Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.
Paul was in the shower when he heard Bo start to bark. He growled in frustration as when someone knocked on the front door a minute later. He jerked at the shower knobs to turn the water off before pulling the shower curtain open. He grabbed a towel and quickly threw it on.
"Shut up Bo!" he ordered as he flung open the bathroom door.
The dog whined from the front room as the person at the door knocked again. He crossed the bedroom and walked through the front room in four strides, that was setting a new record. Bo sat on his haunches in the corner by the window looking out forlornly.
Paul sighed as he opened the front door. His eyes met the persons on the front porch seconds later. His father stood on his porch with his arm in a sling. He hadn't seen his dad in over two months. The last he had heard he was out to sea.
"I guess I can understand why you won't invite me in," Tom Miller said breaking the silence.
"Come in. Just let me deal with him and get dressed," Paul said as he sighed again.
He grabbed Bo's collar and Bo fought him the entire way to the bedroom. His towel had come undone in the process making him growl at the dog in frustration. He shut the bedroom door behind him quickly so that Bo wouldn't try to make a run for it. He quickly found something to put on while he heard his dad walking around in the other room.
Tom was sitting at the island when Paul opened the door a few minutes later. Paul went to the refrigerator and grabbed two cans of soda before sitting across from him.
"I heard you got married."
"Last week," Paul said with a nod.
"Your mom and I lived in a house like this one when we first got married."
"I never knew that."
"Things were simpler then, she was a different person. You were born at home, right on the bathroom floor," Tom said with a laugh.
"Why are you here? You haven't spoken to me in almost four years."
"Your mom is dying Paul. Her kidneys are failing and she's got lung cancer. She's refusing to go to the doctor."
"That's what happens when you drink and smoke too much."
"Son, I know that she was never the mother she should have been to you but she's the mother you got. I tried to be there for you. Hell, I even asked Tammy Uley to adopt you at one time. She would have too if your mom hadn't thrown a bitch fit."
"I know you did dad, Sam told me," Paul said looking down at his hands.
"I hoped that I wouldn't have to tell you this. My dad passed away when I was about your age. He was a fisherman like me. He spent his whole entire life on the water. He was never home for longer than a week or two at a time. My Momma died when I was ten and I was left to take care of your Aunt Sadie and Uncle Dave. Your grandpa liked to drink, a lot. He was mean when he was drunk just like your mom. I can't tell you how many times he beat on me when I was younger just because I was doing something that he thought that I was doing wrong. When your mom started drinking and you first told me about the beatings I wanted to take you and run. But I couldn't. Your mom didn't have anyone to take care of her. You know that her parents died when she was still young and that she was raised by her grandparents. I thought maybe I could help her, but she refused. I am so thankful that Tammy was there to help. She was a real blessing."
"Yeah, she has been."
"What's your wife like? I haven't seen her around."
"Bella's great. She puts up with my crap the way no one else can. She's not afraid to tell me when I'm being an asshole and she loves me even though I don't understand why sometimes."
"I haven't seen her before, that's why I was surprised to hear about it from Quil Atearra."
"Quil Junior?"
"No, Senior, I ran into him at the hospital when I went in to have my arm looked at. Some rookie thought that he was invincible and climbed the netting on his own without a spotter. Dumb kid got caught up there in the middle of a storm. He walked away without scratch and I threw my shoulder out of socket," Tom said shaking his remorsefully.
"How long are you home for this time?"
"For good, with your Aunt Sadie being pregnant and Tammy being sick herself no one is able to take care of your mom."
"Is that supposed to make me feel sorry for her? She did it to herself Dad," Paul said with a scoff.
"I know she did Son, but that don't mean that you get to hold it over her head. She doesn't have much longer and she's been asking about you."
"She's dying, and now she decides to be a mother? That's great," Paul said darkly.
"I had a lot of anger towards your granddad when he died. I regret to this day not telling him how I felt about what he had done. Do you want to be like me?" Tom asked giving Paul a hard look.
"No Sir," Paul said hanging his head in shame.
"Your aunt and Uncles are coming by the house on Saturday. Would you be able to come?"
"I guess I can ask Sam if I can have the day off."
"I'm pretty sure he would understand given the situation."
"Bella wouldn't be able to be there. She's the only one working that day."
"You're doing the right thing Son. I'm proud of you," Tom said as he stood.
He left silently and Bo's pawing at the bedroom door went unregistered as Paul pulled out his phone. He pulled up Bella's number before pressing send. It rang once before she answered.
"Hey," he said weakly.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"How do you do that? You always know when something is wrong with me."
"You sound like something is bothering you. I'm leaving now. I'll be there in fifteen minutes."
"Thank you," he said with a sigh.
He knew that her dad wouldn't like that she was bailing on him but he needed her more than her dad did at the moment. He was still at the counter when she came in. Bo was whining louder than she had ever heard him so she let him out of the room before coming to sit next to Paul. She put a hand on his to get his attention.
"My dad came by earlier," he said, looking down at their hands.
"What did he say?"
"My mom is dying and he wants to me to make amends with her."
"What do you want to do?"
"I don't want to hate her anymore. This might be the last chance I get to talk to her. My dad says that she doesn't have much longer."
"Do you want me to go with you?"
"This is something that I need to do on my own. I wouldn't push you away if you wanted to comfort me when I get back though," he said with a smirk.
"You have never pushed me away," she said with a light laugh.
"I'm not going to ruin a good thing. I'm not stupid."
"What's the rest of your family like?"
"Sadie is a few years younger than my dad. She left town after my granddad died when I was two.
I don't remember much about her other than what my dad has told me. She married my Uncle Jay when she was twenty and I was the ring bearer at their wedding. There are pictures somewhere at my parent's house. My Uncle Dave is closer to my age than my Dad's. My grandmother died due to complications from having him. He lived with us until he was sixteen and I was eight. He talked my dad into letting him go to Military School and he enlisted in the Army as soon as he was eighteen. I haven't seen him much since, but I've gotten at least one letter a month from him ever since."
"That's good that your uncle kept in contact with you even though you weren't talking to your dad."
"Dave's a good guy," he said with an agreeing nod.
"If the two of you are so close, why didn't he do anything about what your mom was doing to you?"
"He didn't know. If he had he probably would have killed her. He and I are a lot alike."
"He never questioned why you left home while you were still in school?"
"He knew that I had problems with my mom, he just didn't know how bad it was. He and my mom have never gotten along."
"I think it's good that you're getting a chance to talk to your mom. Did your dad apologize for not being there?"
"He's been apologizing since I was nine. He didn't want me to come from a broken home like he did, so he refused to leave her."
Bella nodded, taking the knowledge in. She turned in her seat and pulled him to her. He buried his face in her neck with a ragged sigh. It had been an emotionally draining day for him and now he was ready to crawl into bed and forget the day. She slid off of her stool, pulling him off of his at the same time. He leaned against her as she dragged him to the bedroom. He sat on the edge of the bed and she knelt in front of him to take off his shoes. She undid his shorts and he leaned up enough that she could pull them down. She pulled his shirt over his head before he leaned back against the pillows. She toed off her shoes before crawling into bed with him. She shimmied out of her shorts and pulled her tank top off before pulling him to her again. His breath evened out a few minutes later as she ran her fingers through his hair soothingly.
This was the most information about his family that he had given to her at one time. She was glad that he hadn't been completely alone growing up. He'd had Sam and his mom, and he'd had his uncle to lean on when he was around. Some people didn't have that many, so she considered him lucky for having the people that he did have.
XXXX
Sam had been quiet for the entire ride to Spokane. It had only been a week ago that Leah had gotten the call from her adoption worker that let her know that Sean's adoptive parents were willing to let Sam see the baby. Leah had emailed them back and forth for a few days working out the details before they finally agreed that Leah and Sam should come to them instead of meeting half way.
Leah was nervous because Sean had changed so much since she had last seen him for his first birthday. His adoptive parents had surprised her by inviting her to the birthday party. Would he remember her? She doubted it, but it was nice to think about. Amy, his mother said that she had been telling him about her and Sam and the selfless act that Leah had done so that he would have a better life than she could give him.
She knew that Sam was nervous; it showed in everything that he did. She had been surprised that Emily wasn't with them. Leah had told them both that Amy and her husband James wanted to meet both Sam and Emily and possibly Jacob but Sam had thought that it would be a good idea for it to be just the two of them, at least for this one time since it was his first time seeing Sean.
Sam slowed to grab the directions from next to him. He looked down at them before looking at the house number on the mailbox closest to them. He drove past a few more houses before pulling into a driveway. A white ranch style house with a sprawling front yard sat in front of them.
The two of them walked to the door in silence. Leah rang the doorbell while Sam looked down at his feet with his hands shoved into his pockets. The front door opened and a woman with shoulder length blond hair answered the door with a warm smile.
"You've cut your hair," Amy said quietly.
"Just a little," Leah said laughing nervously.
"The last time I saw her it was down to the middle of her back," Amy said turning to Sam.
"Sam this is Amy Thomas. She's Sean's mom. This is Sam."
"It's nice to finally meet you. Leah's told me a lot about you."
"You too," Sam said not able to meet her gaze.
"Come in," Amy said opening the door.
Sam let Leah go in first and Amy stood a few feet away waiting to show them around.
"Could we have a minute?" Leah asked.
"Sure. I'll be in the kitchen. It's just around the corner," Amy said pointing down the hall.
Sam quietly took off his shoes after seeing Leah take off hers and set them by the door. She put a hand on his arm to get his attention. His eyes met hers giving her an unsure look.
"I was nervous the first time I saw him after giving him up too. I only had pictures of him and I didn't think that he would know who I was. As soon as I saw him all of my nerves went away. He's too young to understand what's going on, so I'm sure that he won't hold a grudge against you for at least another ten years," she said giving him a playful nudge.
"Thank you."
"Amy and James would never let him think badly of you. That's not the kind of people they are."
"How do you know that?"
"I wouldn't have chosen them if I thought for a second that they would do that."
Sam looked into the living room looking for a little boy who looked like the boy he had seen in the pictures. In the middle of the room Sean played quietly with a man with dark hair and thin wire glasses.
"Hi James," Leah said getting the man's attention.
"Leah, it's good to see you again," James said before standing.
He picked up Sean and carried him over to them, stopping at the archway to the living room a few feet away from them. Sean laid his head on James' shoulder and James rubbed his back soothingly.
"He's shy," James said looking down at Sean endearingly.
"He gets that from you," Leah said giving Sam an even look.
"It's nice to finally meet you Sam," James said holding out a hand in greeting.
"You too," Sam said shaking James' hand.
"I'll let the two of you talk so that he can have some time with Sean. I have some pictures that I want to show Amy," Leah said before walking down the hall.
In the kitchen Amy was icing a cake and there were presents on the table. Leah placed the presents from her, Sam and her mom with the rest before sitting at the island in front of Amy.
"I brought the pictures that you were asking about," Leah said pulling an envelope out of her bag.
She set one picture on the table and Amy picked it up. She smiled tenderly at the toddler smiling broadly back at her.
"The resemblance is uncanny," Amy said setting the picture down.
"My mom said the same thing when I showed her a picture of Sean for the first time," Leah said putting the picture back in the envelope.
Sean really did look like Seth down to his deep dimples. There was no trace of Sam in Sean and Leah was sorry that it had worked out the way that it had. She set another picture on the counter and Amy looked at it while she continued icing the cake.
"How old is he here?"
"He's sixteen. That is his school picture from this year."
"Your parents made gorgeous children."
"Thank you," Leah said smiling shyly.
"What is Sam like?"
"He's a good person; he has a very good sense of right and wrong. He's a good role model for Seth. He's been there for Seth a lot since our dad died."
"How do you feel about that?"
"I was upset with my mom for letting it happen at first. Seeing him was like pouring salt into an open wound for a few weeks after I came back."
"Why did you decide to stay?"
"Because of Jake, things are really good for us now. I can go back to college later. The main reason I left was because I didn't want to face things. I'm not the person I was when I left."
"You're stronger now," Amy said as she nodded her head in understanding.
"Yeah; that reminds me, I have a picture of Jake to show you," she said pulling the last picture out of the envelope.
Amy's eyes were wide as she looked at the picture. She was silent as she took Jacob in. She set the picture down with a shake of her head.
"It looks like your kids will be even more gorgeous than you and your brother are."
"You can't forget Sean," Leah said with a laugh.
"I would never forget Sean. He's such an Angel. I thank you every night in my prayers for giving me the chance to be a mother."
"He seems to be adjusting pretty well."
"He's pretty perceptive for his age. I have a feeling that I am going to have my hands full when he learns how to say 'What's that Mommy?'"
"Seth drove everybody crazy doing that. You couldn't take your eyes off of him for a second or he would be outside chasing after a frog to bring into the house."
"Thanks for the warning," she said with a grateful smile.
"I thought that you were throwing him a birthday party today."
"This is a birthday party that only you and Sam were invited to. James and I thought that it would be more special this way since today is his birthday."
"Thank you," Leah said quietly.
"I will never be able to thank you enough for the precious gift that you have given James and I. I don't think that I would have been able to handle it as well as you have if I were you."
"It wasn't easy. I didn't really start to think that I was stable until a month ago."
"That's when Jacob came into the picture?"
"That's when I realized that I loved him. He's been in the picture for years," she explained with a shake of her head.
"It's funny how things work out sometimes. Something good always comes out of something bad, you just have to be patient."
Leah nodded her head in agreement. Jacob had come as a complete shock to her. She had been alone for so long that she had trouble letting someone else shoulder some of the responsibilities. He had stuck around and shown her that he was there for her in a way that no one else could be.
James came into the room carrying Sean with Sam following a few steps behind him.
"You two didn't have to get him anything," James said looking at the presents added to the pile.
"We wanted to. Our mothers got him something too," Sam said with a kind smile.
"Leah says that you're going to be getting married soon," Amy said as she finished icing the cake.
"Very soon," he said with a nod.
"Finding out about an unknown child must have put a lot of strain on your relationship."
"It did, but Emily and I have worked through it."
"We just want to be sure that we won't be served with papers from your lawyer stating that you're taking back your rights because you didn't realize what you were signing," James broached calmly.
"I would never do that. Emily has been working on breaking my habit of not reading important documents before I sign them for as long as she has known me. Sean is yours now."
"We'd like to meet to me her, Jacob as well. Sam was telling me that the three of you have known each other all of your lives," James said to Leah to change the subject.
"We live on a small reservation. Everyone knows everyone else. It's one of the drawbacks of small town life. You can't hide, and everyone knows your business," Leah said with a sigh.
"I can see how that would be a problem," James said in agreement.
"Sam, would you like to feed Sean?" Amy asked.
"Would he let me?"
"It's a good way of seeing if he trusts you. He won't let just anyone feed him."
"Sure," Sam said with an uneasy smile.
Amy heated up chicken nuggets for Sean then cut them up before handing the plate to Sam.
"Do you have any younger brothers or sisters Sam?" James asked.
"I have an older sister," Sam said shaking his head as he put a few pieces of chicken on the table.
"He helped me with Seth when we were younger," Leah said proudly.
"So you do have some experience with babies."
"Yes," Sam said with a nod.
"Yes," Sean said with a mouthful of food as he nodded his head.
Sam laughed as the little boy continued to watch him while he ate. Leah could see that Sam was starting to feel more at ease. She was glad that he was letting his guard down. Sean played quietly while Sam fed him and when he was done Sam wiped him clean.
"He likes you. That's good," Amy said with an encouraging smile.
"I was worried that he wouldn't."
"Leah was worried about that too when she came to see us last year. He's very gentle minded and kindhearted. I have never seen such a well behaved baby," Amy said running her fingers through Sean's hair.
"See? I told you he was like you," Leah said nudging Sam.
"Can I hold him?"
"Sure."
Sam unbuckled the harness of the booster seat before reaching for the baby. Sean held out his arms for Sam willingly and immediately put his hands to Sam's face. He patted Sam's cheek lightly as Sam watched him with curious eyes. Sean gave him a wide smile which he returned.
"Can you say Sam?" Amy asked Sean.
Sean studied Sam intently, still smiling.
"Sam," Sean said quietly.
"It's an easy name to say. Leah's brother said it before he could say Leah and Dada."
"He did?" James asked.
"It was his second word."
"He won by default," Leah said rolling her eyes playfully.
"That is fascinating," Amy said.
"Seth has always looked up to Sam as an older brother."
"How about we go into the living room and let him open his presents?" Amy asked.
Sean's eyes lit up and he clapped his hands.
"He knows what that means," Sam said with a laugh.
"Amy spent a week telling him what it meant."
"I would wrap things from around the house and let him open them."
"That's a really good way to teach him," Leah said with a nod.
Sam carried Sean into the living room and when he tried to sit the baby on the floor he held onto his neck tightly.
"No," Sean said shaking his head.
"He wants you to keep holding him," Amy said with a smile.
"That's fine."
Sam sat in the floor with Sean in his lap and Amy handed the baby a present. He tore at the paper quickly and his eyes lit up when he saw a stuffed Elmo. Sam pulled it out of its box and Sean immediately reached for it.
"We're trying to teach him how to count. Sesame Street is the only thing that has worked," James said as the little boy clutched the stuffed animal.
Amy handed Sean another gift and he stared at it in wonder. It was a pull along caterpillar that played music. Once all the gifts were open he had a Thomas the Train set and the smallest bat and glove that Leah had ever seen along with a plastic baseball.
"I play baseball and he's been asking me to let him play," James said when Leah asked about them.
"Throw, Daddy!" Sean said excitedly.
"Later," James said as Sean climbed into his lap holding the ball.
"Are you ready for cake and ice cream?" Amy asked.
"Yea," Sean said clapping his hands happily.
Leah put her camera back in her bag before following everyone else back into the kitchen. She must have taken fifty pictures. She hung back while James put Sean back in his booster seat. She found it hard to believe that two years had passed by so quickly. She could honestly say that she had matured a lot in the time since she'd had Sean. There was a time when she thought that she would never feel whole again.
Sam looked over at her giving her a curious look. She shook her head letting him know that he didn't need to worry. She shouldn't be feeling sorry about herself. Sam obviously felt out of place. She'd felt out of place when she came to visit for the first time too. Telling Sam about Sean had taken a lot of courage, but making the decision to come and meet him had been a huge step for Sam.
He still carried blame for what happened and Leah had put more stress on top of it. She hadn't meant to do that but Sam needed to know before Sean was old enough to start asking questions and possibly start looking for him.
Telling him had been the right decision; it was what she needed to move past all of the hurt and anger that she held towards him. She hoped that one day he would see that she hadn't set out to purposely hurt him.
Three hours later they were on their way home and Sam was silent again. Leah wanted to talk to him, get his opinion on things but she knew better than to force him into talking. She didn't feel like dealing with the blow up that would ensue while they were still in the car.
"I'm not mad at you," he said breaking the silence.
"You're not?"
"No," he said, keeping his eyes on the road.
"How did you know that was what I was thinking about?"
"You're like an open book. It's written all over your face."
"Sorry."
"Don't be. Just because we aren't together anymore doesn't mean that you can't talk to me."
"I know. It's just easier to talk to Jake."
"You are each other's imprints," he reasoned.
"Do you ever wonder why we didn't imprint on each other?"
"Sometimes," he answered honestly.
"Why do you think it happened?"
"You needed someone who could handle you better than I could and Jake needed someone who wouldn't give him whatever he wanted all the time. You two balance each other out."
"He's not that bad. I wish that he had given you a chance before he changed. He would see what I see."
"Things happen for a reason Lee, he and I weren't meant to be friends before all of this happened."
"I guess you're right. He really is a good person; you just need to be easier on him."
"I know he's a good person, I'm just a little bitter," he said with a frustrated sigh.
"Why?" she asked in confusion.
"If none of this had happened, if the Cullen's had never come here, Jake and Bella would probably be together and you and I would be the ones raising Sean."
"Does Emily know you feel this way?"
"She's my imprint Leah, I tell her everything."
"She hasn't mentioned it," Leah mumbled.
"She's a saint. I don't know what I did to deserve her."
"You joined the pack Sam."
"If I knew then what I know now I wouldn't have. You know that don't you?"
"I know," she said quietly.
"I guess that I could be a little nicer to Jake."
"Talk to Paul about being nicer to him too and don't tell me that you don't get a kick out of seeing him take Jake down a few notches."
"It is pretty funny sometimes," Sam admitted as a smile tugged at his lips.
"Does Paul know what you think of Jake and Bella?"
"He knows. He's more thankful than anybody that I joined the pack. Don't tell Bella, please?"
"Keeping it from her would be a good idea," Leah said, nodding her head in agreement.
The car was silent again as the conversation was dropped. She wished that he hadn't told her that he wished that he hadn't joined the pack. It was nice to think about the way that things used to be, but she knew that things would never be the same again. She was looking forward to a future with Jacob. She could see herself being happy with him for the rest of her life.