it's all the same to you."

"No making our home in the river, then."

His lips covered her pulse again. "You don't have to make a home with me anywhere," he said against her skin.

She shook her head. "I think I want to. Maybe."

"Someday?"

"Yeah. Someday."

-oOo-

"Jake can go fuck himself."

Garrett laughed. "It's nice to see you, too."

This earned him a smile. Tucking her legs beneath her body, Leah scooped up a handful of the marionberries he'd bought for her. The juice from the dark fruit settled in a crack on her lower lip, staining it red.

"What'd he do this time?" Garrett asked.

"Knocked up his imprint and asked her to marry him. He made a point of telling me that everyone's imprint is invited to the wedding except mine."

"Oh."

"Yeah. So, like I said, he can go fuck himself. So can the rest of them — except Seth. The others agree with Jake. It's ridiculous. You've been off the human diet for ages, and it's not like any of them even smell appetizing to you."

"They don't, but their imprints or their families might. A couple of years isn't long at all for my kind. You know I ask one of the Cullens to come along and supervise me when I go out among humans. It's for a good reason."

"Hmph. You're no fun." Laughing through a fake scowl, she gave his shoulder a shove. "Stop ruining my tantrum with your logic."

"My apologies. Yes, you're absolutely right, darling. Let a bloodthirsty vampire run loose among a crowd of inebriated humans. It can't go wrong."

He didn't miss the way the casual endearment made her face brighten — the way it brought out the smile he loved best. Filing this information away for future use, he lay on his back and stared up through the boughs at the soft morning light that set his skin sparkling.

"Are you going to skip the wedding?" he asked.

"Yeah. I'll come visit you, instead. I mean, Jake can invite or not invite whomever he wants. Whatever. It's his wedding. But I'm not going to sit through hours upon hours of Jessica being the center of attention without you there to keep me sane. Her mouth is way more poisonous than yours."

Garrett couldn't hold back his grin any more than he could hold back the emotion that rose in his chest like the sun and changed everything he was.

"I love you," he said with a fond shake of his head.

With a gasp, she transformed back into the stunned girl he'd met on a cold battlefield. Trembling fingers clapped over her fragile smile. Tear-misted eyes stared at him as if for the first time.

"Lee?" he said, sitting up and reaching a hand toward her. "Are you all right?"

She caught his fingers with hers, not even flinching at the temperature of his skin. "Wow. Insta-love."

"What?"

"It just... it happened. Oh. I get it now." Beaming, she cradled his face between her hands. "I... I love you, too."

For the second time since they met, her lips touched his. She kept the kiss gentle, as if afraid of hurting him — as if she thought something too rough would frighten the tender emotion, send it scurrying away. Her pulse thudded across the connection, racing down his neck and echoing in the silence of his heart.

"I love you," she said again. This time, it didn't sound like she was testing the words, seeing how they felt in her mouth. This time, they were natural — inevitable.

If he thought he'd seen her at her loveliest before, he'd been a fool. This was it. There couldn't be anything better than the tremor in her voice and the way she couldn't seem to stop kissing him. He didn't care when his lips began to hurt, burned by hers. It didn't matter.

A happy Leah. He could get used to this.