Happy Friday everyone! Thank you all so much for your reviews and adds, as I always say they mean the world to me. I hope you all like the seriously long chapter, but that you don't hate me at the end. Thank you for reading and let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.

Chapter Thirteen

Three Months Later

As July came to a close and August began, Camilla found herself in such a good place that she sometimes worried that the life she had somehow managed to carve out for herself was going to come crumbling down around her. However, those moments were few and far between; especially now that she had the family court judge's order in hand stripping Travis of any claim to Avery and giving sole physical and legal custody of the seven, almost eight month old, little girl to Camilla.

Teresa and Peter, along with the attorney they had hired, and Paul had all assured her that since Travis had, while in jail, signed a sworn affidavit waiving all his rights to Avery and that he wasn't fighting her on the issue that the judge would do just as he had done. However, Camilla had still worried even though at the end of the day, they all had been right. She hadn't wanted to get her hopes up in case they had been wrong.

"Are you sure you don't want us to watch Avery?" Teresa asked as she stood in the little girl's nursery, watching Camilla finish dressing the little girl for their afternoon/evening out. They had been invited to attend a bonfire on First Beach with Paul, Seth, and everyone else. Paul had told her that their tribal elders were going to be telling the legends of the Quileute people at sunset, and that he wanted her to stay to hear his people's stories. She had been touched and honestly a bit honored, since she knew that 'outsiders' weren't often invited, if ever, to things like that and she was a bit surprised that the elders had said he could invite her to stay.

"I'm sure," Camilla said as she finished brushing Avery's hair and put a small white and baby blue bow in Avery's hair, which matched the white and pale blue play dress that Camilla had bought specifically for that day. She knew it probably hadn't been the smartest choice to buy Avery a white play dress, but it was far too cute to pass up and it wasn't like Avery was old enough to be running around on the tiny pebble sand that made up First Beach. She was probably going to be spending the day playing on a blanket or being held by Camilla, Paul, Seth, or whoever else became a victim of her charm.

"Okay," Teresa said softly as Camilla picked Avery up off the changing table and settled the little girl on her left hip before she turned around to face her mother. "I've already packed the small cooler with Avery's food, a small jug of milk, the fresh fruit juice we made this morning. Did you put her sippy cup and princess plate in the diaper bag?"

"Yes, Mom, you saw me put them in there after I washed them with the lunch dishes," Camilla said with a small smile as she looked at her mother, who grinned and shrugged. Camilla had already weaned Avery, and though it had been a bit of a challenge at first, Avery had taken to solids rather well. She especially enjoyed the applesauce Teresa often made and much to Camilla's surprise fresh peas had also become one of her favorite food items.

"I forget things sometimes," Teresa said and the two women shared a laugh before Camilla felt a strong pull on her hair and winced as she looked at Avery who was giggling.

"Not funny, miss," Camilla said as she untangled Avery's hands from her hair with her right hand before she gathered her hair to rest over her right shoulder with a sigh. "That's going to get old real quick," she said as she looked at her mother and Teresa laughed.

"You used to do the same thing to me," Teresa said with a smile. Camilla returned her mother's smile before she sighed quietly.

"We should head on out," Camilla said. "Paul said everyone should be there around five, so, I don't want to be late."

"Okay," Teresa said with a nod of her head and the two women walked out of the nursery before heading downstairs. Peter was sitting on the sofa, remote control in hand, as he glared at the Saturday afternoon Mariners' game that was on TV. Upon hearing his wife and daughter make their way downstairs, he looked away from the TV and smiled despite the fact that his team was down by three runs in the eighth inning.

"I already put everything in your car," Peter said and Camilla smiled at her father in thanks.

"Thanks, Dad, you didn't have to do that," she said and Peter shook his head.

"It was no big deal," he said as Teresa joined her husband on the sofa, picking up her book from the coffee table before she settled into his side as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"I'm not sure when we'll be home, but it shouldn't be too late," Camilla said as she slipped her feet into her summer shoes. It was a rare warm and sunny day in the Forks/La Push area, so, Camilla was dressed in a pair of dark jean shorts, a peach tank top, and a white cap sleeved button up that she wore unbuttoned. Aside from a very stubborn eight pounds, Camilla had lost the weight she had gained during her pregnancy, but she once again felt comfortable in her skin and confident in her appearance. Plus, Paul's constant praise and affection only made her feel all the more better about herself.

"What are you going to do if Avery falls asleep before you're ready to come home?" Teresa asked and Camilla looked at Avery, who was presently gnawing on her left hand as she looked up at Camilla before she giggled. Camilla smiled and kissed Avery's forehead before she looked at her own mother.

"I'll find a place for her to rest, or I just might call it a night and head home," Camilla said and Teresa nodded before she smiled.

"All right, well, have fun," Teresa said.

"Tell Charlie and Sue we say 'hello,'" Peter said and Camilla nodded.

"I will," Camilla said. "Bye guys." Camilla grabbed her car keys from the hook by the door and made her way out to her car.

For the last four weeks, Camilla had been working at the diner, after successfully getting her old job back after talking with Mack. With her parents help she was able to get a car. It wasn't really much to look at, but the royal blue 2000 Volkswagen Passat was safe and it had been a great deal. She had hated leaving Avery, but she needed to get a job. She was lucky enough that she mostly worked the late afternoon/evening shifts during the week and rarely worked the weekends, which meant that her parents could watch Avery without a problem and when a conflict came up Seth was more than happy to watch Avery. It was nice to not have to borrow her mother's van anymore and she had a bit of her independence back.

It didn't take Camilla long to fasten Avery into her car seat and once she was settled in, Camilla pulled the cool plastic teething ring from the cooler that held Avery's food for later and handed it to her daughter.

"Here you go, sweetie," she said softly as she put the ring in Avery's hands and the little girl immediately set to chewing on it making Camilla smile before she pulled back and closed the back door behind the driver's seat before opening her own door and climbing in. Avery had started teething not too long ago and her two lower front teeth were already breaking through her gums. She drooled enough to fill a bathtub it seemed like, but thankfully she didn't seem to be in too much distress as her teeth slowly came in.

With a quick glance in the rearview mirror to make sure Avery was still content with her teething ring, and when Camilla saw that she was, she started up her car and the duo began the thirty minute drive to First Beach.

Camilla had parked her car next to Paul's truck and was surprised to see the man in question standing at the front of his truck, his back resting against it as he looked out towards the water with his arms crossed over his chest. At the sound of her car, he had turned his head and upon catching Camilla's gaze through the windshield he smiled. Camilla smiled back and waved at him before she turned off the engine and pulled her eyes from the ignition before she climbed out of the car.

Paul was already at her door when her feet hit the dirt of the makeshift parking area and grabbed her by the waist before he leaned down and caught her lips in a searing kiss that made Camilla's keys fall from her right hand as she brought her hands to his face and kissed him back. He was kissing her as though they hadn't seen each other in months rather than the hours it had been since he had joined Camilla and her family for dinner the night before. However, Camilla wasn't going to complain. He pulled away after a few breath stealing beats and smiled down at her as her hands moved from his face to his shoulders before they slid down his black tank top covered chest and came to a rest there.

"Hi," she said, sounding winded, and Paul chuckled.

"Hi," he said back before he kissed her chastely and then reluctantly let her go before he bent down and picked up her keys. "Sorry," he said with a grin as he held out her keys to her and she laughed as she shook her head and took them from him, her cheeks blazing a pretty pink as she looked at him and tucked her keys into the front right pocket of her shorts. Seth jogged up to them then, with a broad smile on his face, and Camilla smiled at her friend in return. Seth was dressed only in a pair of board shorts and his hair was damp, so, it was obvious to her that he had already spent some time in the water that afternoon.

"I'm not late am I?" she asked as she took in Seth's appearance and glanced towards the beach to see everyone already gathered and a few of the other boys playing football off to the side of the group.

"No," Paul said with a smile, drawing her eyes back to him, and she smiled up at him in relief.

"Good," she said softly before she looked between the pair. "Since you're both here you two can give me a hand in getting Avery and carrying everything."

"What'd you bring?" Paul asked with a grin and Camilla chuckled at the light that lit up his eyes.

"Brownies, some homemade candy, and a few other treats," Camilla said. "Since Emily's got her hands full with little Michael and Kim can't bake to save her life, Sue asked me to bring the desserts; and I made sure to bring a nice variety for everyone to enjoy."

"Awesome," Seth said with another grin before he glanced at the car and at Avery, who was pretty occupied with her teething ring as she sat in her car seat.

"Paul, would you be able to get Avery along with the small cooler and her diaper bag in the back seat?" Camilla asked as she looked at Paul.

"I think I can manage," he said with a grin and she smiled up at him before she looked at Seth.

"Would you help me get everything out of the trunk?" she asked and Seth nodded his head even though he would have rather taken care of Avery. However, he was still a little wet from his time in the water and he didn't want to get Avery wet on the off chance of her catching a chill and possibly getting sick. Seth and Camilla moved to the trunk of the car while Paul opened the back door, causing the little girl to turn her eyes to him before she took the teething ring from her mouth and giggled upon seeing Paul.

"Hey little lady," Paul said with a smile. "Don't you look pretty today?" he asked as he reached in and unfastened the buckles around her while she giggled again and kicked her chubby legs, making Paul laugh as well. "Are you going to be a soccer player or something, Avery? The way you're always kicking all the time that wouldn't surprise me," he said before he hoisted her from the seat and carefully brought her out, settling her on his right side as he reached back into the car and grabbed the diaper bag and cooler from the backseat and floor.

"Da!" Avery suddenly cried as Paul closed the car door and he looked down at the little girl in his arms who was looking up at him. "Da! Da!" she said again as she put her wet left hand on his right cheek and Paul's mouth fell open in slight surprise as he looked down at her. "Dada," she said fully, smiling as she gently smacked Paul's cheek and Paul heard something hit the ground. He kept his head still but lifted his eyes to see a bag on the ground at Camilla's feet and there was an expression of shock that was on Camilla's face that he was pretty sure mirrored his own.

"Did she just . . .?" Camilla trailed off and Paul looked back at Avery who was giggling again as she once again smacked his cheek as she held her teething ring in her right hand.

"Dada!" she said again through her giggle and Paul smiled.

"Yeah, I think she did," he said, answering Camilla's incomplete question as Avery lowered her hand and returned her attention to her teething ring as she sighed contentedly and laid her head on Paul's shoulder.

"Holy crap," Camilla said and Paul laughed quietly as he looked at her and saw her smiling brightly as she picked up the bag and walked over to him. Her eyes, however, were focused on her daughter. "She's been babbling for the last six weeks, but I wasn't expecting her to say her first word so soon," she said smiling before she stood on her toes and kissed Avery's head and smiled up at Paul. "Can you believe it?" she asked, and it took Paul a second to answer because the smile that was on Camilla's face and the shine that was in her eyes was unlike anything they had ever seen.

"No," he said softly with a gentle shake of his head while Seth closed the trunk of Camilla's car, smiling the trio as he adjusted the four rather large Tupperware trays filled with treats in his arms. However, Camilla's smile slipped and she bit her lower lip for a second as she looked from Avery and up to Paul once more.

"She called you 'dada,'" she said evenly and Paul nodded, not really understanding where she was going with the comment. "Is that . . . I mean . . . are you okay with that?" she asked and Paul rolled his eyes as he looked down at her. If he had an empty arm, he would have wrapped her up and pulled her close just then because of the look that was on her face.

"Camilla," he said softly, "I'm more than okay with that. I already told you that she might as well be mine because I love her like she is; and as long as it doesn't' bother you, it doesn't bother me. Does it bother you?" he asked and she shook her head negatively.

"Not," she said, her smile returning. "Not in the least bit."

"Good," he said before he glanced over her head and at a still grinning Seth before he looked back at Camilla. "Now, don't worry about anything else; today we're not supposed to think of anything other than having a good time. Let's go join the others," he said and Camilla nodded.

"Okay," she said and the small group headed towards the much larger one already settled on the beach where the fun filled evening awaited them all.

It was a little past nine, a whole hour past Avery's usual bedtime, and Camilla's little girl was settled on Seth's lap, as she played with the gray and pink elephant that she loved more than any of her other soft toys as she rested her head against Seth's t-shirt covered chest. Camilla had put on a pair of blue fleece pants and a zip up sweater on Avery as the evening grew chilly and she knew that Avery was warm thanks not only to her added clothes, but thanks to the heat of Seth's body as she sat on his lap.

Everyone with the exception of Sam and Emily were settled in a large circle around the blazing fire getting ready to listen to the legends as told by Jacob's father, Billy. Sam and Emily had gone home shortly after everyone had eaten because Emily was rather tired and they had taken their two month old son, Michael, home before it grew too late for the little man.

Seth was sitting on a log close by Paul and Camilla who had settled on a folded blanket with their backs resting against one of the logs lined up around the bonfire. Camilla was cuddled into Paul's side, her head resting on his shoulder/chest as she reveled in his body heat and the warmth from the burning fire in front of them. It had grown chilly and though Camilla had brought warmer clothes for Avery, she failed to bring any for herself. However, with Paul's arm wrapped securely around her shoulders and her bent legs resting against his, she was warm and had no plans on leaving his side any time soon.

Kim and Jared were settled much like Paul and Camilla, as were Sue and Charlie which reminded Camilla of her parents for some reason. Quil was holding a dozing Claire while the rest of the guys, and Leah, were all settled around the fire as they waited for Billy to start speaking. Camilla couldn't help but smile as she looked around at all the people she had come to consider her friends, and she sighed softly as she cuddled a little closer to Paul's side, her right arm stretching out to rest around his waist.

"Are you tired?" Paul asked quietly before he placed a kiss on the top of her head and she smiled as she tilted her head so she was looking up at him while her head remained on his shoulder.

"No," she said. "I'm just really comfortable." He chuckled then and nodded his head as he leaned into her, kissing her right cheek, then her chin before finding her lips in a brief chaste kiss. She sighed when he pulled away and rested his forehead against hers, which now held a small scar near her hairline thanks to that disastrous day with Travis.

Despite the events that had transpired between them on their first official date, they had gone no further than that and had yet to have a repeat of anything like it. After the whole fiasco with Travis, it was like Paul had taken a giant step back as far as the level of physical intimacy between the two of them. There was the occasional heavy make out session, cuddling, hand holding, and other gentle touches; but whenever Camilla attempted to take things to the next level Paul would pull away. It was obvious to her that each time he did, he really didn't want to, not the way his eyes burned as he looked at her or by the way his body had easily responded to her, but he did and she had yet to ask him why.

"Tonight, before you head home, I have to talk to you about something really important," he said before he pulled back from her and looked down at her with his eyes very serious as he did so. She frowned slightly as she looked up at him, her skin seeming to glow gently in the firelight and making her look even more beautiful to him despite her frown.

"What is it?" she asked quietly and he sighed as he brought his left hand to her face and gently pushed away her hair, tucking the dark strands behind her ear. He probably should have kept his mouth shut, but he knew that if he told her that he had something to talk to her about, he wouldn't be able to back out of telling her his secret like he had tried to do at least a dozen times over the last couple of months.

"Later," he whispered. "Billy's about to start." Camilla opened her mouth to protest when Billy's voice cut through the night air, drawing her attention away from Paul. Sighing yet again, she rested her head back on his shoulder and looked at Billy as he spoke, his strong voice steady and enthralling as he retold the story that Paul had heard a million times but that Camilla was experiencing for the first time.

At first, Camilla had done her best to pay attention, but she was trying to figure out what Paul could want to talk about that night. He hadn't been acting any differently towards her as far as she could tell and he had rarely left her side the entire afternoon/evening. She doubted he wanted to break up after everything that had happened with Avery when she first got there, and for the life of her she couldn't figure out what was so important that would bring out the serious expression he had had on his face when he spoke.

Deciding it was best to be patient and wait, she gave Billy her full attention and soon found herself lost in the legends of her boyfriend's and friends' people.

As Billy began to tell the tale of Third Wife's sacrifice, Paul couldn't help but turn his eyes to Camilla. He watched her face as her emotional reaction to the story played out there. He watched as tears filled Camilla's eyes and roll down her cheeks before she hastily wiped them away with the back of her right hand as she sniffed quietly. It pained him to see her cry, but it also was slightly encouraging for him to see her deep reactions to it all.

When Billy finished, Paul's nerves attacked and he was swallowing hard as he looked away from Camilla's face and at the burning fire in front of him. He felt like he was going to literally be sick, and his already fast beating heart sped up even more as his breath began to labor. It was after Billy threw him an encouraging look that Paul gathered his courage and put his left hand over Camilla's right that was now resting on his stomach.

"Camilla?" he asked quietly and she looked up at him, her eyes red rimmed but other than that there was no trace of her tears. "Will you go for a walk with me?" he asked and he watched as she hesitated for a second as she glanced at Seth who was holding a slumbering Avery. "It won't take long," he whispered and Camilla looked back at him. "I just want to talk to you without an audience."

"Okay," she said and he could hear her heart speed up as they stood and he took hold of her hand before they started walking along the beach, using the light of the moon to guide them away from the group. Paul felt her shiver and he let go of her hand before he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. When he knew they were far enough away that the guys couldn't hear, he stopped walking and dropped his arm from her shoulders before he moved so he was standing in front of her, taking both of her hands into his.

"I love you, Camilla, you know that right?" he asked and he watched as she smiled softly at him.

"I know," she said, her voice trembling slightly thanks to her own nerves, "and I love you."

"Hopefully, you still will after I tell you what I have to tell you," he said and the smile fell from her lips.

"You're not cheating on me are you?" she asked and his face blanched.

"No!" he said sharply. "Why would you think that?"

"Well, you've been pulling away when I try to take things a little further, and . . .," she trailed off when she saw the scowl on his face thanks to the moonlight.

"I'm not cheating on you, Camilla," he said. "I would never do that. I just haven't wanted to go that far until you know everything." Camilla nodded then as she looked up at him. His words were a relief, but she was still on edge. Paul sighed quietly and looked down at their joined hands before he lifted his eyes to hers and said a silent prayer to whoever was listening that she didn't run away screaming when he finally got the words out.