Embry's Story

by kat3411

Embry Call is the ladies man of the pack. Always out for a good time. What happens when he finds someone and wants more than that? And who is he, really? Where does he come from? Read on and find out . . .

69. Chapter 68

CHAPTER 68

Embry POV:

As I lay there with Leah in my arms, all I could think was, "This is my wife. Leah is finally my wife." It was the most spontaneous thing I had ever done in my life, but I didn't regret it at all. I loved Leah so much, and I needed her now more than ever. Even though I had fought all night to push it away, now that it was dark and quiet, it came creeping back. I could feel the cold metal of the gun shoved into my side. I could see Josiah pointing it at me. I tried hard to push it away again and think about what Leah and I had just done. I just made love to my wife. And it was everything I knew it would be. I willed myself to relax and sleep. I inhaled her scent and caught a whiff of her perfume then smiled. And finally, I slept.

We woke in the middle of the night and made love again, and it was just as sweet as the first time. Afterward, Leah got up and got the rest of the cake and brought it to bed with two forks. She lit the candles so we could see to eat and she giggled like a little girl doing something naughty and getting away with it. We sat in the middle of the giant bed and ate all of the cake. The champagne was warm, but we drank the rest of it anyway. Then we settled in against all of the pillows and slept again.

The next time I opened my eyes, Leah was staring at me. I smiled and said, "Good morning, Mrs. Call."

She smiled and said, "Good morning, Mr. Call."

"How long have you been staring at me?" I asked her.

"Not long. I was amazed to wake up and see you lying there sleeping. I'm not dreaming. You're really here," she said as she reached out and ran her finger gently over my lips.

"I'm really here," I said softly. Just then, my stomach rumbled.

She laughed and said, "I know! I'm starving, too." She rolled over and grabbed the phone. "Good morning. We would love to have a breakfast tray sent up if that is alright? Yes, thank you, that would be wonderful." She looked over at me and said, "Breakfast will be up in about 30 minutes."

I stretched and yawned and got up to use the bathroom. I looked over at the Jacuzzi tub and decided we would have to try that out after breakfast. I left the bathroom and crawled back into bed and put my head next to Leah's. "You know, baby, we need to try out that tub. How about a bath after breakfast?"

She didn't answer right away so I turned to look at her. "Leah?" Her eyes were glazed over and she looked a million miles away. "Hey, baby," I said as I touched her arm. She jumped and said, "What?"

"Where were you just now?" I asked.

She looked down and said nothing. Oh. That's where. I put my arm around her and pulled her close. She laid her head on my chest and we lay there quiet for a few minutes. Then Leah asked quietly, "Do you think there will be a funeral?"

I sighed and said, "I don't know. Why?"

She shrugged. Oh God, she was thinking of going if there was a funeral. Why would she want to do that? Her guilt? "You aren't thinking of going, are you?" I asked. She was quiet. "Leah?"

"Maybe," she said very softly.

I sat up and made her sit so I could see her face. "Are you crazy? Why would you want to do that?"

"You know why, Embry." I just stared at her. I couldn't believe she was going to let his asshole come between us like this. Hold your tongue, Embry. Chill.

I took a deep breath to calm myself and said, "Leah, do you really think that his brother will want us there? Maybe we should think of him."

Before she could answer, there was a knock on the door. Shit! I was still naked. I remembered seeing robes in the bathroom, so I called out, "Just a minute!"as I ran to the bathroom and grabbed a robe and put it on. I grabbed the other robe and threw it at Leah and waited for her to get it on then I opened the door.

A young man in a white jacket and black pants smiled and said, "Good morning! I have your breakfast." I invited him in and he set the tray on the table and asked if we needed anything else.

"No, this is fine. Thank you very much," I told him. He smiled and walked out and closed the door behind him.

Leah walked over and said, "I smell coffee." She poured us each a cup of coffee and then looked in the basket and said, "Ooo, warm croissants." She took one out and tore off a piece and ate it. "Oh my God, these are delicious." There was fresh fruit, croissants, scrambled eggs, bacon, orange juice and coffee. We sat down and ate everything on the tray!

"Wouldn't it be great to have someone bring that to your door every morning?" I asked.

She smiled and said, "Oh yea. Is there any more coffee?" I picked up the pot and poured the last of the coffee into her cup. "Thanks, babe," she said as she took a drink.

I cleaned up our dishes and piled everything on the tray while Leah got up and opened the drapes. "Wow, look at this view!" We looked through the huge window at the water, and the mountains in the distance. It really was beautiful.

Leah drank the rest of her coffee standing there staring out the window. I walked up behind her and put my arms around her waist. She leaned back into me and sighed. I just stood there and held her and enjoyed the moment. "Are you happy?" I asked softly.

"Mmm, yes. I like being married," she answered. "Do you think Phil would mind if we just stayed here forever?"

I chuckled. "Uh, yea, he might mind not being able to rent out this incredibly expensive room." I turned her to face me and asked, "Are you dreading going home?"

She smiled, "No. Although, I'm not sure I want to face our moms." I smiled at that. I wasn't looking forward to that either. "It's just . . . we've spent the last couple of days just wrapped up in each other. It's like I've been able to shut out the outside world and concentrate on you and me. And, I know that can't go on. I can't even imagine how long it's going to take me to get caught up at school." She laid her forehead on my chest.

"I know," I said. "But you will get caught up. And we can still shut out the world every now and then and concentrate on just you and me. Especially when we move into our house. We can spend weekends just like this if you want to."

She lifted her head and looked at me. "I really love you, Embry. You always know the exact thing to make me feel better. How do you do that?"

"Oh baby, I've had years of practice with women. You're number 43 remember?" She laughed and started smacking me. I grabbed her arms and held them down and then kissed her on the lips. She sighed into my mouth and I let go of her arms so she could wrap them around my neck. She pulled away from my lips and asked, "Didn't you say something about a bath?"

I smiled and said, "Yes, I did."

Much, much later, after we had enjoyed our wonderful bath and made love again, we decided that it was time to get out of bed and get dressed and go home. Leah had her underwear on and was looking for her bra, as I pulled on my pants and shirt. "Found it!" she called out triumphantly as I laughed. She put it on and reached for her dress and stepped into it and pulled it up. "Can you zip me?" she asked. I nodded and stepped over and zipped it up. She turned and said, "Thanks. You know when I bought this dress, I never in my wildest dreams thought I would get married in it!"

I laughed at that. "Well, it may not look like your typical wedding dress, but I love it. It fits you perfectly."

She smiled and kissed me. "Thank you, husband. You're very sweet."

I finished buttoning my shirt and tucked it into my pants then zipped them and buckled my belt. I rolled my tie and stuffed it into my jacket pocket then walked over to the bed to put on my shoes and socks. Leah came out of the bathroom and said, "It was nice of Phil to make sure we had toothbrushes and toothpaste."

"Yea. What a guy. I could never in a million years imagine we would get married in a place like this and get to spend our wedding night in a room this great."

"I know. I think we should come back here for our first anniversary. What do you think?" she asked me.

"I think that's a great idea. As long as we can have another chocolate mousse cake. That was fucking awesome."

She laughed. "OK, we'll make sure we request another chocolate mousse cake."

I stood up and put my arms around her. "Ready to go?"

"No, but we need to," she answered. "Come on." She grabbed her purse and her purple wrap as I put on my jacket. Then we looked around to make sure we had everything.

"OK, let's go," I said as I held the door for her. We walked out of the room and down the long, winding staircase. When we got to the bottom, Leah looked around and found where the check-in desk was. She tapped the little bell on the desk and Phil walked out of a door to the left, which must have been his office. "Hello! How was your room?"

"Wonderful," Leah gushed. "I hated to leave it. We have already decided we are coming back here next year for our first anniversary."

Phil smiled and said, "That is great! I would love for you to come back." I handed Phil our key and Leah opened her purse to get her credit card out of her wallet. "Put your wallet away, Leah. Your room has already been taken care of."

We both looked at him in surprise. "No, you didn't have to do that. It's too much!" Leah protested.

"No, it's not, and I didn't do it. Harry took care of it last night before he left. He said it was his wedding gift to you both."

Leah looked at me in disbelief. "Why would he do something like that? He doesn't even know us."

"Well, you don't know Harry. This is exactly the kind of thing he does. He has been a widower now for almost fifteen years. He loved his wife very much and he misses her. When he sees an opportunity to help out a couple like you, he does so, in her memory," Phil explained.

"Do you have his address so we can at least send him a card to say thank you?" Leah asked.

"Yes, I do. I'll get it for you," Phil answered.

"Can you believe that?" Leah asked me. "This is amazing."

I smiled and said, "It just proves to me that us getting married was the right thing to do. It's like it was destined to happen or something."

She smiled and nodded. Phil came back and handed Leah a card with the judge's address written on it. "Thank you," Leah said as she stuck it in her purse. "And, thank you, Phil, for everything. We really appreciate your kindness and your generosity."

"You're very welcome." He held out a small manila envelope and said, "Here are your wedding pictures. I wish you both the best."

Leah took them and said, "Oh, wow! I forgot you took pictures. This is awesome. Thank you again!"

I shook his hand and we said goodbye and walked out to the car. Leah turned and took a look at the house in the daylight. "Wow. What a place!"

I agreed as I opened the car door for her. She got in and I walked around to get in and close the door. She quickly opened the envelope and we put our heads together as we looked at the pictures. Leah smiled as she looked at each one, and then when we were done, she said, "I still can't believe we did this." I laughed and said, "Well, now you have proof." I started the engine and said to her, "Here we go." She smiled and leaned back as I put the Jeep in gear and took off for home.

As we were nearing LaPush, I asked, "Where do you want to go first? Your house or my house?"

"Well, we should go to your house so you can pack up what you'll need to move in with me," she answered.

"Did you even mention to your mom that I would be moving in?"

"Um, no I don't think I did. But you're my husband now. Of course you're going to live with me."

"Yes, but don't you think it would be polite to at least say something? I mean, it is her house."

She sighed. "OK, boss, I'll call her."

I laughed. "Yea, you got that right. I'm the boss and don't you forget it."

"I'm sorry? What? Did you say something?" she teased as she dialed her phone. "Hey, Mom," she said as her mom answered. "Yea, we're on our way home. Um, you know when we talked last night, I don't think I mentioned that Embry and I would like to live with you for a month until Embry's parents move into their new house. Then, we will move into that house. Is that OK with you?" She listened for a little bit then said, "Thanks, Mom. We really appreciate it." She talked a little longer then hung up. "See? I told you she wouldn't care," she said to me.

"That's not the point, Leah. It's just that it's her house and she should have the right to say yes or no. I don't want to be an unwelcome guest," I told her.

"Well, for your information, she told me that you were now family and of course it was alright if you moved in. And, she said that she knew Seth would appreciate having another guy in the house."

I smiled at that. We were now "officially" brothers, I guess. That was cool with me.

I pulled up to my house and parked beside the truck. "Looks like Dad did go to work today. His truck is gone," I commented as I got out of the Jeep. Leah got out and followed me up the steps. I went to open the door and it was locked. "Hmm, Mom must be gone, too." Her car was still here. That's strange.

"Maybe your dad went to work on the new house and your mom went with him," Leah suggested as I unlocked the door and we walked inside.

"Yea, maybe." I walked into my room and took off my suit jacket and hung it up on the hanger. Then I went to my dresser and opened a drawer and took out an old velvet ring box. I turned to Leah and said, "First things first." She gave me a curious look then she saw the box. I opened it and took out the wedding ring that matched the engagement ring on her finger. She smiled. "Give me your hand," I said. She held it up and I removed the engagement ring and put the two rings together then I said, "With this ring, I thee wed," as I slipped both onto her finger.

Then she looked up at me and I kissed her. "Now, it's official," I told her with a smile. "It's beautiful," she said softly.

I stepped back and pulled out an old gym bag from under my bed. "Now, I need to pack."

"Is that all you have? Don't you have a suitcase or something?" Leah asked.

"Why would I need a suitcase? Last night was the first night I have ever stayed anywhere except Jake's, Quil's, Sam's or your house. I had never spent a night outside of LaPush."

"Really? Wow, I didn't realize that."

"Yea, I guess I'm not much of a world traveler," I told her as I pulled open drawers and stuffed clothes into the gym bag. She sat down on my bed as I gathered what I thought I would need. "I guess I don't have to take everything. It's not that far to come here and get what I need, and we'll be back here in a month anyway."

"Yea. Except, we may have to bring my bed or get a new one. I'm sorry, babe, but the two of us in this bed just doesn't work."

I laughed when I remembered us trying to do it in my bed and how I fell out onto the floor. "Yea, I agree. And we'll have to move into the other bedroom and maybe make this one into a baby's room," I said as I zipped the bag shut. Leah was really quiet and I looked over at her. "What?"

She looked up and said, "Nothing." She got up and walked out to the living room. I walked out of the room and stopped in the bathroom to pick up my toothbrush, hairbrush and razor and threw them into the bag then I went out to find her sitting on the couch. I sat down beside her and said, "Hey, what's wrong?"

She looked at me and said, "I really hope we need a baby's room."

I put my arm around her and said, "Of course we'll need a baby's room. Don't worry about that, OK? You and I were put together to pass on these royal genes of ours. You know we'll have babies. Maybe more than we can handle! We might have a whole litter and need a bigger house!"

I could feel her laugh at that. "I don't want a litter. Just one will do for now." She looked at me and I kissed her.

"Leah, when it's time for a baby, the baby will be here. I promise."

"Embry, um, I know I should have told you, but . . . "

"What?"

"Well, I quit taking the pill back in December."

"What? Why?"

"I don't know. I guess it was all the excitement over Emily being pregnant, and your mom . . . but remember after Lily was born and we were sitting on the bench outside the hospital? I remember thinking then that we should be married first before we become parents, so I decided I would go back on the pill. But, I got so busy with school and work, and , I never made it to the doctor. So, I never got another prescription."

"So, you're saying that you have been off of the pill for months, and . . . are you trying to tell me you're pregnant?" I asked her. I secretly hoped not. I wasn't ready for that!

"No! No. I just wanted you to know that I have been off of the pill for months and so far, nothing has happened. It makes me wonder if I can even get pregnant," she said sadly.

"Leah, you know that while we are phasing, we stop aging. Maybe your body is, I don't know, on hold or something. When you decide to stop phasing, it will work again. Does that make sense?"

She nodded. "Yea, I guess it does."

"Don't be in such a hurry. I mean, don't you want to finish school first?"

"I suppose. I mean, yes, I do, but . . . every time I hold Lily, I feel like that's all I want is to be a mom."

"And you'll be a great mom." She smiled. "But, I'd like us to be married for just a little while before we become parents. I want to spend time with just you. I know that sounds selfish, but . . . "

"No, it's not. I get that, and I want that, too. I know we're young." She looked at me with a smile and said, "You're not even 19 yet! I'm such a cradle robber."

I laughed at that. "Oh yea, you're so old. You're only a year and a half older than me. Don't start."

She smiled at that. "OK, so we'll be married people for awhile and when it's time for babies, we'll have some. How's that?"

I took her face into my hands and said, "Sounds good. But, more than anything, I want you to be happy."

"I am. I am really happy," she said with a beautiful smile. I kissed her softly and then said, "Good. Stay that way."

"Yes, sir," she replied. We kissed a little more then she said, "We better go." I nodded, stood up and grabbed my bag. When we got to the door, I reached down and grabbed my work boots. I knew it was time to get back to work. Jake and I would be moving to the new shop next week. I was really excited about that.

I walked out to the Jeep and threw my boots and bag into the back just as Dad drove in and parked the truck. He got out dressed up in a suit! Mom got out and walked around to me wearing a nice dress. Why were they all dressed up? "Hey, welcome back!" Mom said as she hugged me. I looked to see Dad hug Leah and congratulate her. "Thanks," I said as she let me go. "But why are you and Dad so dressed up?" And then I knew. Shit. Me and my big mouth.

Her smile disappeared and she looked at Dad. I looked over at Dad and he said, "We went to the funeral." He still had his arm around Leah and I was glad because I thought she might faint. All of the color drained from her face as I rushed around the Jeep to her. She reached for me and clung to me as I held her. "We missed it," she said quietly. Good, I thought. There was no way in hell I was going to that funeral, and I didn't want to have to argue with Leah about it.

"I'm sorry. We thought we'd have a chance to get home and get changed before you got here," Dad said. I nodded and held Leah as Mom came over to stand beside Dad. "Let's get her inside," she suggested. Dad unlocked the door and we all went inside. I took Leah to the couch and we sat down. Dad sat down in the chair and said, "I'm sorry, son. I shouldn't have told you."

"Yes, you should have. I knew when I saw you. I didn't really have to ask. Leah mentioned it to me last night. She wondered if there would be one."

"It was very small. Just Jason and a few of their family that's left there on the Makah Reservation and your mom and me. It was at the cemetery. He's buried beside his mom and dad."

I nodded. Leah just sat there, quietly staring at the floor. She was letting her guilt get to her, but I wasn't. I was glad he was dead and I hoped he was rotting in Hell right now. He would have shot and killed me if Sam and Leah hadn't showed up when they did. And I was convinced he would have raped Leah had Seth and I not found them in time. I hated him now for how he was making Leah feel. I was trying hard to control my anger because I didn't want to go off on Leah right now.

Dad said, "It's over now. It's done. Put it behind you and move on. You're married! Start your married life now and be happy."

I looked at him and smiled. "We are happy, Dad. Last night was the happiest night of my life." I looked over at Leah and shook her a little. "Hey, Leah?" She looked at me. "Did you hear what Dad just said?"

She nodded and looked at Dad. "I am happy, too. I really am. I love Embry with all my heart and I'm really happy to be his wife. I know I have to stop . . ." she closed her eyes and stopped talking. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes and said, "I know that you can tell me over and over that this is not my fault. And I know that, and I believe that. But it doesn't take away the guilt I feel. I wanted to go to that funeral to tell his brother how sorry I am that this had to happen. I mean, he's gone . . . he took a gun and he . . . " she was crying now, "and I can't help but feel that if it weren't for me, he might still have a chance at a decent life. You did it, Josh! You figured it out. Why couldn't he? Why couldn't he have stayed there and at least TRIED! Why did he have to come here and . . . and tell me he loves me and . . . I couldn't love him! I had to reject him. I had to! I love Embry. I will ALWAYS love Embry. Why would he think if he killed the one man I love most in the world that I would turn and LOVE him? Why . . . did he . . . have to . . . shoot himself? Why?" She was sobbing as I pulled her to me and wrapped my arms around her.

I had tears flowing down my face by this time. It's a good thing you're dead, you fucking bastard, or I would hunt you down and rip your fucking heart out right now. That anger that I was trying so hard to bury was shooting to the surface. I pushed her to sit up and I looked at her and said angrily, "Damnit, Leah. That bastard tried to fucking kill me! Why can't you be angry at that? Why is it that you are so sorry that he's dead? Cause I'm not. He was never going to give up trying to get you, even if it meant killing me to do it. "

She sat up and looked at me through her tears. "I . . . oh, Embry, I didn't mean . . ."

Dad touched me on the shoulder and said, "Get up, Embry. I need to talk to Leah." I looked at him in surprise, but then I got up so he could sit next to her. I walked out to the kitchen and stood in front of the sink and looked out the window. I was still pissed and needed some space from her. As Dad was talking, I finally made my way back to sit in the chair beside him.

"Leah, look at me," he said. She was trying hard to stop crying and she wiped her eyes and looked at him. "I imprinted on Angie and it was hell to leave her and go north. But I did it because I loved her so much that I didn't want to do anything to hurt her. And I stayed away from her for nine long years to keep her safe from me. I didn't leave that reservation until I was sure that I could handle being around her and not hurt her. THAT is love. I loved her enough to stay away from her. Understand?" Leah nodded. "What Josiah felt for you was not love. It was obsession. He was obsessed with the thought of you, with the thought of having sex with you. I told him to stay there, and I tried my best to tell him how to get through it and he didn't listen. He made the choice to come here and put you in danger for his own selfish needs. That is NOT love. I know you felt friendship for him and you cared about him. That's because you have a good heart. It's the one thing I love best about you. You care about people and you want to see them happy. That's why I'm here! You wanted Embry to have his father and you went out and found me and brought me home. But some people can't be saved, no matter how much you want it. Josiah was never going to accept what he was, or learn to live with it. He told me that when I took him north. I thought then that he was just rebelling and he would figure it out like I did. But he didn't. And I am so sorry that you and Embry had to pay the price for his selfishness. You had to witness his ultimate act of selfishness when he turned that gun on himself. And I don't want you to pay that price the rest of your lives." He pulled Leah to him and rested his chin on her head and then he reached out and took my hand.

"You two are very precious to me. And I would do anything, ANYTHING, to take this pain away from you. But I can't. Only you can do that. You have each other and that's wonderful. Hold onto each other with everything you have and you will get through this. But you have to try, and try hard, to put this behind you." He let go of my hand and pushed Leah to sit up so he could look her in the eye. "Can you do that, honey? Can you try hard to put this in the past where it belongs and get back to living your life?"

"I want to, so much," she answered shakily.

Dad smiled. "Good. That's a start." He hugged her to him again and said, "I love you, Leah. I couldn't have picked a better wife for my son. I'm so glad you're a part of this family." I looked over at Mom and saw that she was crying, too.

Leah looked over at me and said, "Embry, I'm sorry. Of course I'm angry that he tried to kill you. I've been so selfish over all of this, and I haven't been there for you. That's not right."

Dad got up and went to Mom so I could sit by Leah again. "Look, I'm so sick of all of this shit. Can we please put it behind us and concentrate on us? On our marriage?"

She smiled. "Yes. I want that. I really do."

"OK then. This is a happy day! I'm a married man, damnit. I want us to be happy about that!" I stated loudly.

Dad laughed and so did Leah. Mom just looked at me with a smile and shook her head. Dad said, "I agree with the kid. Let's see some happiness, right now!"

Leah and Mom both put on big fake smiles and Dad laughed. "That's better." Then he turned to me and said, "I'm proud of you, son. Congratulations."

Leah stood up as Mom handed her a box of Kleenex so they could wipe their faces and blow their noses. Then Leah walked over to Dad and said, "Thank you, Josh. I really needed to hear what you had to say. I know he had problems, and I tried hard to help him. But, you're right. Some people can't be saved, no matter how bad you want it. I need to face that. Thank you." She put her arms around him as he said, "You're welcome, honey." Then she smiled at him and moved to stand by me.

"So, where were you headed when we came home?" Mom asked.

"To Leah's. I'm going to stay there with her now that we are married, until you two move to the new house. You two can have a little alone time before the new baby gets here."

"Sounds good to me," Dad said. "Does this mean I can walk around naked now anytime I want?" he asked Mom.

She just rolled her eyes and I said, "Ew, gross, Dad!" He laughed at that.

"Well, I'll miss you," Mom said to me. "We've lived here together for 18 years, you and I."

"Yea, I'll miss you, too." I walked over and pulled her close. "But it's like five minutes away. I'll be around, Mom. It's not like I'm leaving forever."

"I know. It's just . . . changes. Sometimes it's hard. We have had a lot of changes in the last year."

"But good changes. We went from being a family of two, to a family of . . . " I had to count in my head: Sam and Emily, that's 4, Dad, 5, Lily, 6 and now Leah 7. "Seven! And soon, we'll be eight. It's amazing, really."

She smiled and put her hand on her stomach. "I know. I never would have imagined it." I kissed her on the cheek and said, "Mom, we're really lucky, you and me." She smiled and nodded. "I know. I'm so thankful every day."

Dad looked at me and said, "Hey, I wanted to let you know that I called a lawyer this morning about the name change. He already has it in the works and it won't be long until you are 'officially' an Uley."

"Awesome! Thanks, Dad."

"You're welcome. So, Leah, you may want to hold off on changing your name with Social Security and getting a new driver's license. Once this comes through, the name change will be for you, too."

"That means a lot to both of us. I can't wait," I told him. I looked over to Leah and said, "We better go. I'm tired and hungry and I think we need to have some down time. We'll see you soon, I promise."

Mom nodded and Dad went to put his arm around her. "See you two later," he said.

We said goodbye and walked out the door to the Jeep. Once we were both inside Leah said, "Embry? I can't believe how selfish I've been. I really want to apologize for that."

"Thanks, Leah, but let's just be done with all that, OK?"

"OK." Then she added, "Your dad is an amazing man."

I smiled. "Yea, he is."

"And he has an amazing son," she added with a smile.

"I think so," I said smugly as I started the car.

She smiled and said, "I've always thought that about Sam."

I dropped my jaw and looked at her and she laughed. I smiled as I listened to that laugh. It was like music to my ears. I laughed and put the Jeep in gear and pulled out of the drive. I was very thankful that Dad helped to bring it back.