Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 23

You: so I had fun on my date!

Carol45: what date?

You: the one I was supposed to say yes to?

Carol45: oh good, he did ask you out then

You: what? You said he was going to. You know a psychic!

Carol45: yeah, but her visions go blank when it comes to the pack. I suggested that he needed to take you out on a fancy date – I'm surprised he listened to me. Where'd he take you?

You: First Beach, we had a picnic

Carol45: a picnic in November?

Carol45: what a dunce

You: nooo it was sweet and really great

I laughed as Paul came out of the bathroom. He'd just taken a shower and was wearing a fresh pair of clothes – jeans and a thick sweater. For some reason, he just got more and more attractive with more clothes on. I wondered what would happen to me if he'd ever wear one of those bubble-ish snow suits.

"Whatcha doin?" he smiled rubbing a towel on his head.

"Talking to Rosalie."

"Yuck," he fake-grimaced, turning back into the bathroom.

Carol45: sure it was

You: alright I have to go take a shower. Paul just got out

Carol45: out of the shower? and you didn't join him?

Carol45: I bet my Mustang you haven't rocked the bed yet.

You: hmmm I don't know what you mean

You have logged off.

…

I gripped my towel as I peeked out into the bedroom wondering where Paul was. I found him lying on the bed with Harry playing with a rope toy.

"So did Kim say anything else about tonight?" I asked him, trying not to seem awkward getting my clothes.

"Nah, she just said that she was having a girl's night and - and you were invited."

I glanced at him as he stared down hard at the bed spread. "Oh do you know who's going to be there?"

"Other – girls," he choked as I changed in the bathroom, leaving the door open.

"Like Emily? Is it weird that I don't feel weird about hanging out with her?"

"What do you mean?" he looked up when I entered the room, completely dressed.

"Well I've become really good friends with Leah – I'm closer to her than Emily, and I feel like I should hate her because of Sam and that whole thing…" I tried to explain.

"It's not like you to hold grudges, and it couldn't have been prevented, and Sam couldn't turn away his imprint unless she would have been happier without him."

"Would he have really let her go and stayed with Leah?" I frowned, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"If it was best for Emily, but that's not how it worked out… plus I know Leah would have left as soon as she found out that Sam had imprinted. They would have resented each other in the end."

"Oh…" The thought of Paul dating another woman flitted through my mind. If he'd been dating his high school sweetheart, would I have been so selfish to ask him to leave her for me? The scorned-woman-whose-boyfriend-cheated-on-her in me would have said no, but the part of me who has experienced Paul – talked with him, laughed, argued, and even kissed him said hell yes.

"God, that was such a CF," he snorted.

"What's a C-F?"

"A cluster fuck."

"Oh, why didn't you just say-"

"Because you're turning me into a dork!" he laughed, pulling me down onto the bed as Harry jumped off. "Shit, damn - damn it!"

"Paul…" I mumbled through our kisses.

"Just five more minutes."

…

Girl's night was exactly what I expected it to be and I loved it. Kim had her friends over for cheeseburgers and ice cream and watching bad romantic comedies. And also lots of cooing over Baby Cameron. Jared and Kim had been expecting a girl but got a boy instead and still hadn't agreed on a name.

"I still think Cameron is a good name for a boy. Cameron Cameron – sounds catchy," I joked as Kim turned through a book of baby names.

"Oh this boy is going to be a handful! I already want to knock his head off," she pouted. "But then I look at his face and I fall in love with him all over again. He's so perfect."

"Uh oh, Mom I think someone's a little hungry," Emily appeared next to us.

"Come with me," Kim whispered, giving me a look.

I followed them nervously to the master bedroom leaving Kim's other friends sipping wine in the kitchen. Kim wasn't one to have private conversations as she was very open with all her friends – except about the whole my-husband-is-a-werewolf thing. Which this must have been about.

"Oh you're hungry again?" she asked cooing at her son. "It seems like you've gotten my appetite." She held him sitting in a rocking chair and easily popped open her shirt.

"So you and Paul…" Emily grinned as she plopped down on the bed. "You two have become pretty serious."

"Uh yeah, we have," I grinned back.

"So has he told you yet?" Kim asked adjusting herself.

"Well…" I blushed as they giggled. "Kinda."

Their faces fell.

"Kinda?" Kim frowned.

"Well I know, and he knows that I know, but he didn't actually tell me," I tried to explain. Paul hadn't said it directly that I was his imprint.

"Oh he didn't say he cared about you while he was on top of you in bed, did he?"

"Kim!" Emily scolded her but turning back to look at me.

"No," I laughed. Wasn't talking about imprints a little too serious to discuss while having sex? "I just asked him and he didn't say the words – it sounds weird, but you just had to be there."

"Oh my god, I'm gonna have to stab him – Paul needs to say the words. I know you're his first real serious grown up girlfriend but come on!"

"Kim you know it's hard for some guys to say I love you," Emily nodded at me gently.

"Whoa," I stammered. "That's what we're talking about?"

"Wait what were you talking about?"

"Well… I know I'm Paul's… imprint," I lowered my voice.

"What?" Kim rocked forward.

"He told you that already?"

"Well I asked," I shrugged, feeling I'd done something wrong.

"Wow…" Emily shook her head.

"When did you find out?"

"A few months after we started dating," Kim stared at me.

"Oh…"

"Well you do come from a different place than us – you already knew about the pack…" Emily tried to make me feel better.

The wine started tasting better after that conversation.

…

"Hey Rach, you okay?" Paul asked as we walked to his truck. Good thing he'd dropped me off because I definitely needed a ride home.

"Yup, I'm fine."

"You're fine? In women-speak, that means you're upset – unless you were saying your body was fine which it is, but that's not what you meant, was it?"

"Fine meant fine because I'm a little too tipsy to think of words."

"Okay... good to know," he spoke slowly, unsure of himself.

"You're fine too, by the way…" I told him, lifting the mood.

"Oh, how fine?"

"Like China," I burst into giggles.

"You're such a dork," he laughed with me.

"You're such a shape-shifter…"

"Wow, are you sure you were drinking just wine?" he smiled, pulling up to my house.

"Yes."

"Alright, let's get you inside. I gotta run an errand for Seth."

"You're not staying?" I pouted as we got to my door.

"No, but it'll be real quick I promise," he kissed my cheek as turned back to his truck.

"Alright," I grumbled.

AN: yeah sorry for the long wait, you'll probably won't get another chapter until after Harry Potter comes out - I've been writing, just not this story... But this story is coming to an end - only a chapter or two or three - I always say this and it'll be ten more chapters

Also this ending is supposed to be ironic but you wouldn't know that yet because the next chapter is a bit of a time jump.

Thanks for still Reading!