CHAPTER 66

Embry POV:

I walked up the front steps and opened the door for Leah and she walked inside. Mom was in the kitchen and Dad was sitting in the chair with a notepad, drawing out some plans.

"Hey, I was just wondering when we would see you," Mom said as she walked toward me. She pulled me into a hug and I was really glad she was here. All of a sudden I felt like a little boy who really needed his mommy. I held her tight and she rubbed my back. I heard Dad greet Leah and I forced myself to pull back. Mom looked up at me and smiled and touched my cheek. "It's OK, honey," she said softly. Then she wiped the tear that was falling from my cheek. I nodded. I was afraid to talk right now. "I made pie," she said. "Cherry, your favorite." I smiled. How is it that moms always know just what you need? A hug and cherry pie always used to fix anything that was wrong when I was a kid.

"Thanks, Mom," I got out. She patted my cheek and walked back to the kitchen to finish what she was doing. She had finally quit her job at the factory and I was really glad of that today. She decided that she missed too much of my life growing up and she wasn't going to do that with this baby. This was a very lucky baby.

I walked over to sit beside Leah on the couch. "Hey, Dad. How's the leg?" I noticed the brace was gone.

"Much better. It's a little stiff, but I was out for a walk this morning, so it's loosening up. I'm going back to work tomorrow."

"Good," I said. "Jake gave me a couple of days off, but I want to get back soon." Leah looked at me with a little bit of panic in her eyes. I put my arm around her and tried to convey to her that it would be alright. She looked at me and said, "I never told my teachers that I would be out."

"Don't worry. Seth told me that he got on your laptop and took care of that. He told them you were pretty sick and you would be out for a few days. He also told them to send your assignments so you wouldn't get too far behind."

She smiled. "Wow. I guess I should thank him for that. He's always looking out for me."

"Yea, I'm finding out that brothers are good at that. I guess I'll have that chance soon with my new baby sister, huh, Mom?"

She turned and said, "I hope you and your father won't be too disappointed when this baby turns out to be a boy."

I looked at Dad and he smiled. "We won't be disappointed. But it's a girl!" he told Mom. She just rolled her eyes and turned around again. We laughed at that.

Then we heard a knock on the door just before it opened and in walked Sam and Emily with Lily. "Hey, hope you don't mind some company," Sam said as he walked in.

Dad stood up and said, "No, not at all! Come on in and let me have that beautiful granddaughter of mine." Emily handed Lily to Dad who cradled her and said, "Look at you. You are just adorable."

Leah looked at me and said, "He's crazy about that baby, isn't he?"

"Yea, it's kind of gross!" I said. Sam laughed at that said, "Amen!"

Emily came over and hugged me tight. "Hey, little brother. I am so happy to see you." I held her close and said, "Thanks, Em." She pulled back and touched my cheek. Then she turned to Leah and hugged her. She pulled away with tears in her eyes and said, "OK, enough." She smiled and walked to the kitchen to talk to Mom.

Dad sat down in the chair with Lily and was making faces and talking to her in silly baby talk. He looked up to see all three of us staring at him. "What? Lily gets it." Sam and I laughed at him. He was a dork, but he was my Dad.

Sam looked at us and said, "You both look better today. That's good."

Leah just nodded and I said, "Thanks." I was still a little raw emotionally and I didn't really want to talk about it. But looking at Sam and Dad sitting side-by-side reminded me of something I did want to talk about. "Um, Dad? I've been thinking about something that I really want to do, but I don't know how to do it. Maybe you can help?"

He looked up and said, "Sure, if I can." Then he looked over at Leah and asked, "Do you want to hold her?"

Leah nodded and Dad got up and handed Lily to her. She held her close and put her lips on Lily's head. Then she smiled and talked softly to her. Just watching her with the baby . . . I knew that was the best medicine she could have right now.

Dad sat back down and looked at me and said, "Now, what is it you need?"

"Well, I want to legally change my last name to Uley, but I have no idea how to do that." He got this incredible look on his face. I thought he might cry! I looked over at Sam who smiled at me then put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed it. "Is that OK with you guys?" I asked.

Sam laughed. "Sure, it's OK by me," he said.

I looked at Dad who finally said, "Embry, it would make me very proud and happy for you to carry my name. I will look into it first thing tomorrow morning and let you know what I find out, OK?"

I smiled and said, "Thanks. It means a lot to me to be an Uley. I love being a part of this family and . . . I guess changing my name will somehow make it all . . . perfect."

I glanced over at Leah who smiled at me. Then Dad surprised me by standing up and saying, "Come here, son." I stood up and he pulled me into a fierce hug. "I love you, Embry," he said, his voice filled with emotion.

"Yea, I love you, too, Dad." He held me for a moment then he let me go and mumbled something about having to use the bathroom. I looked down at Sam who stood up and said with a grin, "Way to go, little brother. Making Dad cry."

I laughed and said, "Afraid that I'm the favorite?"

He shoved me and said, "Yea, like that could happen, mama's boy!" I laughed and shoved him back.

Dad came back then Mom brought out the pie. I protested sharing it, but Mom told me she had one just for me set back. Sam said with a grin, "Spoiled brat," then shoved me and I shoved him back. Mom told us to behave or no pie! I gave him a look and he just smiled.

We sat around eating pie, except for Leah who was now feeding Lily a bottle. It was great to be around my family. It was just what I needed. As Leah was patting Lily on the back to burp her, Lily belched loudly! Leah looked at her and laughed. I mean, really laughed. "Do you feel better?" she asked Lily. Leah's whole face lit up as she looked at the baby. I was afraid I might never see that again. It made my heart feel so good to know that it was still possible. Sam said, "That's my girl!" and we all laughed.

Sam and Emily stayed for another hour then decided they better get home. Dad stood up and said, "I think it's time for another walk. Angie? You want to go with me this time?"

"Yes, I do. We'll walk you out," Mom said as she walked over to stand beside Dad. Leah handed Lily over to Emily and said, "Thank you for letting me hold her. She's so precious," she said.

Emily smiled at the baby and agreed. "Yes, she is. She is very precious." Then Emily looked at Leah and said, "And so is our friendship. If you need me for anything, please call me, OK? I love you, you know."

Leah just nodded and hugged her. Then Em turned and walked out the door.

Mom looked at me and asked, "Will you two be here when we get back?"

I looked over at Leah and said, "No, I think I'm taking Leah out tonight." She gave me a surprised look. "We need to get away from here for just a little bit."

Mom smiled and said, "I think that's a great idea. Call me later, OK?"

I stood up and walked over to her. "I will. Try not to worry about us. We'll be alright." She hugged me and said, "Oh honey. I'm a mom – it's my job to worry." He smiled and replied, "And you do it so well." She smacked me and looked over at Leah. "Have fun." She smiled and nodded. Then Mom turned and walked out the door with Dad. Sam stayed behind and said, "I love you guys. Try to have some fun. That's an order." Then he gave us a grin and walked out.

I turned to Leah and said, "You heard him. You can't ignore an Alpha order, you know. What do you say? Will you go out with me?"

She smiled at me. "Yes, I will go out with you. But maybe I should go home and change clothes?" She looked down at the torn jeans and t-shirt she was wearing.

"OK. Let me go and change then I'll drive you home so you can do the same. Sound good?"

She nodded. "Sounds good."

I leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips. "I'll be right back." I walked to my room and tried quickly to decide what to wear. This should be a night to remember. Something special to celebrate our making it through the last couple of days. I decided to dress up and knock her socks off. I went into Mom's room and into her closet to find my suit from her wedding. I grabbed it and went back to my room and got dressed. I put on a little cologne and stopped in the bathroom to brush my hair over like she liked it. "Come on, already! You primp more than a girl!" Leah yelled out. I smiled. It was good to hear her yell at me like her old self. "I'm coming. I hope you're ready!"

I walked out into the living room and got just the look I was waiting for. I turned around slowly so she could get the full effect. "Huh? You like?" I said with a smile. Her eyes lit up and she smiled slowly. "Wow. You look so . . . fucking hot!" I laughed and said, "Listen to you. Do you kiss your boyfriend with that mouth?"

She walked up and put her hands on my chest. "No, I kiss my fiancé with this mouth." And then she did. "I didn't realize this would be a dress-up occasion."

"I just decided. I want this night to be really special to celebrate the fact that we're still here and we still love each other very much." I put my arms around her and kissed her forehead.

She smiled and said, "OK. Then take me home and I'll try to find something spectacular to wear."

I smiled and said, "Let's go." I walked her out to the truck and opened the door for her. She got in and I walked around to the driver's side and got in. I drove her over to her house and she jumped out and ran for the house. I couldn't believe how excited she was. It made me so happy. I walked in the house and closed the door. I sat down and flipped on the TV. This might take awhile.

Leah POV:

I was excited at the thought of getting out of town for the evening. And when Embry walked out wearing his suit, I thought I would faint! He looked so handsome all dressed up. I wanted to see that look on his face. I ripped through my closet trying to find something I bought a while back, but I hadn't worn yet. I found it and pulled it out. Rachel had talked me and Kim into going shopping with her one day and they talked me into buying this dress. At the time, I thought it was stupid because I couldn't imagine actually having anywhere to wear it. But, tonight, would be perfect.

I pulled the bag off of the dress and held it up. It was a little black dress that fit me like a glove. It had small spaghetti straps, and a v-neck that showed off my cleavage. I stripped off my clothes and grabbed my strapless bra from the drawer. I got dressed and went back to the closet for the black shoes I bought to go with it. I couldn't wear stiletto heels – I knew I'd fall off of them and there's nothing sexy about that! But I found a nice pair of black strappy shoes with about a two-inch heel that looked nice. I grabbed my hair brush and brushed my hair and pulled back the front and tried to poof it a little then fastened it into a nice barrette. I added a little make up and lip gloss and some perfume. I opened my jewelry box and took out a nice pair of silver hoops and put them on and added a silver bracelet. I smiled at my reflection in the mirror. I grabbed a small black purse and threw in my wallet, phone and lip gloss and closed it. I picked up the dark purple wrap that came with the dress and draped it over my upper arms. OK, here goes.

I walked to the top of the stairs and called, "Are you ready?"

"Yes! Get your ass down here," he called back.

I walked slowly down the stairs, partially for effect, but mostly so I wouldn't fall and look ridiculous! I watched Embry's face, and there it was. The look I was waiting for. His eyes popped and he smiled and said, "Leah, wow! You look beautiful." He walked up and took my hands. "No, make that hot." I smiled and said, "Gee, thanks." He leaned down and kissed me. "I am a very lucky guy."

I smiled. "Where are you taking me?"

"Well, while you were getting ready, I called Dad and asked him where to take you. He told me about a very nice place in Port Angeles, so I called and made us a reservation."

"You did?"

"Yes, I did. We better go so we won't be late." He put his arm out and I took it. He walked me outside just as Seth drove up in the Jeep. He got out and whistled. "Wow. What's going on? Why are you guys so dressed up?"

"I am taking my fiancé out to dinner," Embry said.

"Oh. Cool," Seth said.

"And now that you're home, how about you give me the keys to the Jeep? Here's the keys to my truck in case you need to go and see Abby or something," Embry said to him.

"Sure, whatever." He held out the keys to the Jeep and took Embry's keys from him. "You guys have a good time."

"We will, thanks," I said. I looked over at Embry and he smiled at me. I was really looking forward to tonight. He walked over and opened the door of the Jeep. I got in and he closed the door. He said something to Seth who waved at me and walked inside. Embry got in and started the engine. "Tonight will be really nice. I promise."

"It already is," I told him. He smiled and pulled away from the house and headed toward Port Angeles.

As we drove up to the restaurant, Embry said, "You know this is the place where Dad proposed to my mom."

"Really? Wow. Looks kind of fancy," I commented.

We parked and walked inside and were seated at a table beside the window that looked out over the water. The table was covered with a cloth tablecloth and candles and flowers. The waiter poured us each a glass of water and then handed us a huge menu. When I saw the prices, I almost fainted! "Embry, this place is so expensive," I said anxiously. "Maybe we should go somewhere else."

"No way, Leah. I have enough money. Please don't worry. I want us to relax and enjoy a night out, OK?" He put his hand over mine. I smiled and said, "OK, Mr. Moneybags." He laughed.

When the waiter came back I ordered prime rib, a salad, and a baked potato. Embry smiled and ordered the same. Then he asked the waiter if they had any non-alcoholic sparkling cider. The waiter smiled and said yes they did and he would bring us a bottle, which he did. He poured it into champagne glasses for us and we touched glasses and took a drink. "Look at us. We look so grown-up," I said to Embry.

"Grown-up enough to get married?" Embry asked.

I smiled at him and said, "I think I already agreed to that. See?" I held out my engagement ring. He took my hand to his lips and kissed it.

"Yes, I know you did. But, I want to set a date. Tonight." I just looked at him curiously and he went on to say, "I've been thinking about it for awhile. I even talked to the guy that my mom rents our house from to tell him that when Mom and Dad move into the new house, I want to stay in this house and take over the rent. He agreed. So, I have a job, and a house, now all I need is a wife."

"Really? You did that?"

"Yea, I did. I was telling Jake about it the day Lily was born. He asked me why I was in such a hurry to get married. I told him because I loved you so much, and I was tired of waiting for us to start our life together. I want to sleep with you every night and wake up with you every morning. With me working so much and you going to school and work, we don't get to spend nearly enough time together. I miss you, baby. I want to be with you. I want you to be my wife."

I felt tears threatening. I put my free hand up to my mouth. He turned my hand over and held it. "I don't mean to put pressure on you or anything. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up. We're supposed to be having a good time."

I smiled at him. "I'm not upset, Embry. I'm just so amazed at you. I want that too . . . everything that you just said. I want to marry you, Embry. As soon as we can."

His smile was dazzling as he got up from his chair and came around the table to pull me out my chair to hold me. "You have just made me so happy," he said softly. "I love you, baby."

"I love you, too."

"Um, excuse me. Your salads?" the waiter said. We pulled apart and laughed. Embry pulled out my chair for me to sit down then he sat down and picked up his fork. I took a bite of salad then asked, "How soon can we do this?"

"Dad has been working on the house as much as he can, and he thinks they can move in by May first. So, I was hoping maybe we could get married sometime at the end of April." He took a bite of salad and looked at me. "What? You don't look happy about that."

"No, I am. It's just that it's still over a month away. I thought you meant now," I told him.

He put his fork down and smiled. "Baby, I would marry you right now, tonight, if we could. I don't want to wait one more minute. But, I guess I'm trying to be practical. We need a house and we can't have one until Mom and Dad move out. Plus, you need some time to throw together a wedding."

I knew he was right, but it didn't mean I had to like it. I smiled at him then finished my salad. Our waiter brought our dinner and it was so good. "Oh Embry. It's been so long since I had a meal this good. This meat is delicious."

"I know! I think I could eat two, but at these prices, one will have to do," he said with a smile.

We ate our dinner then the waiter asked if we wanted dessert. We both declined thinking maybe we would get ice cream somewhere later. Embry paid the enormous bill and escorted me out of the restaurant. It was a nice evening, so we decided to walk along the water a little ways. He held my hand as we walked and I felt so relaxed. It was as if the last two days never happened. As long as I kept pushing it away, I could keep thinking that it didn't happen.

We stopped and leaned against the railing and looked out at the water. "Embry? Would you really marry me right now? Tonight?"

He looked over at me and said, "Of course I would." He turned to me and took my hands and said, "Leah, I know we're trying hard not to talk about it, but, I laid awake for awhile last night thinking about how . . .how close I really came to being killed. If you and Sam had been just a few seconds later . . . " he stopped and closed his eyes for a second, reliving the moment. Then he opened his eyes and gazed into mine as he went on, "And I can't stand the thought of dying without ever knowing what it's like to be married to you, or have babies with you . . . " he put his hand on my face, "I want that so much. And life is short. You never know what's going to happen. I just don't want to keep waiting then see my chance slip away, you know?"

I felt tears slide down my cheeks. "Then let's don't wait. Let's do it. Now. Let's find a Justice of the Peace and just do it."

He was taken aback. "Are you serious?"

I smiled. "Yes, I'm serious! Let's get married! Right now, tonight!"

"But if we get married now, where are we going to live?" he asked.

"You can move in with us until the house is ready. That will give your mom and dad a little private time until the new baby gets here."

He thought about it for a moment then answered, "Yea, I guess that would work. Do you think your mom would go for that?"

"Yes, I think she would. I know Seth would love having you around," I added with a smile. I could see a slow smile spread across his face. "Come, on, baby, I know you want to," I said enticingly. He laughed and said, "OK, let's do it!"

"Yes!" I shouted as I jumped into his arms. He picked me up and twirled me around. "So, how do we find a Justice of the Peace? Do they even still have those?"

"I don't know," I admitted.

I looked around and found that we were standing in front of a little coffee shop with a sign in the window that stated they had free internet. "Come on," I said as I took Embry's hand and dragged him inside the shop. I walked up to the girl behind the counter and told her what we had decided and could we use a computer to find a Justice of the Peace. After declaring it was the most romantic thing she'd ever heard, she went into the back room and came out with her own laptop. She set it on a little table in the corner and proceeded to try and find us one. As she was looking I found myself telling her how we had gotten engaged in November, and we had been waiting until things were just right to get married. But we had been through a horrible near death experience in the last few days that really put life into the right perspective. "Embry just told me, 'life is short,' and he's right. We don't want to wait too long and have our chance slip away," I told her.

An older gentleman sitting at a table next to us said, "Um, excuse me, I couldn't help but overhear, and I would like to help. I'm a judge and I have the authority to marry people."

We all looked at him in shock! "Are you serious?" I asked.

He laughed and put down the newspaper he was reading. "Yes, I am, young lady. And if you two are serious about getting married, I can do that for you. I can even provide the place. My very good friend owns a bed and breakfast on the waterfront, and I know he would be happy to provide a place for you to be married and even a place to stay for the night." He had such kind blue eyes that crinkled when he smiled.

I looked at Embry and he smiled. "I guess it was meant to be," he said. I looked back at the gentlemen and held out my hand. "I'm Leah Clearwater, and this is my fiancé, Embry Call, and we would be very happy to have you marry us."

He laughed as he took my hand and said, "I am Judge Harry Newcomer, and it is a pleasure to meet you both." Harry. Just like my dad's name. Maybe that's a sign. "Let me make a quick phone call to my friend." He excused himself and took out a cell phone.

I turned to Embry and said, "This is really happening."

He smiled and hugged me. "I just hope our moms don't kill us for doing this."