CHAPTER 33
IN MY LIFE
"Paul? Paul!" He opened one eye to see Travis standing in front of him. "Is it time to open presents yet?" Travis whispered loudly. Paul glanced at the clock. "Trav, it's only 6:30. Go back to sleep," he mumbled as he shut his eyes and then felt Travis tap him on the shoulder.
"But Paul, I can't wait anymore. I HAVE to open presents now."
Paul forced his eyes open again to order, "Travis, go back to bed." Just then, Noah started fussing. "Great, now the baby is awake," Paul grumbled.
Leah sat up and looked over at Travis. "Merry Christmas, little man," she said with a smile. He ran to her side of the bed and climbed up to hug her.
"Can we open presents now?" Travis asked her hopefully.
She laughed as Paul rolled onto his back and put the pillow over his head. "Well, it sounds like Noah is ready to eat. How about I feed him real quick and change him then we'll open presents. Can you wait just a few more minutes?"
"I guess," he said a little dejectedly.
Leah climbed out of bed and said, "You lay here with Paul while I take care of the baby." Travis nodded and obediently laid down beside Paul as Leah walked to pick up Noah. "Merry Christmas, baby boy," she cooed softly then she sat down in the rocking chair to feed him. She hummed a few Christmas carols as he ate then she burped him and changed his diaper.
"OK, guys, let's go," she said as she approached the bed. There she found both of them fast asleep. "Figures," she said to Noah. "Look at them. Two peas in a pod." Shaking her head, Leah crept from the bedroom and carried the baby to the kitchen to start some coffee.
Leah set Noah in his car seat and hummed Christmas carols again as she got the coffee going then she carried him into the living room and plugged in the lights on the Christmas tree. "Look, Noah . . . isn't that pretty?" Noah's eyes reflected the lights on the tree as he cooed and smiled and watching him, Leah felt such a sense of peace flow over her. It was so good to be home.
Once the coffee was done, Leah got herself a cup and grabbed a couple of Christmas cookies that Sue had sent home with them the other day then she settled onto the futon beside Noah to wait for the boys to wake up. She didn't have to wait very long.
Travis ran into the room and stopped when he saw all the presents under the tree. "Oh my gosh! Santa was here!" Then he turned and ran back to his room, yelling, "Tyler! Wake up! Santa was here!"
Leah grinned at Paul as he came shuffling out of the bedroom toward her. He was wearing just his gym shorts and scratching his head as he yawned then he flopped down beside her and took the cup of coffee from her hand, drank some then handed it back to her. "Merry Christmas," she said softly.
Paul looked at her and smiled. "It is now," he told her as he leaned forward to kiss her.
"Can we open presents now?" Travis asked yet again as he ran into the room ahead of Tyler, who was shuffling his way into the room. Tyler plopped down into the chair and looked over at Paul and Leah with his eyes half open. "Next year, I am grinding up a sleeping pill and putting into a Christmas cookie for him to eat before he goes to bed."
That made both Leah and Paul laugh. "Good idea, bro," Paul said as he tapped Tyler on the knee.
Paul finally gave in and told Travis it was time to open presents. The paper flew and Travis shrieked with glee after opening each one. The Transformers were a big hit and Leah's face glowed as she watched how happy he was.
Tyler seemed excited about the new Play Station games, and the new journals. Both boys even liked the clothes Leah picked out.
For Leah, Paul picked out a silver bracelet with five round charms - one for each of them with their name and birth date engraved on it. She cried when she saw it and had him put it on her immediately. "I love it, Paul. Thank you so much." She kissed him gently on the lips and he smiled. It made him feel so good to see her so happy.
Leah had called Jared and asked him to pick out some tools that Paul might need. He did so and brought them to her yesterday for her to wrap. Paul was very happy with all of them and kissed Leah after each one he opened.
Once the presents were opened and Travis and Tyler were busy with their new things, Leah left Noah with Paul and went into the kitchen to make them some breakfast. She made little pancakes for Travis and bacon and eggs for Tyler and Paul. Tyler found his way into the kitchen to help and when it was done, they all sat down together to eat. As Paul looked around the table, he couldn't believe how lucky he was. Just a couple of weeks ago, he had been dreading this Christmas. He didn't know how he could get through it without his grandma and without Leah. And, now here she was, smiling and laughing with the boys, as she held Noah in her arms. He was so afraid it would all just disappear and he would wake up and find it had been just a dream.
That afternoon, they packed up and went to Sam and Emily's house for a huge Christmas gathering with the whole pack. Once everyone was there, Jared stood up and announced that he and Kim had finally set a wedding date - Valentine's Day. Leah was standing beside them and she looked over at Kim who was beaming. "Congratulations, Kim!" Leah said.
"So, what about you? When is your big day," she asked.
"New Year's Eve," Leah told her.
"Really? Oh my gosh! That's awesome!"
"Yeah, I think Paul will be bummed because he wanted to make a big announcement and Jared just beat him to it. He hates when Jared beats him at anything."
Kim laughed at that as Paul stood up and whistled to get everyone attention. "Jared and Kim aren't the only ones getting hitched around here. I would like to invite you all to a wedding on New Year's Eve." Everyone just stared and then he shouted, "Leah and I are FINALLY getting married!"
Jared and Seth called out at the same time, "THANK GOD!" Congratulations went around again and Paul was so excited to see how Leah beamed as everyone hugged her. She would be a beautiful bride . . . he could hardly wait.
Sue and Leah made plans to get together the next day to go over wedding details. They decided to go to Port Angeles and try to find a nice dress for Leah to wear, and they needed to go to the bakery in Forks to get a cake ordered. Paul left all the details to them. He really didn't care about any of that. He was only really looking forward to the time in the ceremony where they would be pronounced husband and wife. Then he would kiss his bride and they would live happily ever after.
That Christmas night, after the boys were all in bed, Paul came to Leah in the bedroom as she was getting ready for bed. "Come with me," he said as he took her hand. She looked at him curiously then followed him to the living room. The room was lit only by the lights on the Christmas tree and it sent out and warm and comforting glow.
Paul led her to the futon, which he had pulled out to make a bed. Paul crawled onto it and laid against the pillows then held out his arm for Leah to join him. She smiled as he pulled her close and dropped a kiss onto her head. "So what's this all about?" she asked softly.
"Last Christmas, after everyone had gone to bed, I laid here, staring at the tree, listening to the saddest Christmas song ever on the radio, wishing with all my heart that you were here with me. And now, this year, here you are."
Leah moved so she could see his face. "Last Christmas, I was laying in my bed, alone in my dorm room, while Mom and Seth were at the hotel, holding your picture and wishing with all my heart that I could be here with you." Tears formed in the corner of her eye as she smiled at him.
Paul leaned forward and put a gentle kiss on her lips. "I think that every Christmas for the rest of our lives, we should spend some time here alone in front of the tree, and realize how very lucky we are."
Leah smiled again through her tears and nodded. Paul gathered her close and they lay there, side by side, looking at the tree, both of them feeling very lucky indeed.
Paul went back to work a couple of days after Christmas and Leah went to work on wedding plans. She asked Kim to be a bridesmaid then shocked Emily by asking her to be her maid of honor. Emily said yes right away and then they both cried over the time they lost with each other. Kim sat there handing them tissues and shedding a few tears herself. Then they all had a good laugh until Sue called and told them she would be there to pick them up for a day of shopping in Port Angeles. Travis was spending the day at Carly's house and Tyler was OK on his own, so Leah got Noah ready to go as they waited for Sue to pick them up.
The four of them had a great day and they found the perfect dress for Leah. Since this was a simple wedding, she wanted a simple dress. Her mother actually picked out the dress, but Leah had to admit it looked perfect on her. It was ivory colored, which looked great against her russet skin and black hair. It had a deep v-neck, which Paul would appreciate, and a high waist with a long simple skirt to the floor.
Sue shed a few tears when she saw Leah in the dress. "It's hard to believe my little girl is all grown up with a baby of her own," she said softly as she pulled Leah close for a hug then told her to take off the dress and let her pay for it.
"You don't have to do that, Mom. I have some money saved . . . "
"Nonsense. I only have one daughter and I have been dreaming of her wedding day for a very long time. I'm buying the dress. Period."
Leah knew better than to try and fight Sue Clearwater once her mind was made up, so she let her buy the dress. She added shoes to match and then they headed home, first dropping Emily and Kim off and then they picked up Travis at Carly's. When Sue pulled up to Paul's house, Leah again thanked her mom for the dress.
"It was on sale. Don't worry about it. You look beautiful in it and every girl deserves to feel beautiful on her wedding day," Sue told her. "But I'm taking it home with me. We don't want Paul peeking at it!"
Leah waved as she drove off and then she and Travis made their way into the house. Noah was sleeping, so she took him into the bedroom and laid him in his crib to finish his nap then made her way back out to the living room. "Well, Trav, what do you say we go into the kitchen and see what we have for dinner, OK?"
"OK," Travis said simply as he followed her into the kitchen. Just then, the back door opened and Tyler came in.
"Hey, Ty," Leah called out. "How was your day?"
"Good. I finally beat Collin at Assassin's Creed. Man, I've been working at that for weeks!" Ty sounded excited, and it was good to see him have a good day. Paul had kept his word and he and Tyler had gone to see Charlie about the restraining order against their mom. Charlie agreed it would be a good idea after hearing what Tyler had to say, and he was working on it for them. He promised to call when it was all in order.
Leah decided on chili for dinner, so she put the boys to work on the cornbread while she put together the chili. They were chatting while they worked until there was a knock on the door. Leah wiped her hands and said, "I'll get it, guys."
She made her way to the door and opened it to find a tall, dark-haired man standing there, who looked very nervous. "Yes? Can I help you?" Leah asked.
"Uh, yeah, I was looking for Paul? Is he home?" the man asked. As Leah looked at him, she decided he looked vaguely familiar and she wondered if she had met him somewhere before.
"No, he's at work, but he should be home soon. Who are you again?"
Tyler had made his way to the door as soon as he heard the man's voice. He stepped up behind Leah just as she asked who he was and said, "This is Paul's dad, Jim. And my dad," he added awkwardly.
"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry, I had no idea," Leah said quickly. "Please come in." That's why he looked familiar to her . . . it was the eyes. They were just like Paul's . . . and Noah's. Jim walked into the house and Leah closed the door behind him. "Paul should be on his way home now. We were just getting dinner ready."
Jim looked over at Tyler and smiled. "Hey, Tyler."
"Hey . . . " he didn't know whether to call him Jim or Dad, so he just let his left his greeting as it was.
"I guess I should introduce myself," Leah said. "I'm Leah Clearwater, Paul's fiancé."
That took Jim by surprise. "Oh, wow, I had no idea he even had a girlfriend . . . "
Leah smiled as she explained, "It's a long story, but we've been seeing each other on and off for about a year and a half now. I was away at school in Spokane, and Paul drove out there right before Christmas and proposed then brought me home."
Jim smiled at her. "Well, congratulations." Just then, as if on cue, Noah started crying. Jim looked at her curiously and Leah smiled.
"Um, that's not all . . . I kind of had his baby and didn't tell him," Leah said sheepishly, then added quickly, "Again, long story, but we're fine now and he loves Noah." Leah turned to Tyler who was standing there like a statue just staring at his father. "Tyler? Can you go and change Noah's diaper then bring him out here for me?"
That shook him out of his stupor. "Uh, yeah, sure." Tyler immediately turned and made his way to the bedroom.
"Tyler is great help with the baby," she told Jim, who still looked like he was in shock. "I thought maybe Paul had told you something about all this, but things have been kind of crazy around here. We just got back three days before Christmas, so . . . "
Jim just nodded, but stayed silent. The two of them stood there awkwardly for a couple of seconds then Travis walked in to stand beside Leah.
"Travis? Do you know Jim? This is Paul and Tyler's father," Leah said as way of introduction. She had no idea if Travis had met Jim or not. Paul had never told her.
Travis shook his head. Jim held out his hand to Travis and said, "Nice to meet you, Travis."
Travis stood there quietly sizing Jim up then finally he held out his hand and Jim took it and gave it a shake. Jim let go and Travis asked, "Are you my father, too?"
Jim smiled a small smile and answered, "No, buddy, I'm not. I'm sorry."
Travis nodded and shrunk behind Leah.
"Look, I don't want to interrupt anything . . . " Jim started.
"No, you're fine. I hope you don't mind coming into the kitchen with us. The boys are making the cornbread while I put together the chili. Come on in," Leah invited warmly.
"Well, if you don't mind," Jim answered.
"We don't mind," Leah insisted as she turned to lead the way to the kitchen while Travis and Jim followed. "Please take a seat. Can I get you something to drink? A beer? Coffee?"
"No, no, I'm good."
Just then, Tyler walked into the kitchen carrying Noah. "Hey, there, sweetie," Leah said as she took the baby from Tyler. "Come and meet your grandpa, little one." She stood before Jim and said, "Noah Paul Jacobs, this is your grandpa, Jim." Then she looked up at Jim and smiled. "Jim, this is your grandson, Noah. Would you like to hold him?"
Jim just stared at the little boy in Leah's arms. Grandson. He had a grandson! "Um, I don't know . . . " he stuttered.
"It's OK, he won't break. Here, hold his head and hold him close like this," Leah instructed as she placed the baby in the crook of his arm. Jim held him carefully and felt emotion for this little baby he never expected.
"Look at him . . . he looks just like his daddy, doesn't he?" Jim observed in awe.
"Yes, he does," Leah agreed.
The back door opened and Paul walked in. "Honey! I'm home," his happy voice faded as he saw his father standing in his kitchen holding his son. "Hey, what's going on here?"
Jim looked over at Paul and said, "Hello, Paul. I just found out I'm a grandpa."
Paul turned his gaze to Leah and she smiled shyly as if to say, Sorry. He made his way over to her and kissed her on the cheek to let her know it was OK. Travis stood close to him and he realized Travis had never met Jim. He looked a little scared so Paul rested his hand on Travis' shoulder to make him feel safe.
"So, what do think?" Paul asked his father.
Jim smiled as he looked down at Noah. "He's really something, son. Really something."
Tyler had gone back to making the cornbread and after he slid it into the oven, he told Leah, "Cornbread is in the oven. Do you want me to help with the chili?"
"No, honey, that's OK. It's all put together. It just needs to simmer awhile. Why don't we all go into the living room?"
Paul led the way with Travis right behind him then Jim, Tyler and Leah. The boys settled on the floor and Jim sat down in the chair with the baby, so Leah and Paul took the futon. They all sat there awkwardly for a moment then finally Jim said, "I'm sorry I didn't call first. I guess I didn't want to give you a chance to say no. I must have changed my mind a half a dozen times or more on the drive here."
Paul smiled at him and said, "I get that. It's OK."
"I have something for you boys and I didn't get a chance to get here before Christmas."
"You didn't have to do that," Paul told him.
"Well, it's not much . . . it's just something my grandpa did for me and my brothers when I was a kid, and well, I guess I wanted to carry on the tradition." He looked at Leah and said, "Could you take the baby so I can . . . "
"Oh, of course." Leah stood up right away and took Noah then sat back down on the futon next to Paul.
Jim took a small cloth bag out of his coat pocket and cleared his throat. "My grandpa, Matthew Uley, was all about tradition. He loved to sit and tell the legends of our tribe to me and my brothers . . . how the Quileute were descended from the wolves and how our family was a part of that. On our eighth birthday, we were each presented a chain with a wolf charm on it so we would always remember where we came from." He reached into his shirt and pulled out a silver chain to show them he still wore his. "I have one of these for each of you." Jim pulled one of the chains out and handed it to Paul, and then handed one to Tyler saying, "I know it seems a little corny, but, I think he would have wanted me to carry this on."
Paul looked at the small wolf charm on his palm and smiled. He had never had any connection what so ever to his great-grandfather, well except for the wolf gene. He only knew what little Sam had told him about him. As he held the wolf charm in his hand, he finally felt something . . . like he belonged to a family. "Thanks. This is cool," Paul said to his dad.
Jim smiled and looked at Tyler who was just staring at the charm, not saying a word. "Tyler?" Paul prompted. "You want to say something to Da . . . uh, Jim?"
Tyler looked up and said flatly, "Yeah, thanks." Tyler had no idea what to think, what to feel. He didn't know this man at all . . . this man that was supposed to be his father. And here he was, giving him some necklace with a wolf hanging on it, like he was supposed to know what that meant.
Jim turned to Travis and said, "I know you're not my son, but you are a part of this family, and so, I hope you don't mind, but I brought you one, too." Taking another chain from the bag, Jim held it out to Travis who quickly looked to Paul as if to ask if it was alright that he take it. Paul nodded and Travis accepted it. "Thank you," he said in awe as he turned it over to inspect it and then grinned. Paul was really touched that his father thought to include Travis. "I thought maybe I could be kind of your uncle or something. Would that be alright?"
Travis again looked to Paul and he nodded. "Yeah, OK. Thanks, Uncle Jim," Travis said enthusiastically as he slid the chain over his head and hung it around his neck and looked at it again. Then he turned to Tyler and said, "Aren't you gonna put yours on?"
Tyler just sat there, holding it in his hand, still not knowing what to do with it. He looked over at Travis and muttered, "Maybe later," then he shoved it into his pocket and mumbled something about needing to check on the cornbread as he stood and made his escape into the kitchen.
Leah glanced over quickly at Paul as he said to Jim, "I'm sorry . . . he's still kind of confused about all this."
"That's alright. I get it. This is kind of new to me, too . . . being a dad and all. Not sure what the hell I'm doing."
"You and me both," Paul said with a grin. "I've only been a dad for a little over a week!"
Jim chuckled at that and Leah smiled. "Leah here told me it was a long story. Maybe we could sit down over a beer sometime and you could tell it to me."
Paul smiled and nodded. Having a beer with his dad . . . man, that was a weird concept.
Leah turned to Paul and said, "Here, take Noah. I need to check on dinner." Paul took him then Leah stood and said to Jim, "I hope you'll stay for dinner. It's just chili and cornbread, but you're more than welcome to join us."
Jim glanced at Paul then said, "I'd really like that." Paul nodded his approval.
Leah touched Jim's shoulder as she walked by on her way to the kitchen and Jim grinned. "Well, boy, I'd say you done alright for yourself. She's a beauty with a personality to match."
"Yeah, I'd have to agree with you there," Paul said with a matching grin.
Leah found Tyler in the kitchen, sitting at the table, staring at the wolf charm. She walked to the stove and stirred the chili then turned to Tyler. "Hey, Ty. Talk to me. What's going on in that head of yours?" Leah encouraged as she pulled out the chair beside him and sat down.
Tyler took a deep breath and laid the charm down on the table. "I have no idea what this means. I never heard the legends of the tribe . . . I mean I know about Paul and Sam, and the other guys, but . . . I don't know. Does this mean he wants to be my dad? Am I supposed to fall all over him now cause he gave me some necklace? Am I supposed to feel something for him?"
Leah could feel Tyler's pain and it went like an arrow straight to her heart. "Oh Ty, I don't know. I think it means he wants to be a part of your life. He's reaching out to you and Paul and maybe you should give him a chance. You don't have to jump in and declare your love for him or anything, but, maybe just give him a chance to be your friend."
Tyler just shrugged, so Leah went on. "You don't have to wear that until you're ready. If you want to know more about the legends of our tribe, I'm sure that Sam would be glad to share them with you. All you have to do is ask."
Picking up the chain, Tyler dangled the charm in front of him. "You know I could turn into a wolf, too. Paul told me there was a chance since we have the same dad."
"I know. Are you worried about that?"
"Kind of. I know I'm not supposed to know about it, but I do, so I talked to Collin about it. He loves being a wolf. He thinks it's the coolest thing ever. Except . . . "
"Except what?"
Tyler set the chain down and looked at her. "You have to stay here on the rez. I really want to go to college someday."
"Hey, look at me," Leah smiled. "I got special permission to go to school. I proved it can be done if you want it."
A smile curved on his lips as he said slowly, "Yeah, I guess. I forgot you were a wolf, too."
Putting her hand on Tyler's, Leah told him softly, "Ty, you're still young. Not even a teenager yet. You have plenty of time to think about things. Just enjoy being a kid for awhile, OK?"
"Yeah, but Collin and Brady were only 13 when they changed. I'll be 13 in February. What if I . . . "
"Paul and the other guys were 16, and Sam was 18. I was almost 19! Collin and Brady are the exception to the rule. Please don't think you'll pop out as a wolf on your 13th birthday or something. It doesn't happen that way. Besides, just because you have the gene, doesn't automatically mean you'll phase. It's something we still don't understand."
Tyler smiled at that. "OK, I get it. Quit worrying about stuff."
"Yes. Now help me get dinner on the table, OK?"
"Yeah, OK." Leah stood up and Tyler surprised her by hugging her.
"Thanks, Leah. I like that I can talk to you."
"Always, honey. I'll always be here for you." Tyler let go and then turned to the oven to take out the cornbread.
Leah called Travis to come and set the table and before long everything was ready for dinner. "Come and get it!" she called out.
Paul walked into the kitchen with Jim carrying Noah following him. Leah had pulled up an extra chair to their small little table. It would be a tight fit, but they would make it work. Leah took Noah from Jim and laid him in his car seat on the floor. "OK, everyone, dig in."
They all ate in an awkward silence at first then Leah asked Travis about his day with Carly and that's all it took to get Travis going. He told her about all the games they played, what they had for lunch and how her mom let them make ice cream sundaes for a snack.
Leah shared her day with them, telling them she found a wedding dress and that her mother insisted on paying for it. "I think she's just as excited about this wedding as I am," she added.
"How soon is the wedding?" Jim asked.
Leah glanced over at Paul wondering how she should answer that. Did he want them him there? Or maybe not?
Paul answered, "This weekend . . . on New Year's Eve."
Jim's eyes rose in surprise. "Oh, that soon! That's great."
Paul quickly tried to decide whether to invite his dad or not. He was still a little confused about who he was and what he wanted from him. It was hard to trust his parents . . . they had never given him any reason to trust them. But he surprised himself by saying, "You know, if you're free, maybe you'd like to come?"
Jim sat there for a moment, absorbing what Paul just asked him. It was more than he could hope for. His son, asking him to attend his wedding! Finally, he cleared his throat and said, "Yes, I think I can do that. Thank you. Thank you for asking me."
Paul smiled and nodded then scooped up his last bite of chili. Leah sent him a smile and a wink to show her approval.
After dinner, Leah shooed all of the men out of the kitchen to the living room to talk while she cleaned up. Jim asked Tyler and Travis about school and what kinds of things they liked to do. Travis was more than happy to talk . . . Tyler was a little more quiet, as usual.
Travis had just finished telling Jim about how he liked to go fishing with Sam when Jim said, "I like fishing, too, pardner."
Travis giggled. "You said pardner, like a cowboy."
Jim chuckled. "Well, maybe that's cause my granddaddy was a real cowboy, and he used to call me that."
Travis' eyes grew huge. "He was a REAL cowboy?"
"Yes, he was. He was my mother's daddy . . . his name was Jack Taylor and he grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, on the Mississippi River. His father owned a general store there, and Jack grew up seeing men come off the boats and into the store to buy supplies then they would climb on their horses and head out west. He decided that someday he would do that, too. So, he saved every cent he made working in the store and by the time he was 17, he had enough to buy a horse and supplies then he left St. Louis for good and headed west to Montana. He had heard they had big cattle ranches out there, and he figured he could find work on one."
"Wow," Travis said in awe. Jim glanced at Tyler to see he was listening, too.
"So, he worked on a cattle ranch there for a few years until the trains took over moving the cattle and they didn't have to move them on cattle drives anymore. Jack decided then he'd like to see the ocean, so he packed up and got on his horse and headed toward Washington State. Before he made it all the way to the ocean, he stopped in a little town at a diner to get something to eat. That's where he met a pretty little woman who worked in the diner . . . my grandma, Naomi. She was Makah and living on the reservation there, but she worked in town at the diner to help make money for her family. She was one of nine children! Well, my granddaddy always said it was love at first sight, and before long, they got married and settled down here in Washington."
"Did he ever get to see the ocean?" Travis wanted to know.
Jim smiled and nodded. "Oh yes. He and my grandma used to drive out to the ocean a few times every year. They both loved the water."
"He sounds like a really adventurous guy," Leah commented. She had come in quietly during Jim's story. "I'll bet he had a lot of great stories."
"He did," Jim told her. "I loved to visit him. He died when I was about 12, I guess. I still miss him."
Paul had listened as intently as Travis while Jim was talking. He never had any idea that he had an ancestor that was a cowboy. It made him realize how much he had never known about any of the people he had come from. He also realized how much he'd like to know more.
Jim stayed for just a little while longer then declared he had to hit the road. He had a long drive back to Seattle, and work tomorrow morning. Turning to Leah, he thanked her for dinner. "You make a mean bowl of chili."
Leah gave him a soft laugh. "Thanks, Jim. Next time I'll make my killer lasagna."
"I look forward to it," Jim told her with a grin.
Paul told him what time the wedding would take place on Saturday, and Jim promised he'd be there.
Jim got up to go and walked over to where Tyler was sitting. "It was good to see you again, Tyler."
Tyler stood up and stuttered, "Yeah. Uh, thanks, again, for the . . . uh, for the chain and everything."
Jim smiled and squeezed Tyler's shoulder. "Sure. See you on Saturday."
"Good by, Uncle Jim!" Travis called out.
Jim grinned at him and said, "Good by, pardner." He tousled Travis' hair and then turned to Paul.
"I'll walk you out," Paul said.
Paul followed Jim outside then closed the door behind him. "I have to ask you something. Have you seen Doreen?"
His father looked at him in surprise. "No, I haven't. Not since last summer. After that day we came here and I saw exactly what she'd turned into . . . I told her to stay the hell away from me. She left and I haven't seen her since. Why?"
Paul sighed. "She called here last week and upset the boys . . . and me. She's still determined to get this house and . . . well, I'm a little afraid she might try something stupid. Tyler and I went to see the sheriff and ask for a restraining order. I don't want her anywhere near the boys."
Jim nodded. "I think that's a good idea. I was so shocked the first time I saw her when I got out. She's a shadow of the woman I used to know. If you could have seen her when I first met her . . . she was a real beauty. I wish . . . " Jim looked off toward the woods, "I wish I could go back now and change things . . . " his voice faded then he stood there silent for a moment, lost in thought. Finally he looked back to Paul and said, "But I can't change the past, so, I want you to know, if you need anything from me, I'm here for you, son." Jim rested his huge hand on Paul's shoulder.
Paul was taken aback for a second or two. He had no idea how to take that. Jim seemed so sincere . . . but could he trust him? Before he could think he found himself saying, "Thanks, Dad."
A smile broke out on Jim's face that lit up the night. "You're welcome, son. Anytime." He removed his hand from Paul's shoulder and dug into his coat pocket for his keys. "I'll see you on Saturday."
"OK. Good night," Paul called.
"Good night," Jim called back as he climbed into his truck, started the engine, gave Paul a wave and drove off into the night. Paul stood there for a few minutes watching the tail lights disappear into the darkness then he turned back to the house and walked inside.
Making his way into the living room, Paul sat down on the futon next to Leah then reached out to the coffee table and picked up the chain that his dad had given him and held it in his hand for a moment. Suddenly, for the first time in his life, he found himself wanting to belong to the Uley family. He slipped the chain over his head and let the little wolf rest against his chest.
Leah smiled at him and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "Giving him a chance?"
Paul smiled back and nodded. "A chance. We'll see how it goes."
Tyler was sitting in the chair watching as Paul put the chain on. He wondered what Paul and their dad talked about outside that led to Paul putting the necklace on. Tyler knew his brother didn't trust people that easily and if he now trusted Jim . . . well, Tyler decided, maybe he should give him more of a chance. Putting his hand in his pocket and feeling the wolf charm there, Tyler decided he just wasn't ready to wear it yet . . . but, maybe someday.