CHAPTER 57

Embry POV:

This is the moment that I had been waiting for all day. I smiled at her and said, "Wait here until I come and get you." She looked at me curiously, but nodded.

I ran back to my room and lit the candles. I liked the soft glow they gave. I pulled back the sheet and fluffed the pillows. It looked really nice. I walked back out to Leah and scooped her up into my arms and carried her to my room.

"Wow! This is awesome," she said with a gorgeous smile. "I can't believe you did all of this just for me."

She looked at me and I told her, "I want you to know how much you mean to me. I wanted us to have a really nice night, just the two of us." I kissed her gently on the lips then I set her on her feet. I took her face in my hands and said, "I love you, baby. I want to show you just how much." I put my lips to hers and ran my hands down her body then pulled her close. She wrapped her arms around me and sighed. We stood there and kissed for a little while then she stepped back and pulled her shirt off over her head and shook out her hair. I smiled and pulled my t-shirt over my head and threw it on the floor. I pulled her back to me and ran my hands over her back as I kissed her. I didn't want to rush anything. I wanted us to take our time. I left her lips and put a trail of kisses on her throat and neck. She sighed and I ran my hands down over her ass. I loved how these jeans made her look, but all I could think of now was getting them off of her. I put my lips back on hers and let my hands drift to the waistband of her jeans. I had them unbuttoned and unzipped and moved them down her hips in no time. She even wiggled a little to help me slide them down.

I felt her hands unzip my pants and linger a little over the zipper. Oh, she really knew how to get me going. I helped her pull them off and I stepped out of them. I laid her back on the bed and moved to lay beside her. It was a snug fit, but I didn't care. I wanted to be close to her. I was trying so hard to hold back and take my time. I knew there was no rush, but it was hard once we got going. She was running her hands all over the right places, and kissing me with such passion. I had her bra off and was doing the same for her. We kissed and touched and drove each other to the point where we couldn't wait any longer. Our underwear had disappeared and we were lying there with nothing in between us to stop us. I rolled over on top of her and looked down. This was when she was her most beautiful. Her dark eyes were black with desire and her hair was splayed out behind her head like a halo. I smiled at her as I entered her and her eyes closed and she arched her back and wrapped her legs around me. I could never get enough of this feeling. I moved and she moved with me in unison until we were spent and breathless. I whispered, "I can never get enough of you, Leah. I love you."

"Mmmmm, I love you, too, baby. So much. And I love feeling this way with you."

I kissed her and rolled to the side, and immediately fell off of the bed! I heard her laughter first then she peeked over the side of the bed and said, "Oh Embry! Are you OK?"

I laughed as I lay on my back looking up at her. "Yea. Here I was feeling so smooth, giving you such a romantic evening. When we get married, we are getting a much bigger bed."

She laughed at that. "Agreed!"

I pulled myself up and back onto the bed. She sat up so I could put my arm around her then she snuggled into my side. "I've been looking forward to this all day," I said.

"Mmmmm, me, too." We lay there for awhile just soaking up the moment. She wondered out loud how Abby was settling in at Sam and Emily's. "I hope she didn't have any trouble getting her things."

"Sam and Seth will take care of her," I said lazily.

"Yea. I'll call her later and make sure she's OK. She was quiet for awhile again then she said, "Embry, I've been wondering. What made you decide to propose to me at your parent's wedding party? I mean, don't get me wrong, I loved it, but I was just wondering."

"Well, I wasn't really planning it that way. The way I was planning on doing it, was right here, in bed. This is always my very favorite time with you. I feel like, all is right with the world, and so I wanted to do it then."

She sat up and looked at me. "Wow. I feel that way, too. I would have loved that. What changed your mind."

"Mom. She was going through her jewelry box looking for those pearl earrings of her mom's that she wanted to wear for the wedding. She came across the ring and she called me into her room. She told me that she had been saving it for me to give to the girl I wanted to marry. I was blown away when I looked at it! I mean, it's really big, and it's really pretty! I was hoping you would like it, too."

"I do! I love it," she said as she held it out and looked at it.

"So, Mom asked if I would like her to hold on to it, or was I ready to give it to you. I thought about saving it for Christmas, but I knew I wanted you to have it right away. I mean, you know I want to marry you. I tell you all the time!" She smiled. "I took it and told her I would have to ask Seth for your hand. She told me that was only proper. And then, I don't know. I guess I knew how much it meant to my mom for you to have the ring, and I thought maybe she would like to be included. I just hoped you wouldn't be mad because I did it in front of everyone. They all mean so much to us, and . . ."

She stopped me with a kiss. "I wasn't mad. I'm not mad. You're right. Your mom was glowing and my mom was crying. It was right to include them all." Then she looked down at the ring and said, "But, maybe we could have it our way, too." She took the ring off of her finger and handed it to me.

I smiled at her and nodded then I reached out and set the ring on my dresser. She looked at me curiously and asked, "What are you doing?"

I smiled. "Well, if we are going to do it like I planned then we are going to do it in the order that I planned." I reached for her and she smiled and said, "Yes, sir."

Much later, as we lay there in the afterglow, I reached over and grabbed the ring. I sat up and looked at her and said, "Leah, since the very first time I kissed you in the water, I knew there was something special between us. It took you a little longer to figure that out, but I'm glad you finally did." She gave a little laugh. "I think that we are meant to be together, whether you want to call it imprinting, or us being drawn together. I don't care. I just know that I want to spend the rest of my life taking care of you, making you happy and loving you. That's all I want. You are everything to me, and I don't want to live one single day of my life without you." I held out the ring to her. "Will you marry me?"

I could see tears in her eyes as she looked at me and said softly, "Oh, Embry. You brought me out of such a dark place and into the sunshine. You helped me to live again and I owe you so much. I want to spend every day of my life making you happy and loving you. I want to marry you and have babies with you! I love you so much. Yes, yes, yes! I will marry you!"

I grinned as I slid the ring on her finger and then pulled her into my arms. "That was perfect," I whispered. "Just like I hoped it would be."

She kissed me and whispered, "Just like our lives will be. Perfect."

Leah POV:

After Embry's beautiful proposal, he decided it was time for cake. He told me to stay put, and he ran out into the kitchen and brought back the cake with two forks. We sat wrapped in the sheets on his bed eating cake. "Oh, man, this is good," he said.

"Mmmm, hmmmm. I hope you don't mind cake crumbs in your bed," I told him.

He laughed and said, "I just washed the sheets, too!"

"I noticed your room looks pretty spiffy. You cleaned it up just for tonight, didn't you?"

"Well, it's hard to be romantic with a pile of dirty laundry on the floor and crap laying everywhere."

"The candles are a very nice touch. I love the way it looks in here with the candlelight." I dug my fork in for another bite. "Who knew you were such a romantic?"

"You bring it out of me, baby." He took another big bite of cake. I smiled. Just then his phone rang. "Should I answer it?"

I nodded. "It might be Seth or Abby."

H e picked it up and said, "Hello? Hey, Abby. Everything OK? Yea, sure. Hang on." He covered the phone and said, "She wants to talk to you." He handed it over to me.

"Hi Abby. You OK?"

"Yes. I didn't mean to bother you, but I just wanted to thank you for helping me. Sam took me and Seth to get my stuff. Jim was there and he was drunk and he tried to tell Sam that I wasn't going anywhere. But Sam hit him right in the nose and he fell over onto the couch! Sam planted himself in front of him and told him to sit down and shut up then told me and Seth to go and pack up my stuff. We packed up as much as we could and took it out to the car. Mom came home just as I was leaving. I told her I was going to live with some friends for awhile." She stopped and I heard her sniff. "Um, she told me she wasn't going to give them any money to take care of me. Seth told her that wouldn't be a problem. She said, 'OK, kid. See ya around.' Can you believe that? She didn't even ask where they lived or anything." I heard her crying, and Seth in the background telling it to stop, she was OK now. She came back on. "Then Sam brought us here. I have my own room upstairs and it's so big! I love the bed and the quilts, and I have a closet. Emily is the best. She is so nice and . . . thank you, Leah. Thank you so much."

I couldn't help but smile. "You are very welcome, Abby. I'll come over after you get out of school tomorrow and see you, OK?"

"Yes. That would be great, Leah," she said a little more brightly. "Um, I'll let you go. See you tomorrow!"

"Bye, Abby." I closed the phone and handed back to Embry.

"I take it everything went well?" he asked.

"Yes. I guess her mom's boyfriend tried to start some trouble, but Sam decked him then told him to sit down and shut up. Abby and Seth packed everything up and Sam took them home. She is very excited about having the room upstairs to herself."

He put the cake plate and forks on the floor. He smiled and pulled me to him. "You are really sweet to do this for Abby. You seem to be good at knowing what people need."

"Really?"

"Yea, I mean, you knew I needed a brother, so you scheduled DNA tests to find mine. You knew I needed my dad, so you went out and found him. I mean, sometimes you jump into things without thinking, but, it seems to always work out." He kissed me on top of my head. "And, even though I can't believe I'm going to say this, I guess you knew what . . . Josiah needed, too."

I sat up and looked at him. "What?"

"You . . . gave him some human kindness. Probably the last he'll have in a very long time. I still I hate the guy, but I guess I can kind of see why it happened."

I smiled at him. "Wow. Look at you, all grown up." I leaned in and kissed him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and said, "Thank you for that. I think I want to marry you."

"Really? That's too bad, baby. I'm already taken," he teased.

"You bet your ass you are," I told him. He laughed as I kissed him.

We spent our time together just chatting, and teasing each other. We even talked a little about what kind of wedding we wanted. "I really liked Sam and Emily's wedding. It was just simple and beautiful."

"Yea, it was nice. I really don't want anything too fancy. I'd be happy if it was just you and me on a hilltop somewhere."

I smiled at that. "Or what about getting married outside at night, under the stars with a full moon rising. That would be really cool."

"I don't care how or where. Just as long as it happens," Embry told me.

I glanced at the clock. It was almost midnight. "Um, here's my plan for staying with you tonight. I'm going to run the Jeep home and go up to bed. I'll close the door and sneak out the window and come back. Mom will sleep late in the morning because she worked late tonight, and Seth won't check if I'm in my room before he goes to school."

"I hate that you have to sneak around. We are engaged, you know."

"I know that. But, I don't know. I don't want to set a bad example for Seth."

"Are we being bad?" Embry asked with a sly smile.

"Really bad." I smiled back and kissed him. Then I crawled over him and started putting on my clothes. He just laid there and watched. I grabbed my shoes and said, "I'll be back." I bent down and kissed him.

"I'll be waiting, baby." I smiled and walked out of the bedroom. I slipped on my shoes and picked up my purse and keys. I hated sneaking around, but I really wanted to sleep with him all night. I smiled and hurried out the door.

Being a werewolf had certain advantages. Like being able to leap out of a second story window and land without breaking anything! And running at great speeds and distances. I was back at Embry's in no time. I went up the front steps and opened the door and locked it behind me. I slipped off my shoes and left them by the door then made my way back to Embry's room. I stopped at the door and smiled. He was sprawled out on the bed, sound asleep. I walked in and took off my clothes then picked up his t-shirt and slipped it on. I leaned down and said in his ear, "Embry, baby. I'm back."

He snorted and turned his head. I rolled my eyes and put my hand on his shoulder and shook him. "Embry!" I said louder. "Move over!" He grabbed me and pulled me down on top of him, laughing at me while I screamed.

"You ass! You were awake?" I said.

"You think I wouldn't notice a naked girl in my room? Please." He rolled me to the side of him and kissed me. "I missed you," he whispered. Then he proceeded to show me how much.

Embry POV:

I woke up and tried to stretch, but I couldn't feel my arm. I opened my eyes and squinted as the sun was already shining in the window. Shit, that means I am late for school. I looked over and saw Leah laying on my arm. I smiled and thought, to hell with school. I leaned toward her and kissed her. Her eyelids fluttered then opened. She smiled at me and I thought I had died and gone to heaven. This was something I had been dreaming of for months. I kissed her again and held her close to me. "Good morning, fiancé," I whispered.

"Mmmm, good morning, fiancé," she replied. She wrapped herself around me and I made another of my fantasies come true.

While we lay there trying to catch our breath, I said, "I always wanted to wake up and do that first thing in the morning. Man, that was awesome."

She smiled and said, "Oh yea it was. But, you're late for school."

I laughed. "I can't believe you just said that! I just woke up and had sex with the girl I'm going to marry, and she tells me I'm late for school!" I was laughing really hard now. "That just doesn't make sense! Am I still asleep and dreaming? Are you really here?" She pinched me. "Ow!" I yelled.

She laughed and said, "Yes I am really here! Now, get your ass to school and graduate so I don't feel like I'm robbing the cradle!"

I was laughing so hard I fell out of bed. She stepped over me and went to use the bathroom. I finally got control of myself and looked at the clock. Oh man. I would miss Trig, but I could make it for second period. I would be so glad to get out of that fucking school!

I got up and made my way to the bathroom just as Leah was coming out. "Want to shower with me, baby?" I asked in my sexiest werewolf voice.

She smiled and leaned against me and said, "I would love to, but then you would never get to school. Maybe we can do that later tonight?"

"You promise?" I asked.

She nodded and kissed me then walked back to my room. I took a deep breath and went into the bathroom to shower. I showered, brushed my teeth then walked back to my room naked to get some clothes. I found Leah lying on my bed in my t-shirt sleeping. I smiled and tried to take a mental picture of that.

I pulled open my dresser drawers and got out a clean pair of boxers and a t-shirt and picked up my jeans off of the floor. I dressed and then leaned down and kissed Leah on the forehead. "Goodbye, sleepy head. See you later," I whispered. She sighed and went on sleeping.

I picked up my book bag and keys and forced myself to leave for school.

The rest of the week went way too quickly. I went to school during the day and worked with Jake after, while Leah went home and did her schoolwork or went to work. We would meet at my house as soon as we could and we spent most of our time making love. In my bed, in the shower, on the couch . . . it was like we were on our own little honeymoon. I couldn't ever get enough of her! She cooked for me, or we ordered pizza. She helped me with my homework so I wouldn't get behind again. I was counting down the weeks. Seven more weeks of school, and I was done. I was more than ready!

On our last night together, we made a bed out of blankets on the living room floor. She was wearing one of my t-shirts, which she had taken to doing the whole time she was here, and I was in a pair of gym shorts. We were watching a movie on the TV and I looked over at Leah and said, "I don't want this to end."

She smiled and said, "It won't. This is only the beginning. When we get married, it will be like this again."

I smiled back. "I know. I always feel like I'm waiting. I just want the waiting to be over."

"Me, too."

I leaned over and kissed her. "Tomorrow we go back to living separately again. And I start living here with my mom AND my dad. That's going to be very strange."

"I think it's cool. Have they heard anything on the other house, yet?" she asked.

I shook my head. "Dad said he would call again when he got home. It's a much bigger house, but it needs some work. Dad wants to try and get a really good price on it so he'll have money left for the materials he'll need to fix it up. I guess that's the hold up. The guy is haggling over the price."

"So what will happen to this house?"

I shrugged. "Mom just rents this house. I guess the landlord will rent it to someone else."

She nodded then got quiet. I turned my attention back to the movie. We fell asleep there on the floor and slept until almost dawn. Then I woke up and started kissing Leah to wake her so we could make love one more time before she had to go. It was really slow and kind of . . . beautiful. Afterward I looked down at her and smiled. She had tears in her eyes. "Baby, are you OK?" I asked her anxiously.

She gave me a brilliant smile and said, "Yes, Embry. That was beautiful. I love you so much."

I kissed her and said, "I love you, too." We held onto each other for as long as we could. Then I got up and went to the bathroom to shower. When I came out, the blankets were all folded and put away and the pillows were back on the bed and Leah was dressed.

"I made coffee," she told me as she got up from the bed.

"Yea, I smell it. Thanks." She went to walk past me and I reached out and pulled her to me. I kissed her gently on the lips.

She broke into a smile and hugged me. I let her go and she walked to the kitchen. I got dressed and joined her. She was scrambling eggs as I walked in and grabbed the coffee pot and poured myself a cup. "Sit down. Your eggs are almost ready," she said.

"Geez, you really have me spoiled, you know it? You have set a very dangerous precedent."

She laughed as she put a plate of eggs in front of me. "I know. Don't expect this every morning when we get married." She got a plate for herself and then put some toast on both of our plates. She sat down and picked up her knife to butter her toast. "I'm sure Seth is wondering why I haven't gotten up and cooked his breakfast this week."

"You do this for Seth?" I asked.

"Not every morning. Two or three times a week, maybe. "

"Man, he's a lucky kid."

"Well, he's my little brother. I guess I do spoil him a little."

"A little?"

She laughed. "OK, a lot!"

While we ate breakfast, I asked, "Leah? I know you promised Abby not to say anything about what you talked about. But, it has to do with that asshole that lives there with her mom, doesn't it?" She had just taken a bite of her eggs, so she just nodded. "Did he . . . do something to her? I mean, man . . . is she OK?"

She smiled and put her fork down. "I'm not sure exactly what all happened. She just told me about him saying some vulgar things to her and I guess he grabbed her the other night and . . . she told me that he 'squeezed her boob' and kissed her, then she stopped and I couldn't make her go on."

I felt rage run through me instantly at this guy. "God, I hate that! What kind of fucking asshole does something like that to a cute kid like Abby? I think we should pay him a visit with the pack."

She smiled and said, "That's funny. That's what Emily suggested." That made me calm down and smile a little. Leah put her hand on my arm. "Look, I figured the best thing was to get her out of there and we did that. They don't even know where she's staying. Abby told me last night her mom didn't even ask where they lived. So, I think she's safe now, and that's what matters." I nodded. She was right. Abby was safe.

I finished my eggs and I finally got up and said, "I gotta go." I put on my shoes and picked up my book bag and keys. I walked back over to Leah, who was standing by the sink. I put my arms around her and kissed her. "See you later tonight?"

"I have to work until around eight," she told me. I nodded. "Come to the restaurant tonight. I'll save you some pie."

I smiled. "You know I never turn down pie."

"Yea, I know. Bring Seth, too. I kind of miss him."

I smiled and told her I would. I hugged her to me and kissed her again. "OK, I gotta go! Quil will be pissed if we are late again! See ya, baby."

"Bye!" she called after me. I took one more look at her then I walked out and headed to school.