CHAPTER 49

Leah POV:

I was sitting on the front steps waiting for Embry. He had called and told me to wait out front because he wanted to show me something. I had no idea what was going on. Seth wasn't home yet, either, which was kind of weird. He was usually home from school by now. I was worried that he had been hijacked by Ginny in the parking lot again!

Just then, a red Jeep pulled up and parked in front of my house. Who is that? I thought at first that maybe Seth got a ride home from school with someone new, but then Embry climbed out from behind the wheel. "Hey, baby!" he called to me. "Come here and take a look, Leah." Then I noticed Seth climb out of the passenger side.

I stood up and walked toward him. He met me and pulled me into his arms. He kissed me and then pulled me over to the Jeep. "What do you think?" he asked me. I looked at him and kept trying to figure out why he was so excited.

"Um, it's cool? What's going on here, Embry? Where's your truck? Is this going to be your new ride?" I asked him.

He grinned and said, "Nope. It's yours, baby." He held the keys out to me. I glanced at Seth and saw he had a grin on his face, too. I took the keys and looked at them.

What? Mine? I just stood there in shock. He laughed and opened the driver's side door. "You need a vehicle, Leah, so we fixed this one up for you. It needed a new engine, so we got one and put it in, but everything else is in great shape! And it only has 88,000 miles on it! Now, I know it's a stick and you don't know how to drive a stick, but I can teach you. It's not that hard." I just looked at him. I had no idea what to say! They did this . . . for me?

"Leah? Do you like it?" he asked anxiously.

I looked back at him and said, "Yea! I'm just . . . shocked! I had no idea . . . yea, Embry, this is really cool." I turned and hugged him. "Thank you! Thank you so much!" He held me tight and said, "I'm so glad, baby."

"I still can't believe this. You're giving me a car! How? You can't afford this. You guys are saving for the shop!"

He told me the story about how they got it for free and they pieced together the engine. "I already ran it by your mom, so don't worry about that. I didn't want to give you a car then have her be upset about the insurance and license plates and stuff. " He turned to Seth and said, "Your mom said she left the license plate in the garage. Can you go get it for me and we'll put it on." He nodded and jogged to the garage.

I moved away from him and plopped down into the driver's seat. It was really cool! It was hard top Jeep so I could drive it in the winter. The interior looked great. Whoever had it before took really good care of it. Seth came jogging back with the plate and a screw driver and put the license plate on the Jeep as Embry told me more about it.

"Can we go for a drive?" I asked him.

"Of course!" he answered with a grin. "Hey, Seth! Jump in the back, bro!" He smiled and did just that. I walked around and got into the passenger seat as Embry got in behind the wheel. "OK, Leah, just watch what I do, then, later we'll find somewhere for you to try it, OK?" I just nodded. He explained the different gears to me and talked about the clutch and the gas, and I found myself very confused very quickly. He must have noticed cause he smiled and said, "Don't worry about all that right now. Just watch, OK?"

I smiled and said, "Yea, good. OK."

He started the engine and put the Jeep in gear and took off. He drove us around LaPush and I loved it! It rode great! He pulled over on a country road and said, "OK, you ready to try?" I looked at him and answered, "I don't know."

"Oh come on, Leah! Quit being such a baby. I think I could do it just from watching Embry," Seth said. I glanced back at him with a mean look and said, "Fine. Let's do this." I got out and walked around to the driver's side. Embry climbed out and looked down at me.

"It's not that hard. You just have to get the feel of the letting out the clutch at the same speed as you are pushing down on the gas. Once you get the hang of that, it's a piece of cake." He jogged around to the other side of the Jeep. I got in and took a deep breath. I adjusted the seat so I could reach the pedals and then adjusted the mirrors. I buckled my seat belt and looked over at him and asked, "What first?" He again explained the gears and how to move the gear shift. Then he told me about pushing the clutch in with my left foot and holding it there while I put my right foot on the gas pedal. Lift the left foot while pushing with the right. OK, I could do this. I checked to make sure the Jeep was in neutral, and I pushed in the clutch and put my right foot on the brake. Then I turned the key and started the engine. I moved the gear shift to first gear and looked at Embry. "You can do it, baby. If you move the clutch too fast, it will kill the engine. Remember slow."

I nodded and let the clutch out real slow then pushed on the gas. The Jeep leaped forward and then died. Seth laughed. I looked at him in the rearview mirror and he immediately shut up. "Come on, try it again. You were really close."

So, I tried a couple more times and I finally got it moving! "Yes! Now push in the clutch and move it down into second gear, then let the clutch out again as you give it gas." I tried and it worked! I got all excited! Embry kept giving me instructions and I managed to drive about a mile or so, then Embry told me how to pull over and stop. "Oh my gosh, Embry, I did it! That was so fun!"

We kept at it until I got it into third gear and drove for awhile. "You're a natural at this, Leah!" Embry said with a grin. I was on the road that drove right through town. I really felt I wasn't ready for that yet so I pulled over and told Embry to drive us home. We quickly switched drivers and Embry took off.

Embry pulled up to the house and parked it then turned off the engine. Seth scooted forward to put his head between me and Embry and said, "When do I get a turn?"

I smiled and looked over at him and said, "When you get a permit."

He rolled his eyes and looked over at Embry. "Come on, dude. One drive? Please?"

He grinned and said, "Sorry, bro. It's her car now."

He fell back and pouted for a minute then said, "Let me out, OK?" Embry got out of the Jeep and let Seth out. I heard him say, "Sorry, Seth. You'll get a shot, I promise." He smiled and took off for the house.

Embry climbed back into the Jeep and looked at me. I just stared at him and he said, "What? I hated to see him so disappointed, that's all."

I rolled my eyes at him then smiled. "Thank you. This is the coolest thing that anyone has ever done for me." I leaned toward him and kissed him. It wasn't as easy in this car as it was the truck! The center console and gear shift made it a little bit of a challenge. When we separated I told him that.

He laughed and said, "Well, we still have the truck, baby, don't worry. I don't think I would ever get rid of that. Especially since it holds such fond memories." He wiggled his eyebrows at me and I laughed.

I turned and climbed out of the Jeep. I shut the door and went to join Embry. We walked into the house and Mom smiled at me. "Surprise!" she said. She stood up to hug me. "Thanks, Mom. This is so awesome!"

"Well, you need a car. I would like to see you be able to take classes at a real college, honey. Now you can. I put some basic insurance on it for you. You may have to look for a part-time job though to keep gas in it. Especially to drive back and forth to school."

"I will, Mom, I promise! This is so awesome. I even learned how to drive it today. I will need a lot of practice to drive it as well as Embry, but I think I can do it."

"I'm sure you'll get it," she said.

"When I get better at it, I'll take you for a ride, OK?"

"I'll plan on it. Right now, I better get back into the kitchen. I'm putting together a couple of lasagnas. Embry, you staying for dinner?"

"Yea, sure. Thanks, Sue."

"No problem. I made plenty," she said as she turned and walked to the kitchen.

Embry smiled at me. "Are you sure you like it? I mean, we could sell it and look for something different, maybe an automatic . . ."

"No way! You are not selling my Jeep. I love it!" He grinned and took me into his arms. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. And kissed him, and kissed him.

He laughed and said, "OK, OK. I'm glad you like it. I'll let you keep it."

We ate dinner and Embry and Seth both commented that they were glad it was Friday. It had been a tough week, and it would be good to get some rest.

"I asked Abby to go out tomorrow night. I told her we were going to double with you guys. She said that was cool. So, what are we going to do?" he asked as he shoved a bite of lasagna into his mouth.

"See a movie? I can find out what's playing," I suggested.

"Yea, OK."

"So you and Abby are dating now?" Mom asked. Embry and I looked at him and he smiled and said, "Yes, Mom. Leah yelled at me and told me since I kissed her the other night, I had to take her out."

Mom looked at me and laughed. "Well, I guess you owe her that at least. But do you really like her, or do you just like kissing her?" I looked at Seth and raised my eyebrows.

He rolled his eyes at me then said to Mom, "Yea, I really like her. She's cute and fun and smart and . . . yea, I like her."

"Good. Invite her over to dinner sometime," Mom suggested.

"OK. She would like that. She hates being at home. She doesn't like her mom's boyfriend. I guess he sleeps over a lot."

Mom just shook her head and picked up her plate and put it in the sink. I helped Mom clean up while the guys went out to check something on the Jeep. "So you were surprised?" Mom asked.

"Yes! I still can't believe it. Do I have the best boyfriend, or what?" I said with a grin. She laughed. "I'd say he's a keeper," she said.

I walked outside to see Seth in the driver's seat and Embry in the passenger seat. I walked up and put my head in the passenger window. "What 'cha doing?" I asked.

"Embry's showing me how to drive a stick. I'm almost 16, you know, then I can drive for real."

I looked at Embry and just shook my head. He shrugged. "Well, little brother, you're not 16 yet, and I'd like to take my new car for a drive, so move it!"

"Fine," he grumped. He got out and headed for the house. I jumped into the driver's seat and adjusted the seat and buckled my seat belt. I looked over at Embry and asked, "Are you ready?"

He smiled and said, "Let's go, baby!"

"I hope I remember everything you taught me!" I pushed in the clutch and the brake, put it into first and started the engine. It took me two tries, but I finally got it going. "You think Jake is home? I want to drive over and thank him."

"We can stop by," Embry said. I got it on the road, and actually made it to fourth gear! I was getting a little better by the time we pulled into Jake's. The light was on in the garage, so I pulled up there and stopped and honked. Jake came out of the garage and grinned. I turned off the Jeep and jumped out and launched myself at Jake.

"Hey, I take it you like it!" he said as he held me. I pulled back and said, "I love it! I wanted to come over and thank you. You are the best friend a girl could ever have! Thank you so much, Jake."

"You're welcome. So, you learned to drive already? That's great," Jake said.

"Well, I'm learning. Embry is VERY patient." Embry grinned and Jake rolled his eyes.

"Yea, I've always said that about him. He's so patient," Jake said sarcastically.

"Shut up, dude," Embry retorted.

"How come you're working in the garage on a Friday night? Where's Bella?" I asked him.

"Her mom is coming in tonight for a visit. She's flying into Seattle and renting a car. I wanted her to have some alone time with her mom. I'm going over later tomorrow to see her."

I nodded and said, "See? You're a great guy." He smiled and looked at Embry. "You better watch out, bro. Your girlfriend is all over me."

Embry stood in front of him and said, "Yea? You think so? Like she would prefer you over a hottie like me? Please."

"Have you checked out these abs, bro? Drives girls crazy!" Jake ran his hand over his abs.

"Maybe, but they LOVE the way I kiss them. Girls will take a great kiss over abs any day!" Embry bragged.

I just stood there and stared at them. "What the hell is with you two? Are you serious?"

They broke up laughing. "Come on, Leah. It's what we do. We've always tried to out-do each other," Embry told me.

"Well, as the only girl here, let me just say, Jake, your abs are really hot," I said as I ran my hand down his chest. He grinned at Embry and nodded. Embry rolled his eyes. "But," I said as I turned to Embry, "Embry is the HOTTEST kisser."

Embry grinned and pulled me to him and planted a hot, sexy kiss on me. "Oh yea, baby. That's what I'm talking about," he said. We all laughed.

"Come on, stud," I said to Embry, "let's go and let Jake get back to work." I turned and hugged Jake again. "Thanks, again."

"You're welcome, honey. I'm glad you like it," Jake said. "See ya later."

We climbed into the Jeep and I took off first time! I drove around a little then headed for Embry's. "You don't have to take me home, baby. I can run home from your house."

"Nope. I have a car now. I can drive you home," I told him with a smile.

"Are you OK driving it alone?" he asked.

"It's not that far. I think I can manage. That's the only way I'm going to learn, you know."

I jerked to a stop in front of his house and turned off the car. I looked at him and said, "Don't you dare laugh."

He smiled. "I wouldn't think of it." He leaned over and kissed me. "This is the part of the night I hate the most. Saying goodbye to you is the worst."

I smiled. "Someday, we won't have to do this. We will walk into our bedroom, get into bed, and say 'goodnight' instead of 'goodbye.' "

"Oh, baby. You don't know how badly I want that," he said as he leaned to kiss me again. We awkwardly tried to make out, but it wasn't easy in the Jeep. He pulled away and said, "I'm glad you like this car, but I really like my truck." We both smiled at that.

He climbed out and waved at me then walked up the steps to his house. I started the engine and actually took off without stalling it and honked and waved. Of course, I stalled it at the stop sign. I laughed at myself. This would take practice, but I was having a lot of fun learning.