CHAPTER 27
Leah POV:
I looked at the smile on Joshua's face and believed he truly was happy to hear that Sam and Emily were having a baby.
"Um, I happen to have some pictures with me, from the wedding." I had just printed off some wedding pictures for Embry and they were in my bag. I pulled out the envelope and opened it. I took out one of just Sam and Emily. I handed it to him. It was more of a close-up than the one in the paper. And it showed her whole face.
"They look so happy . . . oh. " He noticed her face. He stared at the picture and his eyes grew worried. He looked up at me and asked, "What happened to her face?"
"Um, one day, when Sam was first phasing, he became angry, and Emily was a little too close. He phased and . . . well, she was in the way. He hates that he hurt her. It was just a terrible accident, but he will never quit blaming himself. He carries the guilt with him every day. But he loves her very much. And she loves him."
"But it was an accident? He hasn't . . . hurt her again? Or anyone else?" Joshua asked quickly.
"No," I assured him. I knew he was thinking that maybe Sam was more like him. "No, not at all. Sam is very protective of Emily. Of all of us." He looked immediately relieved.
"Good, that's good," he said. He looked at the picture again and asked, "Where did they get married?"
"In the backyard of their house. It was really beautiful." I tried to describe how everything was decorated and how Emily made her own wedding cake. I handed him another picture of me and Emily right before the ceremony. "I was the maid of honor," I explained.
He nodded. "You both look lovely," he said with a smile. "Who was Sam's best man?" he asked. Should I tell him about Embry? He has a right to know that he has another son. I think Angie would want him to know. I looked over at Jake. He gave me a scowl, and I shrugged at him and looked back to Joshua and said, "His brother, Embry."
Joshua's head snapped up and he said, "Who? His brother? What? I wasn't aware that Mary . . ."
I looked him in the eye and said, "Mary wasn't Embry's mother. His mother's name is Angela Call."
That did it. I could see instantly in his eyes the shock at hearing her name. "Angie? Angie was pregnant?" He sat back in his chair and stared at the floor. I was afraid for a minute that he had a stroke or something! "Joshua? Are you alright?"
He looked at me and said, "Yes. I'm sorry, I had no idea you knew about Angie."
"I know her well. I'm in love with her son. Your son, Embry." I pulled out a picture of Embry and me from the wedding. It was a good close-up of us and Embry was smiling and looked so happy. I handed it to him.
He took it and his hands were shaking. He stared at it and I could see a tear slip from his eye and roll down his cheek. "Oh my God. My son. His eyes, they look . . ."
"Yes, Angie said he had your eyes, and I can see that he does." He looked up at me and said, "He's all grown up!"
I smiled and said, "Yes, he just turned 18 this summer."
"I can't believe I have another son. And with Angie. He lives in LaPush with you both?" I nodded and he asked, "Where is Angie?"
"In LaPush. She moved there as soon as she found out she was pregnant. She knew that you were from there, so she went to find you. When she got there, Old Quil told her that you had left your wife and son, and never come back. So, she rented a house there so that if you did come back to LaPush, she would be there waiting for you. She loved you very much, you know. She gave birth to Embry, and raised him on her own. She's never married, or even dated, for that matter. He just found out this summer that you were his father. She never told him. Sam knows, too, by the way, and has accepted Embry as his brother. They are really getting close." I handed him another picture. This one was just Sam and Embry. "When Embry was 17, he phased. He's a wolf, like Sam. So is Jacob and . . . so am I."
He looked at me and said, "You? Are you serious? A female wolf? Has that ever happened?"
I smiled and said, "No. I guess I'm a misfit, too." He smiled at that. Then he turned his attention back to the picture in his hand. "You see, when Embry phased, everyone was shocked! Angie moved there when she was pregnant with him, and no one knew anything about his father because she never said anything. Not even to Embry. So when he phased, he knew he must belong to someone in the tribe, but no one would tell him. My mom is a nurse and she helped us do some simple DNA tests with Embry, Sam, Jake here, and Quil Atera. It turned out that Sam was Embry's brother, so he knew you were his father. Then Angie sat down and told him about you."
Joshua looked up at me and said with a smile, "I have a feeling the DNA tests were your idea."
I smiled back and nodded. I sat back and looked at Jake. He was so quiet. I was a little worried about him. "Jake, you OK?" I said quietly.
He looked over at me and shook his head. "Um, do you have a bathroom? I need to . . ." Jake asked. Joshua lifted his head and said, "Oh yes. Down that hall, right before you get to the kitchen."
"Thanks," Jake said as he got up and left the room.
"So, you are in love with Embry," Joshua said as he looked at me. I smiled and said, "Yes." He nodded and looked back down at the picture. "He is quite a handsome guy," he said with a chuckle. I had to laugh at that.
"You would be very proud of him. He promised his mom that he would graduate high school, even though he's 18 and he thinks he's too old for it. He has 5 more credits then he will graduate mid-term. He and Jacob work on cars, and they are really good at it! They are saving money to open their own repair shop. Embry is funny and smart, and he cares a lot about the people in his life. He's very protective of them. He is very happy to have Sam as a big brother. And he's excited about being an uncle," I added with a smile. "I'm very lucky that he loves me so much."
"I can see that, Leah. You light up when you talk about him," he said with a smile. "I think he's pretty lucky, too." He looked back down at the picture of Embry. It's like he couldn't look at it enough.
I looked at him and asked, "Tell me about Angie." He raised his eyebrows. "I know the story from her point of view. She fell for you, hard. She wouldn't have gone away with you like that if she hadn't have felt something for you. I have a feeling that you fell hard for her too."
He smiled and leaned back, still holding the picture of Sam and Embry. I had a feeling I wasn't getting that back. "I did, Leah. I fell hard for her, like you said. It truly was love at first sight. She came out of that little grocery store and bumped into me and I felt like I had been hit by lightning! She was so beautiful. I asked her where I could find this man that my grandpa had sent me to find and she told me. But for some reason, I couldn't let her go. I led her next door and ordered a soda for her while I drank a beer. I wasn't even sure if she was 18, she looked so young! I remember dancing with her, and I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. Just the way it felt to hold her in my arms – it was amazing! I remember, I leaned down and kissed her, and it was like this fire spreading through me. I asked her to leave with me and she did. We got into my truck and I found a little out of the way place to park and I had her in my arms right away. " He closed his eyes for a moment. I felt the sofa cushion move and realized that Jake was back.
Joshua opened his eyes and said, "Well, I won't go into detail with you, young lady, but suffice it to say that Angie was very special. I drove her home and when I pulled up to that little shack she called a house and heard the screaming coming out of there, I couldn't leave her there. I don't know why, but I asked her to come away with me, and I couldn't believe it when she said yes! We went down the coast and found a little motel, and well . . ."
"I know, Angie told us. You stayed there for three days. She fell in love with you, Joshua. She said she didn't understand it, but she knew that she loved you."
He smiled and said, "And I loved her. I mean no disrespect to Sam's mom, but those were the happiest days of my life." He leaned forward and looked at me very seriously and asked, "You know about imprinting, don't you?" I closed my eyes for a moment and said, "Uh, yes. I know all about it, believe me." I looked at Jake and he smiled at me.
Joshua went on, "I believe that's what happened between me and Angie. It was so fast, and so strong. I never wanted to let her go. But, on that third day, I felt the fever coming on and I knew I had to get away from her. I couldn't stand the thought of hurting her. I know she didn't understand, and I felt like shit, I really did. It took every ounce of strength I had in me to take her back to that horrible hell hole and leave her there. God, how I hated myself! I'll never forget her face as I drove away. It still haunts me sometimes at night when I close my eyes. Not a day goes by when I don't think about her. When I left her, I told myself it would only be for a little while. Until this phase passed. I found Bob on the reservation, and that's when he told me about the rez up north. I took off that day." He looked down at the picture once more.
"I went back to find her, you know. When I left the reservation, and headed south, I stopped there. Her aunt had passed away, and her uncle, the old drunk, he told me that she up and left and took everything with her and he had no idea where she had gone. I was devastated! I had no idea where to look for her. I can't believe I was so stupid not to think of her going to LaPush to find me. And all those times I was in LaPush, I never saw her."
"Well, she works at a factory in Forks, actually." I told him. "She gets up early in the morning and goes to work then comes home and eats dinner and goes to bed. She really doesn't get out at all. We have just recently gotten her to spend time with us. She was at Sam's wedding and we had a big birthday party for Embry on the beach and she came. The elders finally consented to tell her about Embry. She didn't know anything about this wolf thing. Now she does, and it is so much easier for Embry. He hated lying to his mom."
He nodded. "It has been hell being away from her. I mean it physically hurts to think about her." He looked down at the picture of Embry again. "I can see her in his face, too."
We were all very quiet for some time. I knew this was making Jake very uncomfortable. Finally, Joshua looked at me and said, "I know that I did not handle things the right way. I was scared . . . I should have at least called them and let them know I was alive. I could have made up some story, I guess. I just did what I thought was best to protect them." I could see the pain in his eyes as he talked. He really did love them. I could hear it in his voice and I could see it as he looked at their pictures. He looked at the picture of Sam and Emily then he held up the one of Sam and Embry. "Do you think I could see them? Just once?" Jake sat up and looked at me. I could see the protective Jake coming out. I looked at him and willed him to calm down.
I looked back to Joshua and said slowly, "I don't know. I have to tell you that they are both full of anger and rage for you. Especially Sam. His mom never got over you leaving, and it was really hard on him. And when he phased for the first time, he had absolutely no idea what was happening! He was terrified. It took him two weeks to calm down enough to phase back. He's always been pretty pissed that he didn't have his father there to tell him what was happening. Just by chance, he ran into Old Quil who shook his hand and knew immediately by the 108 temp he was running what was going on. He told the elders and they took him and helped him get through it. In turn, Sam helped everyone else, including Jacob here. Sam is the Alpha of the pack."
He frowned and said, "Sam is?" He looked at Jacob and asked, "Aren't you descended from Ephraim Black? You should be . . ."
Jake finally spoke up and said, "Yes, I am the true Alpha, but I haven't been a wolf very long. Sam is doing it until I am ready to step up. He's doing a fine job, and I'm in no hurry." Joshua nodded. I could see the pride in his eyes at Sam being the Alpha.
"I can ask them, prepare them, I guess. But I can't promise anything," I said to him. Jake glared at me. "I have no idea how they will take the news that you're alive. I think it's easier for them to pretend you're dead."
"Maybe that's how it should stay," Jake said coldly. I looked at him and said, "Jake!"
Joshua smiled at Jake. "I can see they have a good friend in you."
Jake sat up a little taller and said, "Embry is my best friend. My brother. I would NEVER let anyone hurt him. EVER."
"I don't want to hurt Embry either, Jacob. Or Sam," Joshua told him. "But, I would like them to know that I didn't abandon them on purpose. It has killed me every single day that I have been away from Sam. And Mary, and . . . Angie. And now, to find out that I have another son that I have never even seen . . . well . . ." he hung his head for a moment then he looked at me and said, "The phases, as I have gotten older, they don't come as frequently now. I have more time in between. Now I have weeks instead of days. I would really like to spend some of that time with my sons."
"Do you have a phone? Some way for me to get in touch with you?" I asked him. He smiled and said quickly, Yes, here let me write it down for you." He reached out and grabbed a notebook off of the cluttered table and wrote down a phone number. He tore off the paper and handed it to me. I folded it and stuck it into my bag.
"You can keep the picture of Sam and Embry. I'll make another one. And the one of Sam and Emily. Keep that, too."
"Thank you so much, Leah. You have no idea what these mean to me."
"Oh wait!" I said as I looked through the pack. "I think I have one in here . . . yes, here it is. Here's one of Angie." I handed it to him and I thought he would pass out! He took it and looked at it like it was the most precious thing in the world. It was a really good picture of her. She was wearing her new peach colored dress, and had her hair up with a few tendrils hanging by her face. She was smiling and talking to Rachel, Jake's sister. I explained that to Joshua as he stared at the picture.
Finally he said, "She looks exactly like I remember. Like she hasn't aged a day," he said softly. "She is still so beautiful." He looked up at me and said, "Thank you, Leah. Thank you." I could see the tears in his eyes again. I knew it was time for me to go.
I stood up and Jake popped up right away beside me then turned and headed for the door. Joshua stood up and said, "Would it be alright for me to give you a hug?" I smiled and nodded and he put his arms around me and hugged me then let me go. "Thank you for coming here today, Leah. And you, too, Jacob. I know it was hard for you, but I am so glad to see that my son . . . my sons, have such good people around them." And then he smiled at us.
I moved to the door and Jake opened it and walked out then held it open for me. I walked out onto the porch and turned to say, "I'll call you soon, OK?" He nodded and said, "I'll be waiting." I turned and walked behind Jake to the car. We both got in and Jake started the engine and put it in gear. As he pulled away from the curb, I watched Joshua. He waved and I waved back. I leaned my head back and thought that this was one of the weirdest days I had ever had.