CHAPTER 19
SHE LOVES YOU
Paul had shed his jacket and tie in the car and now as he stood on Sam and Emily's back porch, drinking a stolen a beer from the fridge, he felt this day would never end. Not meaning to hide, he just needed a break from everyone inside. Paul knew they all cared about him, but he was starting to feel smothered by them.
Just then, he heard from behind him, "Hey, P."
Paul turned his head to smile at Jared. "Hey, J."
"I don't suppose you have another one of those?" Jared asked.
"Nope. And I'm only drinking one today. I learned my lesson the other night." He held the bottle out to Jared, who took a swig then handed it back.
"Good. You're an ugly drunk," Jared told him with a grin.
"Sorry about that," Paul said sheepishly. "And for heaving the phone across the room. You know I wasn't aiming for you, right?"
"I hope not. But man, you scared the shit out of me!"
Paul took a long, slow pull on his beer and looked out to the woods. "I just . . . I couldn't stand one more person calling me and telling me how fucking sorry they were. I know they meant well, but it was really pissing me off." Looking back at Jared, Paul added with a soft smile, "But, thanks for calling Leah. I don't think I would have made it through last night without her."
"I didn't know what else to do. You had me freaked out, dude. I'd never seen you like that. When you locked me out, and you wouldn't talk to Rachel, I just knew that Leah would be the only one that could get through to you." Jared took Paul's beer out of his hand and sat down on the back porch step to take a drink.
Paul looked around to see if anyone else was listening then he sat down next to Jared to tell him quietly, "We slept together last night." Jared just looked at him. "We had sex. More than once."
Jared eyes grew big. "No fucking way! How . . . well, I know how, but with the imprint . . . I thought that being with her caused you pain."
"Yeah, I know. But, last night, it was like it used to be between us. It was . . . it was what I want for the rest of my life."
"Do you think it's possible?"
Paul sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I don't know. Rachel was fucking nuts today. She was all over me and wanting to know why I didn't want her there and why I wouldn't let her help me, asking me why I let Leah be with me instead of her. At my grandmother's funeral! I couldn't believe how she was acting. Then I kind of bit her head off, and now she's sitting in there looking all sad and hurt."
"Are you saying the imprint is broken?"
Paul shrugged. "I don't know. I'm so fucked up, you know? I just don't want to think about it right now. Leah is only going to be here until Sunday. That means I have just 2 days with her then she'll be gone again. I want to spend as much time with her as I can. I guess I'll just deal with Rachel later."
While Jared and Paul were on the back porch talking, Leah stepped out onto the front porch to get some air. She stood quietly looking out at the woods, painted in white and then heard, "What are doing here, Leah? What kind of game are you playing?"
Leah turned to see Rachel standing there, her arms crossed in front of her. "What are you talking about?" Leah asked.
"You left. You did the right thing and you left here when Paul imprinted. You told him not to fight it and you let him go." Rachel uncrossed her arms and took a few steps toward Leah, her heels clicking on the wooden porch floor. "But you didn't really, did you? You wrote letters and you sent gifts to the boys, then that picture you sent to Paul for Christmas? How is he supposed to forget you and accept this imprint if you're always there! Give me a fucking break, Leah."
Leah shook her head in disbelief. "Are you serious? You think I'm playing a game here? Why would I do that?"
Rachel held her gaze. "I don't know. You tell me. Maybe because you couldn't have Sam so you're determined to keep Paul no matter what kind of pain you cause everyone? He imprinted on ME, not you. I'm sorry this happened to you again, but, he's miserable, Leah. He keeps waiting because he thinks somehow this will go away, but it won't. We both know that. And because he's miserable, it's making me miserable. You can't be happy either just holding onto a little piece of him. Please, Leah, please let him go. For all of us."
Leah turned away from her as she had no idea what to say to that. She knew Rachel was right, but . . . in her heart, she was glad that Paul was fighting for her.
"Just think about it," Rachel told her. "If you push him away, maybe he will let you go and we can all be happy."
Leah heard Rachel walk across the porch and go back inside then she looked up at the sky and wrapped her arms around herself and thought about what Rachel said. Is he really that miserable? Am I doing that to him by staying in contact with him? Writing to him? Sending gifts? I am being selfish . . .
"Hey." Paul walked up behind Leah and put his arms around her waist. "Will you come and stay with me again tonight?" he asked softly into her ear.
Letting her eyes flutter shut, Leah wanted to say yes immediately, but Rachel's voice was still ringing in her ears.
Not getting a reply, Paul turned Leah to face him. "Leah? Are you alright?"
Leah opened her eyes to look at him as she asked, "Are you miserable, Paul? I mean, I know right now, things are tough, but before. I left here and hoped that with the imprint you could give in and be happy with Rachel, but . . ."
Paul interrupted, "Leah, why are asking me this?"
"Because I need to know. I shouldn't have written you those letters or sent you that picture. I should have let you go completely . . . "
Paul took her by the shoulders. "It's Rachel, isn't it? Did she say something to you?"
Leah sighed and turned away from him. "It's not fair to her, Paul. I came back here and she feels threatened. I would feel the same way . . . if you were mine."
Paul took her arm and turned her back to face him. "I'm already yours, Leah. I have been for a long time now. I want to be with you, I think you know that. You know I've never stopped loving you. I don't know how."
Paul was pleading with Leah with his eyes. As she gazed into them, she realized this was her Paul . . . her best friend. Rachel be damned. She knew she only had 2 days with him then she had to go back to school and she had no idea when she would see him again. "Yes. I'll stay with you."
Smiling, Paul leaned forward and put a soft kiss on her lips. Leah squinted and looked Paul in the eye as she stated, "You taste like beer, young man. Have you been drinking?"
Paul gave her a sheepish look and answered. "Yes, Jared and I shared one. JUST one. I promise."
Leah smiled and shook here head slowly. "What am I going to do with you?"
"I can think of a couple of things," Paul replied as he pulled her close and kissed her neck just below her ear, sending a shiver up her spine. A couple of those things popped into her mind, too. Paul pulled back and said quietly, "I'll be right back."
Leah sighed and watched him go inside and then turned around to look out at the woods again. She knew this was wrong. She should push him away and let him have a real chance with Rachel. But then she turned and watched him walk back out onto the porch with the boys and her heart melted as Paul held out his hand and said, "Let's go home." Leah smiled as she closed the gap between them and took his hand. Nothing had ever sounded so good.
"Leah? Can you read me my old Thomas book tonight and do all the voices like you used to?" Travis was in his Thomas costume, standing in front of her pleading with his big brown eyes.
"Of course I can. Why don't you tell Paul good night, and after we finish the book, I'll tuck you in."
Travis nodded and ran to Paul. "Good night, Paul." He gave him a big hug and then ran to his room.
Paul smiled and said to Leah, "Will you tuck me in, too?"
With a wink, she answered, "Later, baby," then she walked into the boy's bedroom.
Paul grinned and felt a wave of lust go through him just at the thought of it then he turned and walked to the kitchen to get something to drink. "Hey, Ty. Finishing some homework?" Tyler was sitting at the table with books spread out all around him.
"Yeah. I don't want to get too far behind by missing a couple of days."
Paul took out a can of Pepsi and popped the top then took a long drink as he watched Tyler. Sure was different than last school year when he had to bark at him all the time to do homework. He started to walk away when Tyler asked, "Is Leah staying here tonight?"
Paul stopped and turned back to answer him. "Yeah. You OK with that?"
Tyler shrugged. "I guess. I like Leah. But Rachel doesn't."
"Why would you say that?" Paul asked as he sat down at the table.
"Like you couldn't tell? She was all over you today and every time she looked at Leah, it looked like she wanted to kill her. She's really jealous of her."
Paul sighed. If even his kid brother could see it, he had to admit it was true. "Yeah, I know. I just don't know what to do about it."
"Just dump her. We all know you love Leah. You're always so happy around her and you're miserable when she's gone. Duh, dipshit."
Paul laughed at that. "Look at you, an expert in love."
"Whatever. I don't get why you started going out with Rachel in the first place."
Paul sighed then said, "Remember when you found out what I am? You know, that I can turn into a wolf?" Tyler nodded. "Well, as a wolf, we do something called imprinting." Paul spent a few minutes explaining imprinting, using Sam and Emily as an example. "I imprinted on Rachel. And it's supposed to be forever, like Sam and Em. But, I have been fighting it as hard as I can because of how I feel about Leah."
"Oh. Well, if you love Leah, why didn't you imprint on her?"
"That's exactly the question I asked Billy. Um, I never told you, but Leah is one, too. A wolf."
Ty's eyes grew wide. "Really?"
"Yeah. She freaked everyone out the first time she phased because there has never been a girl wolf before. And for some reason, another wolf hasn't imprinted on her even though there have been two of us that have loved her."
Paul saw Tyler's eyebrows furrow as he thought about that. "Two? Who was the other guy?"
"Sam. They went together in high school, and one day, Leah introduced him to her cousin, Emily, and that was it. He imprinted on Emily. This was before Leah was a wolf."
"Man, poor Leah. I guess that's why she acts weird around them."
"Yeah. So, do you see my problem here? I am forced to have these feelings for Rachel and spend the rest of my life with her, when all I want to do is be with Leah."
"Yeah. Sucks to be you."
Paul had to smile at that. "Yeah, it does. Anyway, while Leah is here, I plan on spending as much time as possible with her then when she leaves on Sunday to go back to school, I guess I will deal with Rachel. That's the best I can do right now."
Tyler nodded. "I think I'll just go back to worrying about passing my math test."
"Good idea." Paul got up and took his Pepsi into the living room to wait for Leah.
He didn't wait long. Paul was lounging on the futon flicking channels when Leah walked out a few minutes later and smiled as she sunk down beside him. Paul looked over and kissed her. "I missed you," he said softly.
She just smiled and asked, "What are you watching?"
"Nothing. Just mindlessly flicking."
Leah settled next to Paul and laid her head on his shoulder to watch him flick. He finally landed on some old movie and they just stared at the screen. Both of them were tired from the day, and Paul was emotionally exhausted. It had been hard to walk back into the house and not find his grandma here, sitting in her chair working on the knitting that still sat on the floor.
"Leah? I need to go through Grandma's stuff. Carol asked me today if she had any insurance or a will and, I have no idea. Will you help me look tomorrow?"
"Sure, I will."
"Thanks. I don't really think I can go into . . . into her room. Not yet."
Leah took his hand and squeezed it. "It's OK. I remember when Dad died, Mom left everything of his just the way it was for awhile. I would walk in the back door and see his coat hanging there, and his boots on the floor and . . . it was so hard because I would wait to hear his voice asking me 'Where you been, girly-girl?' I guess to Mom it was a comfort to see those things, but for me . . . well, it just hurt too much."
Just then, Tyler walked into the room to announce he was going to bed. "What time do you usually get up in the morning for school?" Leah asked him.
"Seven. I get up first and shower then I wake Travis up."
"OK. See you in the morning."
"Night, Ty," Paul said.
"Night." Tyler walked into the bedroom and closed the door.
Leah picked up the alarm clock and set it for seven. "I've gotten them up before and taken them to school you know. I'm not completely clueless," Paul told her.
"Really? I hadn't noticed," Leah tossed back with a sly smile. Paul just rolled his eyes at her. "Look, while I'm here, I want to take care of you guys, OK? I only have 2 days then I have to leave so just shut up and let me do it."
"Oooh, I love when you get bossy," Paul said as he pushed her back against the pillows.
"Yeah? Then shut up and kiss me."
Paul grinned. "I thought you'd never ask."
They spent another night making love, only quietly this time so as not to wake the boys, and Paul wished he could stop time. It amazed him how this was the worst time in his life and the best time all at the same time. He missed his grandmother so much it made his chest ache to think about her. And then Leah would make him feel so loved and so happy . . . it made no sense at all. But he never wanted it to end.
Leah loved feeling Paul's strong arms around her once again . . . she reveled in feeling his love surround her as he made her body sing. She tried hard to memorize each touch from his hands, his lips, his tongue . . .
Much too soon, the alarm went off at seven and Paul pulled a pillow over his head as he groaned. Smiling at him, Leah turned it off and slipped on her pajama pants and t-shirt before walking to the boy's bedroom to open the door. "Ty? It's time to get up."
"OK," Leah heard him mumble as she left the door open and turned the bathroom light on for him then she walked to the kitchen to start some coffee. Then, realizing she wasn't sure what the boys ate for breakfast, Leah walked back over to the futon to kneel down and shake Paul. "Paul? Hey! What do the boys eat for breakfast?"
Surprising her, Paul reached out and pulled Leah down on top of him and growled, "I know what I want for breakfast."
Leah laughed as he kissed her and grabbed her ass then she pulled away to say, "Yeah, I think I could have figured that one out. The boys?"
"Usually cereal. Jared will be here to pick them around 7:40."
"OK." Then Leah kissed Paul again, a little longer than she had planned, and finally got up to go back to the kitchen just as she heard the bathroom door open and then Tyler talking to Travis to get him to wake up.
Leah put some bowls and spoons on the table and boxes of cereal then poured herself a cup of coffee. Pretty soon, Tyler made his way out to the kitchen where he sat down and poured himself a bowl of cereal and added milk. "Want some juice, Ty?" Leah asked.
"Yeah, orange juice. Trav likes apple juice," he answered.
"Does Travis need any help getting dressed?"
"No. He's good."
Leah poured the juice then drank some coffee until Travis finally came dragging into the kitchen and climbed onto his chair then just sat there. "Hey, Travis. You want some cereal?" Leah asked him.
Travis just shook his head. "I poured you some apple juice," Leah said as she pushed the cup closer to him.
Tyler looked over at him. "What's the matter with you?"
"It's Friday."
"Yeah? So?"
"You know Grandma always makes little pancakes on Friday to celebrate the end of the week," Travis said sadly.
Tyler looked at Leah. "Sorry. I forgot what day it was."
Looking at Travis, Leah said, "I'm sorry, buddy. I didn't know. Will you forgive me if I promise to make them tomorrow morning?"
Travis waited for a moment then finally nodded his head and picked up his cup to drink some juice. "Can I have some chocolate puffs?"
Leah smiled and poured some in a bowl for him. "Milk or no milk?"
"No milk," he answered as he picked one up with his fingers and ate it.
Leah smiled at Tyler. Crisis averted.
It got to be 7:30 and Leah sent them into the bathroom to brush their teeth and gather up anything they needed to take to school. They came back with their book bags and then Tyler asked, "Um, what about our lunches?"
"Oh no, you take your lunch to school?" Tyler nodded and Leah sighed. "I didn't know. Well, you're buying lunch today," she said as she ran and grabbed her purse and came back and handed them each two dollars.
"I never bought lunch before! I don't know how," Travis told her anxiously as he held the money in his hand and stared at it.
"Have someone show you, OK? Put your money in your pocket," Leah told him as she helped Travis with his coat, hat and gloves. At 7:40 on the dot, Jared drove up and honked the horn. "OK, guys, have a good day!"
"Will you still be here when I get home?" Travis asked Leah.
"Yes. I'll be here until Sunday morning."
Travis finally smiled. "OK. Bye!"
As they ran out to the car, Leah waved then closed the door as Jared drove off. She smiled as the thought popped into her head that she could be happy doing this everyday for the rest of her life. If only . . .
Leah walked slowly back to the kitchen and cleaned up their breakfast dishes then when she finished, she made her way into the living room to see if Paul was still sleeping. She found him lying on his back with one muscular arm thrown over his eyes. Without moving, he grumbled, "Bout time you got back. Get your ass over here."
"Now who's getting bossy?" Leah asked as she climbed back into bed with him.
Paul rolled his body to loom over her. "Listen here, woman, this is where you belong."
Smiling a sexy smile, Leah asked, "Oh, really? What's in it for me?"
"Get those clothes off and I'll show you."
"Make me."
Paul grinned. "With pleasure."
Much, much later, Leah hauled herself out of bed and showered. After pulling on her jeans and Smurfette t-shirt, she brushed her teeth and hair then walked back out to the living room to find Paul gone. Hearing a cupboard close in the kitchen, she walked in to find Paul standing there, stark naked drinking a cup of coffee. "Do you always walk around the house naked?" she asked as she snaked her hands around his waist.
Paul leaned down and kissed her and smiled. "I thought you might appreciate the view."
Leah laughed before replying, "Well, as much as I do, we have some things we need to take care of today. It's almost noon already."
Paul sobered. "I know." He quickly gulped down the rest of his coffee then said, "I'll go shower and get dressed." Before leaving, he set the cup down on the counter and pulled Leah to him for a very thorough kiss. "Don't go anywhere."
"Believe me, I won't."
Paul smiled and walked off to the bathroom to shower and Leah sighed a happy sigh. Paul hadn't eaten breakfast, so she was sure he was probably starving by now. Moving to the fridge, she opened it to see what they had for lunch.
Emily had brought over some food the day before and Leah pulled some of it out to warm up. She had several dishes on the table when Paul walked back into the kitchen wearing a pair of jeans and black t-shirt. "God, I'm starving," he told her as he pulled out a chair, sat down and started piling food on his plate.
As they ate, Leah asked, "Last night you mentioned something about finding out if Ruth had any insurance or a will?" Paul nodded sadly. "Did you still want me to help with that?" Paul nodded again as he chewed.
"Do you know if she had some kind of box she kept important papers in?"
"She had a small gray lock box. I'm not sure where she kept it though."
"Well, while I do that, why don't you gather up all the laundry? I'd like to wash sheets, too, so you all have clean bedding and clean clothes before I leave."
Paul looked up at her. "Are you afraid I can't take care of things around here? That I can't handle the boys and work and take care of the house?"
Leah smiled as she teased, "Well, you are only a man, after all."
Paul snorted. "Yeah, funny. I can do it, Leah. We'll be OK."
Leah reached out and placed her hand on his arm. "I know that. I think it will be hard at first, but once you get into a routine, I think you'll be fine."
Paul just shrugged and went on eating. As soon as they were finished, they cleared the table and piled the dishes into the sink.
"OK, I'm going into your grandmother's room to see what I can find," Leah told him quietly.
Paul just nodded, feeling like a coward, not wanting to go into her bedroom. He caught Leah's hand before she walked away. "Leah? Have I told you how glad I am that you're here?"
Leah gave him a sly smile. "I think you've mentioned it."
Paul pulled her close and leaned his forehead on hers. "You're all that's keeping me sane right now, you know. If it weren't for you and the boys . . . I'm sure I'd still be a drunk mess. This pain is just too much."
Leah circled her arms around his waist and held him close. "I know. When Dad died, it was so hard. I felt so bad because right before he died, I didn't spend much time with him. I was such a bitch then because of what happened with Sam and I treated everyone so horribly."
Paul set her away to look into her eyes. "Leah, don't do that. He knew you loved him and he also understood the pain you were in."
"Yeah, I know. But so many times I wish I could go back and just . . . BE with him, you know? Just sit together and talk."
Paul gave her a sad smile. "Yeah, I know. That's how I've felt about you for five months. I just want to BE with you, and talk to you, and make you laugh. Just hang out like we used to. I mean, don't get me wrong, the last two nights have been the best of my life. Sex with you is . . well, better than anything I could imagine. But, I really miss just . . . being with you."
Leah returned his sad smile. "Yeah, me, too."
Paul pulled her close again and they just stood there . . . enjoying the feeling of being together again. Finally he stepped back and said, "Geez, look at me! I'm turning into such a chick!" He shook his body. "Eww! I feel my boobs growing as I stand here . . . I need to man up," he said as he grabbed his crotch, "and watch a football game or something."
As he walked away Leah laughed at him. "Yeah, you do that. I already have one girlfriend. I don't need another one," she called after him.
Paul laughed at that. "Good one, Clearwater!" he called back from the boy's room.
Leah made her way to Ruth's bedroom, opened the door and looked around before entering. The bed was made neatly, and everything was in it's place, just like she was still here. Walking over to the dresser, Leah smiled at the photograph sitting there in a nice silver frame. It must be her wedding picture . . . she and her husband looked so young! Leah then turned to the closet and opened it to look at the shelves and move some things around until she found the metal box Paul had mentioned. Carrying it out to the kitchen, she sat it on the table then called out, "Paul! I found it."
Paul came into the kitchen with a laundry basket full of the boy's clothes and sheets. "Yeah, that's it," he said as he set the basket down in front of the washer then moved to the table to sit beside Leah.
"Do you want to open it?" Leah asked him. He shook his head, so Leah opened the box. On top was an envelope that was labeled, "Birth Certificates" in Ruth's neat handwriting. "Can I look?"
Paul nodded.
Leah opened the envelope and took out the certificates. The first one she opened was Paul's. "Paul Axel Jacobs? Really?"
Paul rolled his eyes as he explained, "Doreen was a Guns N Roses fan. Axel Rose is their lead singer. At least she dropped the Rose." Leah was trying not to laugh. "Go ahead, let it out. I know you want to laugh, so go ahead, get it all out."
So Leah did. She laughed and then she said quickly, "I'm sorry."
Smiling, he told her, "It's OK. Tyler is named for Steven Tyler of Aerosmith. Although apparently Doreen liked Tyler better, so he is Tyler Steven."
"Oh my God. I'm glad she wasn't a Led Zepplin fan. Or Bon Jovi."
Paul chuckled as Leah looked over his birth certificate. "Paul? Your father's name is listed on here. His last name is Uley. Is that like Sam? You two are related?"
"Yeah. His great-grandfather Levi, and my great-grandfather Matthew were brothers. That's where I get the wolf gene."
"Oh. But you don't use Uley as your last name."
"No. Doreen and my dad were never married and I guess she used her name out of spite or something. I found out when I was like 12 that my last name should be Uley, but I never wanted to change it because I liked having the same last name as my grandma."
Leah smiled at that. Then she looked at his Travis and Tyler's certificates. "There's no father listed on Trav's. And he has a NORMAL name! Travis Benjamin. I like it."
"Yeah, Benjamin was my grandpa's name. And I doubt Doreen even knew who his dad was."
Leah turned to Tyler's and noticed something. "Did you know that she listed Tyler's father on here?"
"No. I guess I never really looked at these."
"He's not your half-brother, Paul. His father is the same as yours." Leah held out the certificate to show him the name written there: James Robert Uley.
"Huh. So maybe he was out of jail for awhile then, I don't know. I was what, seven when Ty was born?"
"Yeah, but you know what this means?" Paul looked at her curiously and shook his head. "Paul, he could have the wolf gene. If this is where yours comes from . . . "
"Shit." Paul closed his eyes and shook his head. One more fucking thing to worry about. Looking over at Leah, he said, "God, I hope not. I don't want that for the kid. He's smart and he wants to go to college."
"Well, even if he has the gene, it doesn't mean he'll phase. But just beware it's there, OK?"
Paul nodded and picked up the certificates and put them back into the envelope then set it aside as Leah dug into the box again.
"Let's see, this looks like papers for the house, and this is . . . um, your grandpa's death certificate. Oh, this is from a lawyer," Leah commented as she opened another envelope. "Paul, your grandmother made a will. This is a copy. It's dated about 6 years ago. You would have been, what, 12?" Paul nodded.
She held it out so they could both read it. "She left everything to you," Leah said in awe as she looked at him. "The house, the property, any cash in the bank . . . she left it all 'to my beloved grandson, Paul Axel Jacobs.' Since you were still a minor when she wrote this, she left provisions for Jared's parents to be your guardians and to put it in a trust for you until you were of age." Leah looked up from the paper to look at Paul. "She really loved you, Paul. She wanted you to be taken care of even after she was gone. Too bad her daughter didn't take after her."
Paul just stared at the paper. "There's no mention of Doreen," he stated flatly.
Leah shook her head. "No. None."
Paul let out his breath. He knew how his grandmother felt about her daughter, but he wasn't quite sure that she wouldn't feel bad and leave her something. "Thank God."
"You were afraid your grandma might have left everything to her?"
"No. Not everything. I kind of thought she might feel bad and leave her something. I'm glad she didn't. That woman deserves nothing."
"Well, she can contest the will in court and demand that she get something because she's her daughter, but that costs money which I'm sure she doesn't have. Also, now that you're 18 and legally an adult, I'm pretty sure there's nothing she can do about it. But you might want to go ahead and get everything in your name right away just in case. Like the house and any money in the bank, you know."
Paul nodded and looked over the paper while Leah dug into the box again. She found Ruth's Social Security card and Paul's and then she pulled out another envelope. "Paul, this is from an insurance company."
Paul set the will down and looked as Leah opened the envelope. "Oh my God, she had a life insurance policy." Leah kept reading until she found the amount. "It's for $30,000."
"What?" Paul grabbed the paper away from her and looked it over. "What does this mean?"
"It means, that the insurance company will give you a check for $30,000."
Paul looked up at her in shock! "Are you fucking serious?"
Leah laughed at that. "Yes, I'm fucking serious! My dad had life insurance when he died, and Mom got a check. She paid for his funeral and paid off her car and put the rest in the bank. On Dad's instructions, she put some in an account for me and some in an account for Seth to be used towards college."
Paul just sat there. He couldn't believe this. His grandma never told him a thing about any of this. Of course, he never asked. He never thought about her dying and leaving him here with two brothers to support. Closing his eyes, Paul dropped his head into his hands.
"Paul? Are you OK? I know this is a lot to take in right now." Leah was rubbing his back with her hand and if felt so good. Just to have her here through all of this . . . was amazing.
Slowly lifting his head, Paul looked at her and replied, "I guess. I just don't know how to handle all this."
"I think we should take this stuff to my mom. She just went through all this last year. She'll know what to do."
Paul sighed then nodded. "Good plan. What would I do without you? Wait, don't answer that."
Leah smiled as Paul leaned toward her to touch his lips to hers and she sighed. "Alright, let's pack this all back in here and we'll go see your mom after the boys get home from school."
While he did that, she got up and put the laundry in the washer then started the machine. Paul snuck up behind her and put his arms around her. "You know, we have at least an hour until the boys are out of school." His lips traveled along her neck as his hand slid slowly up the side of her body.
Leaning back into him, Leah asked softly, "Yeah? Did you have something in mind?" Paul's hand curved toward her breast.
"Mmm, I always have this on my mind when you're around." His palm grazed her breast and her nipple stood out against her t-shirt.
Turning in his arms, Leah wrapped her arms around Paul's neck and whispered, "Show me."
Paul grinned then picked her up and threw her over his shoulder as she let out a short scream. "Paul! What are you, a caveman?"
"Me like sex. Sex good," he growled in his best caveman voice.
Leah just laughed as he threw her down on the futon then leaned over her. "I'm sorry, baby, but I just can't get enough of you."
Leah smiled as she pulled his shirt up and over his head. "Yeah? I hear that a lot from my girlfriend."
"Oooh, I'm so jealous of her." Paul grinned as he pulled her shirt off and then leaned down to kiss her lips. "God, you taste so good." Easing himself down to lay on top of her, Paul went on kissing her until there was a knock at the door. "Ignore it. They'll go away," he whispered.
"Leah? Are you there?" It was Sue Clearwater.
"Shit! It's my mom!" Leah practically threw Paul to the floor in her haste to get her shirt on. Paul laughed as he pulled his over his head. "Yeah, Mom! Coming!" Leah shouted.
"No you're not, but you want to," Paul said into her ear before she scrambled off of the futon. Turning, Leah smacked him before she made her way to the door. Trying hard to contain his laughter as he made his way to the bathroom, Paul thought maybe he should try to calm down a little instead of standing in front of Leah's mother with a huge boner in his jeans.
Leah smoothed her hair as she ran to the door to whip it open and say, "Gosh, I'm sorry. I didn't know it was locked. I was gathering up laundry. Paul must be in the bathroom."
"Uh-huh," Sue uttered as she gave Leah a disapproving look and walked in with her hands full of food.
"Don't start, Mom. Here let me help you with those," Leah said as she took a dish from her mom and led the way to the kitchen. "Geez, afraid I can't cook?"
"No, I know you can cook. This is some stuff that was left over from yesterday. I just thought the boys would eat it," Sue explained.
Leah opened the fridge and wondered where they would put more food! As she rearranged things, Sue asked, "So how are they?"
"Um, the boys went back to school today, and Paul and I have been going through his grandma's papers." Closing the fridge, Leah added, "Actually I'm glad you're here. We were going to come and see you after the boys got out of school. We found some things we need your help with."
Sue sat down at the table and Leah opened the box just as Paul walked into the kitchen. "Oh, hi, Sue. We were going to head over to see you later."
"So I heard," Sue said. "Leah says you found something you need help with?"
"Yeah, apparently, Grandma had a will and life insurance."
Leah handed Sue the papers and let her look them over. "Would you like something to drink, Mom?" Leah asked as she moved to the fridge.
"No, honey, I'm fine," she muttered as she read.
Leah took out a can of Pepsi and handed it to Paul who smiled and said, "Thanks," then she took one out for herself and popped the top.
"Well, it looks like Ruth took good care of you Paul. And the life insurance policy - that's wonderful."
"Yeah, it's great. But I'd rather have my grandma." Leah looked over at Paul's sad face and felt so bad for him. Instinctively she moved closer and put her arm around his waist then laid her head on his shoulder as his arm came around her and pulled her close.
Sue noticed their closeness but chose to hold her tongue for now. "I know, Paul. That's how I felt when Harry died. But, then I realized that he did this for me and the kids so we would be taken care of. He loved us enough to do this for us. And it looks like Ruth felt the same way about you."
Paul smiled sadly and nodded. "She took me in when I was 5 and never did I go a day after that without knowing how much she loved me. So, what do I do now?"
"Well, you have to call this insurance company and let them know that Ruth has passed away. Then you need to go to the Health Department and get a copy of the death certificate and send them the copy and they will send you a check. It will take a little bit to process, so it will probably be a couple of weeks until you see the money."
"What about the house? Shouldn't he get that put into his name right away? He's a little afraid of his mom finding out and coming in to see what she can get."
Sue smiled and shook her head as she sighed, "Oh, Doreen. I remember her. She was something alright. Yes, I'll help you with that. We'll take a trip to the courthouse next week and get all of this taken care of, alright? But you need to call the insurance company as soon as you can."
Paul nodded. "Thanks, Sue. I really appreciate your help."
Sue folded the papers and put them back into the box. "Keep these safe," she said as she closed the box. Then she stood up and picked up her purse and announced, "I guess I'll go. I'm sure you don't want to hear my opinion on what's going on here between the two of you."
"Mom, please, don't," Leah started.
"I know you don't want to hear it." Sue looked at Paul and said, "Paul, honey, I know this is a horrible time for you. It hurts like hell to lose someone you love. I know that well, and I'm glad that my daughter can be here with you and provide you some comfort. I'm just having a little problem with the comfort she's providing."
Leah started to protest again and Sue put up her hand to stop her. "Look, Leah, you know how I feel about this. Paul has imprinted on someone else, and SHE should be the one here helping him through this no matter how you feel about him. This is killing Rachel, Paul. You should know that. I know you didn't want to imprint, but you did. And you need to be a man and own up to it. I know you care for Leah, and that hurts. But this imprint is not just going to disappear. And the three of you living in this limbo is not good for any of you."
"I know that, Sue," Paul said softly. "I hate it, too. But I don't know how to stop loving Leah. I've tried, but I just can't do it."
Sue smiled at that. "Well, that I can understand," she said as she put her hand softly on Leah's cheek for a moment then her hand dropped as she went on, "I love my daughter and I want what's best for her. And I thought for awhile you were it. She started to smile again and be more like the Leah I know and love. But then . . . well, we all know what happened and I saw her in such incredible pain again. I don't ever want to see her like that again. And I'm afraid that if this goes on, that's what I see for all of you."
"OK, Mom. You've had your say," Leah stated.
"Your mom is right, Leah," Paul interjected. "Sue, I'm sorry. I know that I've caused her pain. I'm miserable so I make everyone around me miserable. I want you to know that I will try harder to solve this problem. I promise you."
Sue smiled. "I know you will. You're a good man, Paul. I've been very impressed by the maturity you've shown. Taking care of two little boys is a lot of work, and I want you to know that if you need help, I'm only a phone call away. Well, when you get a phone," she added with a sly smile as she nodded toward the hole in the wall where the phone had been.
Paul gave a short laugh. "Yeah, I better work on that."
"Alright, I'm going. I'll pick you up at 6 a.m. on Sunday. Be ready," she said to Leah.
"I will," Leah answered shortly. Sue nodded and walked to the door to let herself out.
"Ooh, she makes me so fucking mad! Why did she have to say all that? This is MY life, damnit, and I will be with whoever I want to be with. It's not up to her!"
Paul smiled and put his hands on Leah's shoulders. "She said it because she loves you. Didn't you hear that? And she's right. I've been taking total advantage of you."
"You have not!" Leah shot back. "I'm here because I want to be here. I NEED to be here with you." She put her hands on his face. "I love you, Paul. I don't know how to stop either."
"Then what are we going to do? How can we solve this?" Paul asked softly.
"I have no fucking idea."
Paul laughed and pulled her to him. "God, I love your mouth. It's so foul."
Leah laughed, too, then stepped back. "Well, the boys will be home soon. I need to put the clothes into the dryer and then I think I'll clean the bathroom." Putting a quick kiss on his lips, Leah moved to the washer as Paul watched and wished with all his heart he could figure out a way to keep her here with him forever.