Quil's POV (Lacy 13)
"Daddy can I go to the movies with some friends on Friday night?" Lacy asks and I notice the way she says friends and not Amanda like she normally does.
"What friends Lacy?"
"Um, Amanda and Austin and Zoe and Mark and Jason…" She rushes the names out.
"Sure, do you need me to take you and anyone?" I ask her and she looks at me in shock.
"You're letting me go with boys?" She asks.
"You told me the truth Lacy, so I think you can be trusted. Just know that if you ever feel uncomfortable you can call me or mom and we will come get you. No matter the situation. I love you honey, now do you need a ride?"
"We were planning on walking but if you want to drive that's OK."
I ask her what time the movie starts and since it's summer and the days are long I told her she can walk there but I will pick her up. She's agrees still in shock I think.
"Thank you daddy." She hugs me and runs off.
10 minutes later Bella is yelling at me because I said yes.
"She told me who she was going with babe. She's 13; she's supposed to be dating. And it's a group date."
"You are the worst father ever! Where's all the threats and gun cleaning?" She yells waking up Sara, Jake and Leah's 2 year old and very accidental little girl. Bella jumped at the chance to keep her since all her babies are grown up, she already kept Aidan.
She picks her up and pushes her hair back and whispers in her ear and when she lays her back down she crashes again.
"You are amazing." I tell her.
"You are the least threatening father ever." She whispers but she's still clearly angry.
"You're dad never threatened me." I point out.
"And I got married at 19, pregnant at 22."
"And that was just so awful wasn't it?" I ask her.
"It was hard, and I don't want that for her." She admits.
"Yes it was hard Bells but look at us now. We have everything we've ever wanted, great kids. Great friends and family. You never had to work. We have an amazing marriage, or I thought we did at least. But if you regret it all then I will just go tell Lacy she can't date until she's… what's acceptable to you?" She starts crying and saying she didn't mean it like that.
"Bells don't cry, I love you but I don't regret a single second of our lives and if Lacy finds the boy she wants to marry tomorrow than I would be happy for her. Look at Derek and Lena, they love each other. Are you going to tell them they're too young if they want to get married when they're 18?"
"A lot can happen between now and then. Lena is only 6." She whispers, wiping tears off her face. We never argue.
"Tell that to Lena and Derek." Lena follows him everywhere and throws fits when she doesn't get to talk to him every night and Derek is no less unhappy. Ari is still his best friend but even she understands that Derek and Lena have a connection that she can't mess with.
"Tell them what? That there is a possibility they won't get married? They hardly understand marriage. You and Lacy have this everything is all sunshine and happiness all the time idea but it just isn't true!" She yells and then runs out of the house.
I'm not really sure what just happened. She never walks out on me. Sara starts crying again so I pick her up and hold her until she calms down.
"Where Bells at?" She asks me when she's awake and I tell her I wish I knew. She looks at me with her confused face and asks for a drink.
"Where Lacy?" Sara asks and I yell up the stairs for her. She comes down and I can tell she's been crying.
"You heard the whole fight didn't you baby?" I ask her as she takes Sara.
"I don't have to go, I'm sorry daddy." She tells me.
"I don't think this has anything to do with you. I think mom is going through something. You know she loves you and she wouldn't trade you or your brother or any of the others kids for anything right?" I ask her and she says she did think that, but now she's not so sure.
"I promise you it's true. Can you watch Sara and your brother for a little while? I need to find her." She nods her head yes and hugs Sara to her.
I get in my car but I don't even know where to look. Because we never fight. I know she's happy, I know her like I know myself. Something is going on with her.
I call Embry to see if she went to the shop and he says no. Leah and Jake are both at work.
I just sit in the car thinking until Derek gets in.
"Does your sister know you're out here?" I ask him.
"Yep. Dad?" I look at him. "I think she's sick. I heard her talking to someone and she said so it was positive and then she started crying really hard and saying yes she can come in on Monday." Sick or pregnant. Not sure which one she would take worse but something like that would explain her flipping out.
"And she's probably either at the beach where she always takes us or she snuck into your office at the shop, you know Embry never uses it. Find her dad and tell her she made Lacy cry. I'm going back in to help with Sara because Lacy is crying."
We have great kids. I check the beach first, she's not there. So I try to office and Derek was right, she's hiding in the office.
"I figured you would call Embry and he would tell you I wasn't here." She whispers.
"I did and he did but then your son pointed out Embry never comes in here so you could still be here."
"Great I got outsmarted but a 10 year old."
"A 10 year old who loves you and his sister who heard our fight and now thinks you regret her." I tell her and she starts crying all over again. "Derek heard a conversation you were having on the phone, are you sick babe? Or pregnant?" I ask her.
"I was… I was pregnant. I didn't even know until I started bleeding and it hurt so bad. Leah took me to the ER but because it was so early they couldn't tell if I had miscarried or if it was something else so I had to take a test and that was the phone call. I was pregnant and I lost it before I even knew. The tubal came undo I guess. I have to have it redone."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because it hurt so bad and I didn't want you to suffer. I didn't even tell Leah, I told her it was something else. And the thing is I don't even want another baby so I feel like I don't have the right to feel bad."
I take her in my arms and she breaks down crying.
"Bells I'm going to ask Embry to close early and go stay with the kids OK? Lacy can normally handle Sara but she's really upset. We can stay here or we can go somewhere but you need to be calmer before the kids see you. I am going to ask him to tell them you're not sick though because Derek was worried OK?"
I find Embry and he feels bad that he didn't know she was here. He agrees to closing and going to watch over the kids. He wants to know what's wrong with her but I don't know who or when she wants to tell anyone. He understands and closes up.
"I'm sorry I said all those things. Marrying you and the day the kids were born are the greatest days of my life. I don't regret a single thing. This just makes me think that maybe we've had our share of good and maybe Lacy and Derek won't be so lucky." She tells me as I sit on the floor and she curls up into me.
"I'm pretty sure it doesn't work like that Bells. We've had our share of bad too. Life is all about ups and downs. And love is stronger than anything. That's why looking back the bad doesn't look that bad because we always had each other."
"Will Lacy ever forgive me?" She asks brokenly.
"She will but I think they both need to know what happened because this isn't something you're just going to forget or get over. Please don't ever keep things from me anymore, I know you were trying to protect me but I should've been there for you."
"I'm so sorry."
I hold her for a long time until she decides she's OK to go home.
We get home and Jake is there cleaning Sara up from dinner. Derek runs to Bella and hugs her but Lacy runs upstairs. I tell Bella I will go talk to her.
"Is everything OK Bells?" I hear Embry ask her but I don't hear her answer.
"Go away!" Lacy screams when I knock on her door.
I walk in and she rolls over in her bed.
"Honey listen, mom didn't mean any of those things. She had something bad happen to her and she hide it from us to protect us and it kind of messed up her… outlook maybe? She does not regret you; she had it in her head that everything good we have messed up the chance of good for you and Derek. She's hurting Lacy and she needs you to forgive her." I talk to her back until she turns over.
"Is she OK?" She asks concerned but still hurt.
"No, but she will be with a lot of time and our support." I tell her honestly. Lacy is smart and she's old enough to handle the truth. I'm not so sure how Derek will take it. "Come downstairs please, she wants to tell you and Derek what happened and I think she's going to tell Jake and Embry too."
She follows me down where Bella is sitting on the couch holding Sara with Derek glued to her side. Aidan is sitting with Jake.
She asks me to tell them so I do and then she apologizes to Lacy who hugs her and cries and then smiles because no one wants Sara to be upset.
"I've never regretted you, I was scared to death and I look back and see things I probably could've done differently but I have never regretted you and I wouldn't change anything about our life." She tells Lacy.
"I love you mom and I'm sorry this happened." Lacy tells her and Derek tells her he's sorry too.
"Thank you guys and I'm sorry I kept it from you and then flipped out and I'm sorry if it takes me a while to get back to normal. I love you both." She kisses them and then hugs Jake and Embry and tells them she loves them and then comes to me. "I love you, thank you for not letting me hide." She kisses me and then says good night to everyone and goes to bed.
Jake asks if she's going to be OK around Sara and Embry points out that Sara probably keeps her busy and sane. Without her she would have a lot of time to dwell on it since Derek and Lacy don't need her constantly.
"OK but let me know if she needs a break. I can take the time off." Jake tells me.
"Or maybe Stacy can keep them. Ari and Aidan get along so good when they see each other." Embry offers and Jake tells him thanks.
Jake takes his kids and leaves leaving just me and Embry and Lacy and Derek.
"Why don't you two go upstairs and watch a movie?" I tell them and they run off after hugging me. I'm not even sure how much they understand but they know that things are going to be different for at least a while.
"How are you?" Embry asks as soon as they are upstairs.
"I don't know really. I mean it's like I lost something I didn't even know I had. Can you be upset about that? I wish she would have told me, I could've been there."
"You can definitely be upset and you can be there for her now, she needs you. Maybe more now than ever before. Take the week off, I can cover the shop. Justin can open or close and Carly has been begging for extra hours."
"Thanks Embry, call me if you need me." He says he will and to call if we need him.
I go upstairs to tell the kids goodnight and to not stay up too late and then lay with Bella. She's asleep but her face is streaked with tears.
I kiss her softly and then lay awake thinking about everything I learned today.