Jacob hated the whine in his voice, but there it was. "For pity's sake, Lily, why do you insist on looking at rings every time we come to the mall? You know we don't wear jewelry - for some very good reasons." His voice was a whisper, but two customers in the store turned to look at them as if they heard him.

"I like to look!" Lily hissed, her eyes on Jacob. He grabbed her hand and tried to steer her the other way, but it was too late.

"Jacob? Lily? I thought I smelled dog!" It was Rosalie Cullen and her hulking mate, Emmett. Lily tried to hold her breath as they passed around phony hugs. Emmett's huge arms lingered just a beat too long on Lily and Rosalie snatched him away. Lily's eyes sparkled with amusement.

"Emmett! Rosemary! It's been too long," Lily gushed.

"It's Rosalie," Rose said through gritted teeth. She couldn't help herself. "And not nearly long enough!"

"Oh. Right. Rosalie."

Jacob flashed a bright white smile at Rosalie and mouthed the word "leech."

"Mutt," she replied sotto voce.

The jeweler eyed the foursome warily, though he was blissfully unaware of the damage they could wreak on his store if the verbal confrontation turned physical. He seemed to relax slightly when he caught a glimpse of the perfect diamonds glittering on Rosalie's wrist and fingers.

Jacob glanced at his own wrist. "Well, would you look at the time!" His hand tightened on the Macy's bag that contained two pairs of simple denim shorts, replacements for those he had accidentally shredded in his haste to phase into wolf form. "We're headed to the food court for lunch. Would you like to join us? Oh, silly me - never mind." He grabbed Lily's hand.

"Always a pleasure," Lily tossed over her shoulder with a parting wink at Emmett. Jacob missed the wink but he heard Rosalie's low growl.

Slipping his arm around Lily's waist, Jacob kissed her cheek. "Sorry. I just can't seem to resist getting a rise out of her. That was kinda fun."

Lily grinned at him. "Emmett's okay. I have a feeling he was a good guy once, way back when he was human."

"Who was human?" Seth's voice came from behind them.

"You were, junior!" Jacob whirled and stomped a foot in Seth's direction but he didn't flinch.

Jake turned to Aiyanna with a hug. "I heard your good news. Congratulations!"

Lily hugged Seth. "Nice job, Seth." She grinned. "You know, they have this new invention called condoms…"

Seth whispered back, "Didn't you know wolf boys are tougher than latex?" She punched his shoulder and they laughed. "Looks like we're all headed to the food court - go figure! Let's get a table, if you two don't mind the company."

"That's a great idea!" Jacob agreed. "We invited Emmett and Rose to join us for lunch, but they weren't hungry." Everyone laughed, and Jacob set his bag on a relatively clean table with four chairs. "You gals have a seat and we'll get the food." The table was in a corner, providing relative privacy since the lunch rush had not yet begun.

Jacob heard Lily speaking softly as he and Seth headed off in different directions. Jake got in line at Bun 'n Burger and Seth opted for Kentucky Fried Chicken. "I heard about your brother. How do you feel about it?"

"Well, in his case it was a blessing," Aiyanna whispered. "Poor Leah was at her wits' end, and those two are serious. Anyone can see how much they care about each other. As for the imprinting," she shrugged, "we'll have to wait and see. I know you and Jake have the same sword hanging over your relationship. I feel like I'm the lucky one. I know Seth is mine."

Lily nodded. "We try not to think about it. There are two schools of thought. A lot of people think Sam caved too easily. I'm not so sure. It's intense."

"A blessing and a curse," Aiyanna agreed. "Leah made us sign up for a baby gift registry; that's why we're here today. I told her it's much too early, but she insisted." She sighed. "You know Leah. She's a force to be reckoned with. She says Seth comes from a long line of hardy warriors!"

Jacob and Seth returned with two trays, each one piled with enough food for a family reunion. Conversation lagged while they chowed down on burgers, fried chicken, fries, and donuts. Aiyanna finished first and sat back watching the others devour every last scrap. "Thankfully I don't have any morning sickness," she said to Lily. "At least not yet."

Lily smiled at her. "Any guesses about the baby yet? I know it's early, but it's so exciting! Eight more months must seem like an eternity!"

"We feel like it's a boy," Aiyanna said, patting her stomach gently. "If so, his name is Harry. That's what we've been calling him anyway. I suppose we'll have to pick a girl's name too - just in case."

The mall was a good 20 miles from the reservation, but since it was the nearest one a good percentage of its clientele was Native. Lily worked at Macy's fragrance counter, and she had a number of acquaintances from her job that included fellow employees and customers.

"Hey, Lily!" A petite, dark haired girl was dragging her male companion toward Lily's table. "I was just at Macy's and was disappointed you weren't working today!" She smiled, and her glance took in Lily's companions.

"Oh, hey Sheila. Yeah, I'm off today because I'm working Sunday." Lily explained, "Sheila is one of my best customers. She works at Penneys. These are my friends - Seth, Aiyanna, and I'm sure you've heard of Jake." Her voice trailed off as she turned to Jacob. He looked like he was in a trance. His eyes were wide and staring...straight into Sheila's. "Jake?"

After a long moment he blinked and shook his head. "Yeah. Sorry. I...nice to meet you."

Sheila was too shaken to introduce her friend, who was now tugging on her hand. Her face flushed in embarrassment at the unexpected attention. "I...have to go. Nice meeting you," she muttered as she fled.

As soon as Sheila was out of earshot, all eyes turned to Jacob. "What the fuck was that?" Lily hissed. But in her heart, she already knew.