Chapter 38
After they'd made love, they had cuddled for a while until they heard the clock in the house chime three times, indicating how long they'd been away. They'd dressed, gotten everything together ensuring they hadn't left anything behind, and reluctantly made the journey back. At the moment, Leah was sitting in front with her back to Hailey's chest, resting her head on his shoulder allowing him easy view of her neck which he would kiss from time to time.
"I told my sister about you," Hailey said as the two of them rode back to the bluff where the potatoes had been left.
"Did you?" Leah said nervously. "And what did she say?"
"She said I was insane," he replied and Leah giggled.
"I could've told you that," she teased. Hailey chuckled and kissed Leah's neck again. "Have you told anyone besides her?"
"No," Hailey said. "I told Leslie because I knew she wouldn't say anything. She understands me more than anyone else does. She tried to tell me I should tell mom, but I refused to. I said I wasn't going to say anything until you were comfortable with it."
"Who's to say I ever will be," Leah mumbled.
"We'll have to tell eventually."
"I know," Leah said. "I'm just scared to. They'll all jump to conclusions about you and they won't understand."
"You know," Hailey said, "when I was talking to Leslie about all this, she said we should just end our relationship and that I needed to find a girl in town to marry. I just said that even if I did, I wouldn't love her. I'd end things between us as everyone wanted only to resent the woman I married and rekindle our relationship assuming you would still have me."
"There certainly seems to be a contender lined up from what you tell me," Leah said with slight bitterness.
"What are you talking about?" Hailey asked.
"That Marshal girl," Leah said.
"You mean Bernice? Jesus, Leah, I haven't even met the woman more than in passing. You have nothing to worry about." Leah sighed and tried to scoot just a little further back so she was nearer to Hailey.
"I'm sorry," Leah said. "I suppose I'm just a little jealous."
"There's nothing to be jealous of," Hailey reassured. "I barely know the girl let alone want to marry her." Leah took a deep breath.
"I trust you," she said. Hailey smiled and kissed her neck again.
"Do you mean that?"
"Yes," she replied. Hailey kept kissing Leah's neck while she smiled and leaned her head back so he could have easier access to her neck.
Later in the afternoon when Leah finally returned, everyone was huddling together while performing their chores to protect themselves from the cold. Leah walked past everyone with her basket of potatoes ready to store somewhere safe. She kept the book Hailey gave her hidden under all the potatoes as well. When she reached the tent she shared with Seth, Sara walked up behind her and looked in the basket.
"You were able to find so many in this weather?" Sara asked.
"Yes," Leah answered calmly. "I was determined."
"Clearly," Sara smiled. Then she reached down to grab a few and Leah nearly had a panic attack. "I'm sorry, dear, I should've asked first. Do you mind if I take a few?"
"Sure," Leah said and stepped in front of Sara and grabbed a few more potatoes. "Are these enough?"
"Oh, that's plenty," Sara accepted. Leah made sure to stay in front of the basket so Sara wouldn't see the corner of the book Hailey had given her. However, when Sara smiled at Leah, she noticed something peak out of the collar of her coat. "Leah, what happened to your neck?" Leah felt her heart stop and struggled for an excuse.
"I…accidentally burned myself with some wood from the fire earlier. It's stupid, really. I tried grabbing it with my bare hands, it was too hot, and it hit my neck."
"Leah, go to Sokajili and get some balm for that. It'll help with the pain too." Sara moved her hand to move the fabric of Leah's coat, but Leah immediately stepped back to avoid her hand.
"It's alright, Auntie, it'll be fine. If it still hurts tomorrow, I'll go get some balm from Sokajili. I promise. Actually, Auntie, do you mind if I just sit inside for a while? I'm freezing and I'm dying to warm up by a fire."
"Alright," Sara mumbled and watched Leah grab the basket and go back into her tent. A few minutes later, and rather unannounced, Jacob let himself into her tent, surprising her.
"What are you doing here?" Leah asked.
"I just came to ask how your date went. Must have gone well seeing as mom noticed your 'burn'," Jacob teased and laughed. "You might want to tell lover boy to plant his marks where no one can see them." Leah blushed profusely and busied herself with finding the lid for her basket to keep the potatoes fresh.
"I'll let him know," Leah mumbled. She didn't bother taking out the book just yet. She'd wait until Jacob was gone.
"You didn't see him earlier this week. Is everything alright?"
"He went to his family's house for Thanksgiving. He's been in Port Angeles for the past few days."
"Ah," Jacob said. "And how was his trip?"
"He told his sister about us," Leah said.
"Okay," Jacob said, "And?"
"She said he was insane and that we shouldn't be seeing each other."
"And what does he say his response to that was?"
"Even if we were to end our relationship and he saw someone else, he would never love her like me and we'd eventually rekindle our affair anyway."
"Oh really?" Jacob said, raising an eyebrow. "He thinks you would tolerate that?"
"No," Leah said. "He said it would happen if I would still have him after that."
"You wouldn't right?"
"I don't know," Leah said. "Can we not talk about something that's hypothetical to begin with?"
"Fine," Jacob said. "Anything else interesting going on?"
"Not especially," Leah said. "It turns out Hailey likes poker too, so we've started playing that together."
"Sounds like something to do," Jacob said.
"He's still teaching me German."
"And how's that going?"
"Well," Leah said. "He says I'm coming along really well."
"That's good to hear," Jacob said.
"Have you and Renesmee read Taming of the Shrew?" Leah asked suddenly.
"Yes," Jacob looked at her weirdly. "Why?"
"As it turns out, Hailey's father had a German translation of the play and he gave it to me. I was wondering what the story was."
"He gave you that?" Jacob said, chuckling. "Interesting choice. It's about a woman named Katherine that is shrewish and difficult. There's a man named…" Jacob stopped to think. "Petruchio," he finally said. "That was his name. Petruchio is a man that needs money and is willing to marry just about anyone. So he marries Katherine, betting everyone that he'll be able to make a proper wife out of her and so on. He puts her through trials that are cruel and unusual so he can humble her or something. By the end of the play, she's an obedient wife and makes an example of everyone else's wives. She gives a big old speech about being obedient and everything. I don't care for it."
"I imagine I won't either," Leah said. "But who knows. It might be funny."
"It has funny moments. It's just that the moral of the story is unpleasant. I told Renesmee I wasn't sure I saw the humor in humiliating a woman so she'll behave and she just told me about a French play that was infinitely worse."
"How so?"
"Apparently, it's the story of a man that marries a young woman whose mother is loud and less than lady like. She humiliates the son-in-law and one day he decides he's had enough so he takes bulls testicles, forces her to the ground while she's yelling at him one day, cuts her thigh so she'll bleed, and reveals the bulls testicles claiming he'd finally found the source of her brazenness or something and from that point on, she never spoke out of turn again."
"That's horrible!" Leah said.
"It makes Taming of the Shrew a little less so," Jacob said. "Though I'll admit there's a little parallel for the two of you. I'd say two shrews tamed one another more appropriately."
"Cute," Leah sighed.
"So does Hailey telling his sister mean you'll be telling any of us about this?"
"You already know," Leah said.
"I'm not the one that needs to know, Leah."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm tired of being lectured about this. I'll tell Sara and William when I'm damned good and ready."
"Fine," Jacob said. "Fine, Leah. I won't badger you about it anymore."
"I'd appreciate it," Leah sighed. "You haven't said anything to Aunt Sara?"
"You would know if I did," Jacob said and stood back up. "I feel bad for Renesmee and Caevia," Jacob changed the subject. "Half way or so and they already look ready to burst. Renesmee's already tired of it."
"I'm sure she is," Leah laughed. "Caevia looks just as tired. Is she sure she wants two more after this?"
"One more I would think," Jacob said. "Carlisle and Sokajili are certain the two of them are carrying twins. Carlisle says Caevia might even be carrying three."
"They certainly look it," Leah said. "And this is the last baby for you and Renesmee?"
"If it's a girl," Jacob said. "That's the compromise. Once we have a girl, we'll call it quits and I'll get fixed."
"You're doing it?"
"Yeah," Jacob said. "It makes more sense for me to do it. It'll be done faster and based on the way I heal I'll be good as new in no time."
"Hailey felt better in just a few days, so I'm sure you'll be fine. Hailey said he had to masturbate a lot to make sure he was infertile."
"Yes, Carlisle mentioned that part," Jacob said. "That's not what I'm nervous about."
"You'll be fine, Jacob," Leah said. "Renesmee will appreciate it."
"Yeah," Jacob mumbled. "Now come outside and do something useful."
Leah looked at Jacob meanly, but stepped outside as he suggested, making a point to keep her neck unexposed so as to avoid further embarrassment. She would certainly have to have a word with Hailey about this. She occupied herself with cleaning clothes; a task made more difficult in the winter. At this point in the year, most clothes were discarded due to shrinkage and remade in spring, but with the new fabrics they were able to make clothes from, they lasted much longer and cleaned far easier. The cotton fabrics were nice and warm too. Thanks to her little scarf, she hid the marks well. As she was cleaning, she felt someone tap on her shoulder and looked over to see Sokajili.
"Sara said you had a burn she wanted me to look at,"he said.
"It's nothing, really," Leah said quickly. A little too quickly, Sokajili noticed.
"Well, come to my tent anyway. Sara's worried and she won't be happy until I've at least given you some balm to rub on it."
"I told her I'd check with you in the morning if it hurt."
"It doesn't hurt now?" Sokajili asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, it stings a little," Leah corrected herself. "But it's nothing to worry about."
"You let me be the judge of that," Sokajili said. He motioned for her to follow him, noticing how reluctant she was. Eventually, Leah followed Sokajili to his tent and sat down on the little bed off to the side where patients sat. Right away, he got together what he needed for burns.
"Can Renesmee do this?" Leah asked.
"She knows how,"Sokajili confirmed. "Poor dear's occupied with the children, though."
"Do I really need to be here for this? You can make the balm and just give it to me when you're done."
"I could,"Sokajili said. "Now where's the burn?" Leah struggled to remember where Sara had looked. She knew it had been on her left side. She finally pulled her scarf just a little bit down thinking she was showing the single mark. Unfortunately, Sokajili saw two others and, instantly, knew they weren't burns. "I see," he said, and then he chuckled. "Oh Sara. Only she would think that's a burn."
"It is a burn," Leah defended.
"Leah, I might not be married, but I was young once too and I KNOW when I'm looking at hickies." Leah's face turned beet red and she looked away as Sokajili continued to chuckle. "So what's his name?"
"Nothing," Leah said.
"Well, it has to be something. There's not an entity in the world that doesn't have a name."
"This one doesn't,"Leah persisted. Sokajili continued to look at her strangely now. Clearly, she wasn't going to tell him, so he'd have to figure it out himself.
"Well, nameless as he evidently is, it explains where you keep going. What is it you've said to Sara? Gathering potatoes and just needing some time to yourself?"
"Don't be silly, Uncle," Leah said.
"In fact," Sokajili continued, ignoring Leah's denial, "didn't you reprimand the Meat Monger for fishing on our lands over the summer?" When Leah went rigid, more so than before, Sokajili nodded. "So that's what's going on."
"Uncle-"
"Now, now, child, I've come to the right conclusion. No point in trying to say otherwise. It certainly explains a lot. I suppose I understand why you haven't told Sara or Kayechiwetchwe."
"Please don't assume the worst of him,"Leah finally said.
"You know I won't."
"If Uncle William and Aunt Sara knew, they'd be outraged."
"Oh, Leah, Sara won't be outraged. Kayechiwetchwe: he'll be outraged. But then, the man's always quick to judge. He's a man that yells first, ask questions later. You know that."
"He didn't even like Renesmee in the beginning, and she's Jacob's imprint. Imagine what he'd say about Hailey."
"Your uncle was more upset that Jacob had kidnapped Renesmee which, let us be truthful, was very stupid. It worked out of the best, but it was still stupid. So Hailey is his name?"
"Hailey Dauer," Leah said.
"And how did this little romance begin? I recall you were reprimanding him for fishing."
"I kept catching him fishing and…I suppose one thing led to another and before I knew it, I loved the man."
"And he loves you?"
"Yes,"Leah said.
"Well, I'll fetch Kayechiwetchwe and Sara so we can discuss this further."
"No!" Leah said, grabbing Sokajili's arm so he couldn't stand up. "No. I don't want to tell them."
"Leah," Sokajili said sternly. "You know full well I won't keep this a secret. How you've kept it a secret for so long, I don't know how. I assume Jacob and Renesmee are aware? And by virtue the pack?"
"How did you know that?"
"Well, firstly, I assume that's the reason you were pestering to have Renesmee examine you instead of me. If she knows and is keeping this a secret for you, she can make the balm for burns you don't have and then never speak of it again. Then, if Renesmee knows, naturally Jacob would know. And I'm sure I recall Sara making him follow you before. The rest would happen simply because the wolves share their minds."
"I didn't tell them,"Leah said. "Jacob found out, he told Renesmee and so on. The Cullens know if I recall."
"Do they? And they've not said anything?"
"I think only Edward and Carlisle are aware. They're the only ones I'm certain know. Edward knows everything and Carlisle performed surgery on Hailey so he would no longer be able to have children."
"No longer have children?" Sokajili raised an eyebrow. "Ah, yes, I recall Renesmee mentioning that Jacob might do that. So the Meat Monger will not give you children?"
"No,"Leah said. "He doesn't like children and he never wanted any of his own. I'm indifferent to the matter."
"I suppose,"Sokajili said. "Your Meat Monger will have a long way to go to compensate for that little shortcoming."
"It's not a shortcoming. If he doesn't want children, he shouldn't have to have any and I'm already resigned to not having children. I have plenty of little cousins and more to come that will more than satisfy any desired time with children. And the best part of those children is I can give them back." Sokajili laughed out loud.
"Yes, that is a lovely bonus. Yet, I find no matter how many times I've tried to give Jacob back, he always came back to torment me." Leah finally smiled and laughed a little. "But regardless, we need to talk to Kayechiwetchwe and Sara about this if you want any hope of being able to continue seeing him. Perhaps I can convince your uncle to allow the two of you to have a Quileute wedding."
"We aren't getting married," Leah said. "It's silly to bother with it. No one would ever tolerate it, especially in town."
"He doesn't intend to marry you?"
"We never discuss it," Leah corrected. "I don't see the need to discuss it and I don't see a need for us to change the relationship we have."
"So you'll simply be his mistress?"
"I'm no mistress, Uncle," Leah said defensively. "We are only with one another."
"And how long will that last? Will you continue to see him when he marries another woman?"
"He won't do that," Leah said. "He loves me and he doesn't want to be with anyone but me."
"How can you be so sure of that if he won't marry you?"
"I never said he wouldn't marry me, I said it was silly for us to bother getting married. We've not discussed it at all regardless. The two of us not getting married doesn't mean I don't love him or he doesn't love me."
"Perhaps not," Sokajili said. "All the same, we need to discuss this with your Aunt and Uncle."
"No," Leah said. "At least let me talk to Hailey first. Let me talk to him about this before we tell Sara and William." Sokajili contemplated a moment while he looked at Leah.
"When do you see him next?"
"In three days. I'll talk to him when I see him next, I promise."
"Alright," Sokajili said. "But I expect you to talk to him and, when you return, we ARE going to talk to your aunt and uncle about this. Do you understand me?" Reluctantly and with a deep sigh, Leah finally nodded. "Good," Sokajili responded.
After Leah agreed to Sokajili's terms, he let her leave and return to her day. When she returned outside, she saw her little cousins and Caevia's children playing together. She saw Jacob and Embry, who were no doubt supposed to be watching them, sleeping against some trees near where the children were playing. She rolled her eyes and started walking to the children to keep an eye on them. Embry and Aidie were wrestling while Kevin and Kyle watched, betting who would win. It was agreed between the two of them that whoever won would be allowed the have the last potato cake at dinner. Embry and Jacob were supposed to be acting as referees, but since they'd fallen asleep, the task fell on Kyle. He was the one most likely to judge honestly. Kevin was cheering Embry on as the siblings wrestled and Leah began cheering for Aidie. Despite being nearly half Embry's size, Aidetzi was tenacious and used her smaller size to her advantage, crawling out from under Embry and onto his back.
Embry fell backwards; crushing Aidie and making the breath fly from her lungs. She started to cough a little and Embry immediately got off her so she could breath. Kyle yelled 'foul!' and the victory didn't count. Leah yelled at Embry to wake up and went to Aidie fully expecting that she might start crying. Embry woke up and started running over while Leah kneeled down to attend to Aidie. She coughed a little more while Leah lifted her head and patted her belly. Embry reached them and took over, asking Aidie if she was okay. She might have cried, but since Embry appeared, she refused to, said she was okay, and stood back up and leaped for her brother to continue their wrestling match. When the two of them continued, Embry chuckled.
"Don't you dare laugh," Leah said. "If Caevia knew you and Jacob were asleep while you're supposed to be watching the kids, she certainly wouldn't find it amusing."
"We're awake now," Embry sighed. They watched the children continue to wrestle. Aidie had begun swinging her teeny tiny fisted hands in a comical pinwheel motion hitting Embry's shoulder as he backed away and held up his arms to block. The sight made Embry Sr. start to chuckle.
"She's a little terror," Jacob joked when he saw Aidie swinging her arms at Embry Jr. Eventually, Aidie got tired and stopped swinging her arms and when she did, Embry Jr. ducked and charged, pinning Aidie to the ground. To get back the upper hand, Aidie reached around her brother and started tickling his sides. Embry Jr. started laughing and jerked away from her so Aidie couldn't tickle him anymore and Kyle stepped forward.
"Foul! No tickling!" Kyle said. Aidie and Embry Jr. restarted their wrestling match and managed to play fair the whole fight. Aidie put up a good fight, but Embry eventually won the match when he pinned her down and kept her down for a prolonged period. "Embry wins!" Kyle yelled when Embry had Aidie down for at least 10 seconds. Embry finally got off Aidie cheering while Aidie went to Embry Sr. with a pout on her face.
"Daddy, it's not fair! Embry is bigger than me!"
"Don't pout," Embry Sr. said and lifted Aidie up onto his shoulder. "For being half his size, you put up a good fight. I'll tell you what: you can have one of my potato cakes at dinner."
"Really?" Aidie smiled and then cuddled into Embry's shoulder. Embry smiled and patted Aidie's back.
"She didn't earn extra food!" Embry Jr. yelled and ran to his father, barely reaching the top of his thigh. "I won fair and square!"
"You have a weight advantage! It's not a fair fight!"
"No! It was fair!" Embry Jr. barked back.
"Enough," Embry Sr. said sternly. "Both of you stop bickering or neither of you get extra." That shut the two of them right up and they did not argue further on the matter.
Embry put Aidie back down and the children returned to playing together. Kevin challenged everyone to a tree climbing contest and assigned their dads to watch and pick the winner when they reached the top of the tree. Aidie did her best to catch up to the boys and she managed to make second, but Kevin still beat her. She pouted the whole way back down her tree and went right to her dad for a hug. Renesmee and Caevia saw the children play and Caevia smiled when Aidie went right to Embry to pout and vent. When it was finally dinner, Aidie sat between Caevia and Embry and spent most of dinner petting Caevia's belly earning a few kicks.
"I want a sister," Aidie said. "Can I have a sister, mommy?"
"We'll see," Caevia smiled and patted Aidie's head.
"You do realize," Leah said, "that if you get a sister, that means you won't be daddy's little girl anymore right?"
"No," Aidie said stubbornly. "Daddy will still love me more."
"I'll love you and your sister equally," Embry said with a smile. Aidie looked surprised then looked back at Caevia's belly again.
"I want another brother," she changed her mind. Caevia laughed and hugged Aidie.
"We'll see," she said again.
"I want a brother," Embry Jr. said.
"We'll see," Caevia said again.
"Can we have a brother mommy?" Kevin asked Renesmee.
"She can't promise a brother," Kyle said in his tiny voice. "Grandpa Carlisle says that a baby is a boy or girl when it's made."
"Shut up, Kyle," Kevin said, and then took one of Kyle's cakes. He was about to take a bite, but Jacob took the cake right from his hand and gave it back to Kyle. Kyle smirked meanly at Kevin and ate his returned cake while maintaining eye contact with his brother to taunt him. Not one to be outdone, Kevin leaned forward and took a huge bite out of Kyle's cake.
"Kevin!" Kyle yelled with his mouth full. The two proceeded to bicker momentarily until Jacob pulled the two of them apart so they could calm down.
After dinner, the children played together until Renesmee and Caevia agreed it was time for them to go to bed. Kevin and Kyle insisted on spending the night with Embry and Caevia, so Renesmee kissed both her sons on their heads, told them to behave themselves and be good for Caevia, and went back to hers and Jacob's tent. When they went into their tent together, the silence was a strange combination of much needed peace and quiet, and a deafening silence. Renesmee smiled and relaxed a little when Jacob came up behind her and held her close to his chest.
"Finally, some quiet," Jacob whispered in her ear and then started to kiss her neck.
"Perhaps a little too quiet. Once Caevia and I have the babies, maybe we shouldn't have the children all spending the night with the two of us or Caevia. It'll be far too crowded."
"Ah yes," Jacob smiled and began to sway Renesmee back and forth. "In fact, I recall your father comparing it to….what was it he said? 'A pile of hamsters'? What are hamsters?"
"They're tiny rodents that I believe are strictly indigenous to Europe, Africa and Asia. And they're so small they fit in your hand. I've heard people with the means like to keep them as pets. And groups of hamsters will cuddle up together and sleep on top of one another. It's quite adorable actually." Jacob just smiled and placed a hand on Renesmee's belly.
"Carlisle's certain it's twins?"
"He's certain. Daddy can't hear them, though. Looks like they can block him too. Daddy did say he can hear Caevia and Embry's babies."
"Evidently its three right?"
"Triplets, yes," Renesmee said. Then she sighed. "That won't be pleasant to deliver."
"I imagine not," Jacob joked. "Do we have other names in mind?"
"If we have two boys, Nathan and Edward. Two girls, Natalie and Isabella."
"Nathan and William," Jacob said.
"What's wrong with Edward?"
"It's your dad's name," Jacob chuckled and kissed Renesmee's neck. "Either William or name him after me. Embry and Caevia named their first boy after him."
"Yes, and it causes nothing but confusion," Renesmee scolded, despite the smile. "Besides, this won't be our first boy. If we have another, it'll be our third."
"And forth," Jacob suggested.
"No," Renesmee said. "We're having a girl."
"Are you sure?"
"Certain," Renesmee voiced adamantly. Jacob kept kissing Renesmee's neck as he rubbed her belly. "Shouldn't you be going on patrol?" Renesmee teased as she giggled from the tickle of his lips on her skin.
"They can wait for me," Jacob whispered. He continued to kiss along her neck. Renesmee leaned her head away so Jacob could continue and she sighed the further down he went until he reached her shoulder. He started to pull the strings of her dress when a loud patting came on the door.
"Mommy!" The instant Renesmee heard that, she fled from Jacob's hands and went right to the door to open it. When she opened the door, there was Kevin, Kyle, Embry and Aidetzi.
"What is it? What's the matter?" Renesmee asked, assuming the worst.
"Uncle Embry said that we were being too loud and said we should come here to sleep," Kevin said.
"If you were being too loud, then be quiet and go back and go to bed," Jacob said, mildly annoyed.
"Daddy said mommy needed a break," Embry said. "He said Aunt Renesmee wouldn't mind."
"He did, did he?" Jacob fumed. "Fine, but I want all of you in bed. I'll have a word with your dad." Jacob and Renesmee moved aside so the kids could come in. They all went to the side of the tent where Kevin and Kyle slept and they all circled around each other beginning to play with some of Kevin's and Kyle's toys. "That's not sleeping," Jacob said.
"Oh, leave them be," Renesmee smiled. "They'll go to bed in a moment." Renesmee reached up and gave Jacob a kiss. "We'll pick up where we left off tomorrow when you get back, alright?"
"Mm," Jacob grumbled and kissed Renesmee back. "Get to bed," he said to the kids. "And behave yourselves." Jacob left the tent, leaving Renesmee alone with the children.
"Mommy, can we please stay up and play longer?" Kevin asked. When he asked, all the children looked at Renesmee with pleading eyes, even Kyle who looked the most tired out of all of them.
"No, you heard your father. It's time for bed. I'll read to you to help you all calm down. How about that?"
"Okay," they all said. Then they all situated themselves onto the little bed, snuggled up like little hamsters. Renesmee grabbed the book they'd been reading, Sense and Sensibility, and picked up where they'd all left off when she'd last read the story to them.
"I thought we were reading Hamlet," Kevin spoke up.
"You me and Kyle are reading Hamlet, dear. When Embry and Aidetzi are over, we're reading Sense and Sensibility. Do you remember what happened last we read the story?"
"Mr. Willoughby had left Margaret suddenly and they were visiting their cousins and were invited to London?" Aidetzi spoke up.
"Very good, Aidie! That's right where we left off."
Renesmee continued reading until they reached the part of the story when they're beginning to return from London following Margaret's embarrassing reintroduction to Mr. Willoughby and discovering he's engaged to another woman. The children were all asleep before she could reach the part when Margaret became ill. They would return to that next time the children were all over for bedtime. In the meantime, outside, Jacob proceeded towards the woods to go on patrol. As he entered the collection of trees, he saw Embry, not yet a wolf. He and Quil were talking and waiting for him, neither looking in his direction. When they heard him coming, they glanced at him momentarily.
"Good, there you are," Quil said.
"Are the kids in bed?" Embry asked.
"About that, Embry," Jacob said before he punched Embry in the gut. Not too hard, but hard enough that he coughed and bent over a little.
"What was that for?!" he said.
"Kids were being too loud so you sent them to us? And you think Renesmee doesn't need a break?"
"Caevia was tired," Embry said. "She hasn't been feeling well all day and when the kids wouldn't go to sleep, I sent them to you so she could relax. From what I can tell, Renesmee's been fine all day."
"At least ask first," Jacob said. "Don't think we'll keep taking all of them once Renesmee has the babies. We'll have enough trouble with our own."
"Likewise," Embry groaned as he recovered. "Caevia's having three or so Carlisle said, so take pity on her."
"She seemed happy enough about it when she found out."
"I never said she wasn't happy. She's delighted. After this, we'll finally have five."
"Good," Quil said. "It's always nice to meet a goal."
"She wants to wait until the three babies are toddlers before we consider having any more,"Embry said nonchalantly.
"Wait, you're having more?" Quil said, a little alarmed. "I thought you were stopping after five."
"No, I said Caevia wants a minimum of five; one for every child she lost. She said she'd like to have more after that."
"You're out of your mind," Quil said.
"How, exactly, are you going to fit all these children in that tent of yours? Embry and Aidie already have to basically sleep on top of each other," Jacob said, though mildly absentmindedly. He recalled something that he and Carlisle had discussed a long time ago.
"I'll just make it bigger. That won't be a problem. Once it's warmer again, I'll work on making the teepee a little bigger. I can get it done before Caevia has the babies."
"You'd better hope so," Quil said, and then the three of them turned into wolves. They heard then what Jacob was beginning to contemplate.
What will your dad say? was Quil's first question.
I'll just have to find out,Jacob said. They can show us how to build houses their way. And you know how warm the Cullens' home is in winter. It might do everybody some good.
So we'll have several little houses in our clearing? Embry asked.
I'll talk to Carlisle. He'll know what to do. But let's keep this between us for now until I know for sure what to do.
They all agreed they wouldn't mention the topic again until further notice and proceeded with patrol for the remainder of the night, taking naps when it was their turn. The next morning, rather than return home, Jacob went right to the Cullen house. Jacob instructed Embry and Quil to let Renesmee know where he was when they returned. When Jacob arrived, Edward was already outside with Carlisle sitting on the patio waiting her him. Even to this day, seeing that always made Jacob extremely unsettled, but he ignored it, put some clothes on that he'd fetched, and went up to the porch where Carlisle and Edward were waiting.
"I'm pleased to hear you decided to provide my grandchildren with a proper living space," Edward teased.
"Don't be rude," Carlisle scolded. "Disregarding the way Edward worded it, we would be happy to assist with making housing for you and anyone in the tribe that wishes to have it."
"I don't want to clear out too much," Jacob said. "Whatever we do clear has to be used."
"Of course, naturally," Carlisle reassured. Then he stood up and patted Jacob's shoulder. "Come inside and we'll start making plans."
"There's one house Renesmee says she loved when she was little."
"He's referring to the plantation home we had during the war."
"Ah, yes! She did love that house."
"I don't think it should be as big, though. She's shown me the house and it's far too big. Too much useless space." Carlisle and Edward smiled.
"That's nothing we can't correct," Carlisle assured.
After having been told the function of a number of the rooms (drawing room, parlor room, dining room, patio etc.) Jacob dismissed near most of the house, considering the bulk of it 'useless'. He agreed that a kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, and an entrance were necessary, but other rooms took a little convincing on Edward's part. Jacob agreed, being reminded of Renesmee's undoubted desire to have a piano, that a music room or a family room of some nature would be necessary. He eventually agreed to a patio as well, knowing Renesmee would like that too. By the time Edward sketched out what would be the final product, the house was unmistakably less audacious than the house it was based on. It had two floors. The first floor would have a nice big kitchen, there would be an entrance that faced a small staircase leading upstairs, and there would be a family room across from the kitchen. This would all lead openly to a back area that led out to a patio. The stairs led up to a second floor that divided into two sides. To the right would be the master bedroom. To the left, there would be two big rooms for the children.
"Do you suppose we could start in summer and have this finished by Renesmee's birthday?" Jacob asked once all the plans were laid out.
"Easily," Edward answered. "So you want to keep this a secret from her?"
"I'd like to surprise her if I could," Jacob answered.
"You realize that means it'll have to be further than where the tribe currently is, right?"
"Within a mile at least," Jacob said. "Perhaps we could have it near the shore. She'd like it if we could."
"She'd love that," Edward agreed. "Whenever we lived in New England, we always had a house facing the bay. She used to love going outside and laying on the beach. We could easily recreate that for her." Edward took the plans for the house and immediately began to rework it so that the patio they planned up would be at the front of the home rather than the back, allowing the patio to face to ocean. "Can you live with that?"
"I prefer that, actually," Jacob said.
"And," Carlisle began, taking the plans and creating another set, "we could have a separate smaller entrance at the back of the house. We can add to the cobble stone trail that leads to our house and have a separate little trail leading to yours. Perhaps there should be a smaller back patio so the entrance at the back is more welcoming."
"And there can be a playground for the children to use," Edward said.
"If we do that, I'd rather the playground be at the front so it can be near the ocean. The children would like that more."
"You're right," Carlisle said, adding just that little bit more. "If we go with the style of that plantation home, we would have colors along the lines of deeper reds, greens, and purples. Those plantation style homes always stick with a more Greek and Parisian look."
"Can we make the pillars smaller?" Jacob asked, pointing at the pillars on the front patio. "They're too big. I can always carve something for them."
"I was actually going to suggest that," Carlisle said. "And everything will be wood and stone, so the natural state will be very earthy in tone. Renesmee adores red, so she'd want at least one or two rooms in the house to be that color."
"I can live with that," Jacob said.
"And luckily for you, we've purchased just about all the land surrounding your tribe, so taxes won't be an issue."
"Wait, you did what?" Jacob asked suddenly, interrupting Carlisle.
"I'd told you never to mention that," Edward mumbled. "When we were working with the mayor to give us land to make a home, he offered to sell us parts of land that belong to the Quileute tribe."
"We bought them only because we knew if we didn't, he'd try selling it to someone else if they asked," Carlisle added.
"Adding a legal debacle that, let's be honest here, you're not in a position to face."
"So," Jacob began, "Forks sells you land that wasn't theirs to begin with and now you 'own' where we reside?" Jacob started to raise his voice, and Carlisle immediately stepped in while Jasper came upstairs ready to calm Jacob down. He did calm down, but he fought it actively.
"Yes, Jacob, but I must say again that we did so in your best interest. All taxes pertaining to this land is our burden and our burden alone."
"It's not your burden to bear. The mayor had no right to sell to you what we never gave and you had no right to accept what wasn't his!"
"Jacob," Edward said. "Calm down. I understand you're angry. I would be too in your position, but please understand. Carlisle is right that, had we not bought the land, someone else would have and as I stated: it's not a legal battle you would be able to win. With the land in our name, we can protect your lands legally but that will not change that it's yours." Jacob was quiet and fuming. He decided to try calming down on his own.
"I understand you're upset, Jacob," Carlisle continued. "It was not my intent to upset you or disrespect you. I only meant to assist you in ensuring there would be no disputes in the future." Jacob stayed quiet and paced a moment. Jasper was assisting in keeping him calm and it allowed Jacob to think clearly. Ultimately, if anyone were to buy the land, better it be Renesmee's family where they won't try to con him.
"I suppose you're right," Jacob finally said. "But I want one thing to be clear. You may have your name on a piece of paper, but that land is ours and ours alone."
"Absolutely," Carlisle said. "In fact, if you would like, I can write up papers that will ensure irrefutably that the land belongs to the Quileute trib."
"And these 'taxes' you mentioned?"
"We will continue to take care of them," Carlisle said. "It's nothing we can't take care of."
"My father can't know about this," Jacob said. "You think I'm mad about this, it's nothing compared to how my father would react."
"Of course," Carlisle said. "We'll never mention this again. I'll draw up papers that ensure the land is all in your name, but we will take care of any taxes."
"When's the soonest that can be arranged?"
"I can have the papers written up by tomorrow. Edward will witness it for us."
"I'd rather Renesmee did," Jacob said.
"I'm afraid that's not legal," Edward spoke up. "Renesmee's not legally able to act as a witness. It would have to be me, Jasper or Emmet."
"Why can't Renesmee act as a witness?"
"Because she's a woman," Edward said bluntly. "Only men can legally own property and, by virtue, only men can witness contracts. I can assure you that you can trust me, Jacob."
"Fine," Jacob sighed. "So if anything were to happen to me-"
"The land would go to Kevin by default," Carlisle said. "All properties go to the eldest son unless mapped out otherwise in a will."
"I would imagine Kevin will be well old enough by the time property distribution would be an issue."
"I don't age so long as I remain a wolf, so I doubt it'll be an issue anyway. The moment those papers you're talking about are ready, come get me and I'll sign them here."
"Agreed," Carlisle said. Then he extended his hand to Jacob and the two shacked to seal the agreement.
After that discussion, Jacob agreed that he would return the next morning to review and sign the papers that Carlisle promised he would work on. Then he left the Cullen house and returned to the village. Renesmee was talking to Caevia when Jacob returned, but she looked at him when he was close.
"There you are," Renesmee smiled.
"Can I talk to you alone a moment?" Jacob asked. Renesmee lost a little of her smile at Jacob's seriousness.
"Is everything alright?"
"Yeah, I just wanted to talk to you." Renesmee followed Jacob as he walked away to their tent. Jacob opened the door to the tent and allowed Renesmee to enter before he went in behind her.
"So what's wrong?"
"Did you know your family bought our land?" Jacob asked. He made sure he didn't sound like he was accusing her, but he knew he still sounded upset no matter how badly he didn't want to.
"What?" Renesmee asked, raising an eyebrow. "How would they do that? You never signed anything entitling Forks to the land did you?"
"Of course not," Jacob said. "We've never signed anything. Carlisle said the Mayor offered to sell the land and Carlisle agreed to buy it do avoid legal troubles. Or some shit like that." Renesmee took a deep breath and walked over to Jacob. She placed her hand on his chest and looked up at him with calm, reassuring eyes.
"What happened after he told you that?"
"Jasper kept me calm and they told me that if they hadn't bought the land, the mayor would have sold it to someone else, causing a legal debacle that I wouldn't be able to handle. Then he said he'd sign everything over to me."
"Well that's good," Renesmee smiled. "It belongs to the tribe to begin with. Now it'll be legal."
"Still," Jacob grumbled. "That was four years ago. Why didn't they tell me then?"
"I imagine because you would have thrown a fit. You can't say you wouldn't have had Jasper not been there to calm you down."
"That's not the point," Jacob grumbled. "So did you know?"
"No, Jacob, I didn't. If I'd known, I would have told you. That's probably why they never mentioned it to me. For all I know, daddy and Carlisle might have been the only ones who knew."
"Well, the whole family was in the house when I got there, so they all know now. I told them never to tell my father."
"Absolutely not," Renesmee agreed. "Your father would have a cow."
"What?" Jacob asked.
"A cow. It's a way to say he'd be angry."
"Well, he would be that."
"So how did you find out about this?" Renesmee asked innocently. Jacob stopped a moment, realizing he didn't have an excuse.
"I..." Jacob began. "I thought Kevin might have left one of his toys and their house, so I went to get it and I overheard Carlisle and Edward talking about it."
"Oh," Renesmee said. "Well, if that's what happened then at least you know about it now."
"I'm going back tomorrow morning to sign whatever will put this land in my name. I'd wanted you to witness it-"
"I can't," Renesmee shook her head. "Only men can handle property like that. I'd be happy to go with you and look it over if you wanted."
"That's as good as I'll get I suppose," Jacob mumbled. "It's also the fact that they only offered to sign it over to me when I found out they'd bought it."
"It wasn't to be vindictive, Jacob," Renesmee reassured. "If Carlisle said it was to ensure we could avoid legal troubles with the state, then that's what he did it for. And now, once you sign the deed to the land, there will be no disputing the tribe's ownership."
"It's not something to 'own' anyway. It's land, not a keepsake."
"Unfortunately, Jacob, that's not how the American legal system works. Land can be deemed property just as much as a home or a pot." Jacob huffed and rolled his eyes. Renesmee smiled and brought her hands up to Jacob's face so he would look at her again. "Let's just look on the bright side of this."
"Alright," Jacob mumbled. "Once I get back from patrol tomorrow morning, we'll go back to your family's house and we'll get that…what did you call it? Deed?" Renesmee nodded. "We'll get that deed signed and this can all be taken care of."
"Exactly," Renesmee smiled.
Renesmee and Jacob shared a warm hug with her pregnant belly the only thing between them. Since they were alone, Jacob took advantage of the opportunity and started kissing Renesmee's neck, reminding her that they'd had a previous engagement that had been rudely interrupted and, perhaps, now they might continue. Renesmee laughed and nodded her head, letting Jacob continue. They stayed alone in their tent for about an hour and when Renesmee finally returned to Caevia asking what was wrong, Renesmee only said that the children had interrupted and important discussion the night before and she and Jacob had continued with it. She winked and Caevia laughed.
As promised, the next morning when Jacob came to the Cullen house with Renesmee, Carlisle had papers drawn up for Jacob to sign. Renesmee asked Sara to look after the children and she was happy to do so. They went up to Carlisle's office and Renesmee was the first to look everything over. The contract was pretty cut and dry. All lands within Quileute territories, which were mapped out on the next page, would be relinquished to ownership of Jacob, son to Chief William, and the Cullens would retain all financial responsibility.
"It's what you and Carlisle talked about yesterday," Renesmee confirmed, handing the papers to Jacob so he could look at them. He looked at the map and noticed something off.
"This section is our territory," he pointed at an area nearing the Hou tribe.
"That section was not sold to us," Carlisle clarified. "Everything highlighted is what was sold to us by the Mayor."
"Is there a chance he'll try to sell that?" Jacob asked apprehensively.
"I can certainly go to him and get a deed for the land. Then we can revise this contract to include it," Carlisle said.
"I'd appreciate that," Jacob nodded. "He hasn't already sold it has he?"
"No," Edward confirmed. "We're still the only new comers the town has had."
"I can go into town today," Carlisle offered. "Unfortunately, that does mean this will have to wait until he officially sells the land to us."
"That's fine," Jacob said. "Change this, though," Jacob pointed at 'William'. "It'll be best to make that my father's real name."
"What is your father's real name?" Carlisle asked.
"Kayechiwetchwe," Jacob answered.
"And how to you spell that?" Carlisle asked.
"I don't know," Jacob said. "We've never had a need to put it on paper." Renesmee took a spare paper and, sounding out the name, wrote it down to her best approximation.
"That looks right," Renesmee said. "We'll still need to keep William in there, though. Otherwise, it might confuse anyone that might need to look at this later on."
"If you say so," Jacob said. Once they all agreed Carlisle would purchase the remainder of the land not sold to the Cullens, they agreed they would meet up again as soon as the land was signed over and the contract Carlisle had written would be revised to include the land currently not accounted for.
For Leah, the days approaching Wednesday seemed to drag and yet she was anxious. The night before, just as she was getting ready to go to her tent for bed, Sokajili walked to her and said, "Remember, you speak with the Meat Monger tomorrow and when you return, we are discussing this with your aunt and uncle." Then he'd walked away without another word and the reminder served to cause Leah a moment of panic. She returned to the tent she shared with Seth and went right to bed without a word to Seth. She didn't even offer to read their Oma's bible.
"Something wrong?" Seth asked when Leah went right to bed without a word.
"I'm alright," Leah said.
"Are you sure? You seem like something's bothering you."
"Really, I'm fine," Leah said. Seth looked at her a moment, but eventually shrugged. He scooted over so he could grab Oma's Bible and found the spot where they'd left off. He mumbled the words as he read out loud. Leah immediately noticed his accent was off and she knew he didn't understand what he was reading. "Seth," she said.
"What?" he asked. Leah sat up in her bed and crawled over so she was sitting next to Seth, moving around the fire.
"I need to confide in you."
"In me?" Seth said questioningly. "What do you want to confide in me about?"
"Sokajili put me in a rather, let's say, precarious or compromising position," Leah answered awkwardly.
"How so?" Leah looked at Seth a moment. In the past year, he'd started getting much taller than her. Now, even sitting down, he towered over her. It was strange. She took deep breath and rested her head on his shoulder. "Leah, what's the matter? You're acting strange."
"Please just listen," Leah said. "Sokajili…he found out that I've been…seeing someone."
"You've been seeing someone?" Seth asked. "Well, that's great, Leah. Here I thought you'd probably end up with a tree," Seth joked, chuckling when Leah pulled away and punched his shoulder. "What? Lord knows you're tough to be around sometimes. If nothing else, at least a tree can't run away or fight back."
"Very funny," Leah grumbled. "The point is Sokajili found out and he's going to make me talk to Aunt Sara ad Uncle William tomorrow and he and I see each other."
"Well, why don't you just let him come here and introduce him? I'm dying to meet the man that's strong enough to handle you." Seth chuckled again when Leah, once again, punched his arm.
"Shut up," she mumbled.
"So is he someone from the Hou tribe? I have to say that explains a lot. You disappearing for hours on end; it was making Aunt Sara worry. It was making me worry too. But if it's because you found yourself a good suitor, I'm sure Aunt Sara will forgive you. So what's his name?"
"He's not from the Hou tribe," Leah mumbled. Seth took a moment to think.
"It's not a Makka or something is it?"
"Of course not," Leah said. "Even if our tribes were on good terms, they're too far away." Hailey was quiet a moment, losing his smile.
"It's not…it's not one of the Cullens or something is it?"
"Of course not!" Leah belted a little louder than she wanted to. She took a moment to calm her voice before continuing. "No, Seth, it's not one of the Cullens. Not one of them is single regardless."
"I don't know," Seth said. "So…it's someone from town?" His question was tinted with worry. Leah didn't answer right away, but when she did, all she did was nod. "Oh no," Seth sighed. "I guess I can see why you don't want to introduce him. Uncle William will eat him alive." There was another prolonged moment of silence as Seth took another moment to think. Then, the answer became clear as day. "It's that Meat Monger isn't it?"
"Yes," Leah said. "I caught him fishing, I was trying to get rid of him, then we started…I don't know. We started talking to each other. And getting to know one another. The more we talked, the more we liked one another. Before I knew it, I realized I loved him."
"Does he love you?" Seth asked cautiously.
"Yes," Leah answered confidently. "Yes, Seth, he loves me."
"How long have the two of you been seeing one another?"
"Since late summer," Leah answered. "At least agreeing that's what we were doing." Seth was quiet. Leah didn't say anything either. She just looked at him.
"Why didn't you tell me before?" Seth finally asked. "Why didn't you tell any of us before?"
"Because I knew no one would be happy for us," Leah answered honestly. "And I knew Uncle William would demand we no longer see each other. I already know that's what he'll say."
"So you'll stop seeing him?"
"No," Leah answered honestly. Seth took a deep breath again and laid down on his bed.
"Well," he finally continued, "I guess you'll have to bring this up in the morning." Leah sighed and crawled over to her side of the tent and to her bed. She laid down and was about to go to sleep. "And Leah?"
"What?" she mumbled.
"Thank you for confiding in me," he said. Leah looked at him and saw his genuine and kind smile. For an instant, that smile instantly made her think of their father.
"You have daddy's smile, Seth. Did you know that?"
"Is that a good thing?"
"Yes," Leah smiled back. "It is."
Seth smiled back at Leah and the two of them went to sleep. Seth, however, found himself being troubled. In all truthfulness, it was technically his decision whether Leah and the Meat Monger got to see each other. He was the man of the family after his father died, so such matters were his responsibility. Surely Leah must have known that, Seth thought. Perhaps she assumed that if she told him, he would take kindly to the news or even be indifferent to it enough so that he'd be alright with her seeing the Meat Monger. In all honesty, Seth wasn't too keen on the Meat Monger. He was mean spirited, vulgar, and extremely shrewish. Yet, if Leah was telling the truth about when she and the Meat Monger had started seeing each other, than that brute had made Leah the happiest he'd ever seen her. And he couldn't just disregard that as nothing. For that alone, the man held some water. But at the same time, Seth wasn't sure he wanted to make it that easy either. He knew his Uncle and Aunt would have objections to the two of them being together and in truth he had some objections as well. The Meat Monger would have to calm a lot of those objections before anyone would accept the two of them being together.
By the time it was morning, Seth had thought long and hard about what to do. He got up and left the tent earlier than usual while Leah was still asleep. He dressed as warmly as possible and grabbed something that he could eat while he made the journey to town. The walk was long and took him a few hours. The sun had finally peaked out halfway there and it was fully day by the time he finally got to town. He first thing he saw when he came out of the trees was the little general store. Somehow, he instantly remembered it. And he knew the General Store was where the Meat Mongers lived. He began to walk to the store ready to go to the front, but out of the back door came the man he wanted to speak to.
Hailey stepped out of the shop dressed, but still extremely groggy. Mitch had jolted him out of bed, telling him he'd slept in again and needed to get out immediately and feed the horse. He didn't notice Seth until he was at the bottom of the steps and finally opened his eyes fully and looked forward. He knew the kids was an Indian. Though he didn't know any more than that. Yet, the kid did look slightly familiar.
"Who the hell are you?" Hailey asked. Already, Seth wasn't too impressed with the man.
"I'm Seth," he said, walking just a little closer. That's when Hailey realized why the kids looked familiar and Seth knew the man had realized who he was. Yet, Hailey did not play along.
"Okay?" he finally said. "And what do you want?"
"Don't try to be coy," Seth said. "How long have you and my sister been seeing each other?"
"Ah," Hailey said, realizing there was no point in evading. "I see she told you?"
"Answer the question," Seth said.
"Since summer. Probably July or August." Seth started walking a little closer, but Hailey thought nothing of it. "Given the circumstances, we'd decided we were better off keeping our relationship a secret. I'm sure you can understand our predicament."
"Indeed," Seth said, having come within close range of Hailey. The two were the same height mostly. Seth was only a little taller. Then, rather suddenly, Seth hit Hailey right across the face, causing the man to bleed from his mouth just a little, though his nose remained in tack. "Now that we've got that out of the way-"
"Have what out of the way?" Hailey barked, though making sure to keep his voice down. "Are you out of your mind?"
"That was for being a coward."
"A coward?!"
"My sister says you love her. She loves you too. But if you really loved her, then you would have come to us, told us you care for her, and asked if you could marry her. This sneaking around isn't right and it's not fair to our Aunt Sara. She and my Uncle will already be upset enough about this as it is."
"So you punch me?" Hailey barked again.
"It was for being a coward," Seth repeated. Hailey wanted to yell at the boy, but he decided against it and tried to calm down. When he was calm, he rubbed the last bit of blood from his lip and stood tall.
"Fine," he said. "Perhaps I should have come to the family and asked if we could see each other. But Leah and I both agreed it was for the best to keep our relationship a secret. If that is no longer the case, then I will do what you consider proper. But I won't do that until Leah is alright with it."
"She doesn't have a choice," Seth said. "Our Medicine Man figured out what's going on. He's told her she needs to tell our aunt and uncle today or he will. That's how I came to find out about this when she confided in me. So, as man of the family, I'm taking first action."
"Man of the family? I thought your uncle was in charge."
"To some degree, but by the laws of our tribe, I am the man of the family, so my word goes. Not our uncle's."
"So you're the one to butter up to," Hailey managed to joke, and then chuckle.
"Oh no, you'll have to impress my aunt and uncle too. It's true the final decision is mine, but if my aunt and uncle don't approve of you, I won't approve of you either."
"And how do you propose I make them approve me? Shall I allow them to line up and take a punch at me one by one?" Seth looked at Hailey a moment, noting the sarcasm in his voice.
"I think I'm starting to understand what my sister sees in you," Seth said. "Would you ever marry her? Start a family with her?"
"Marry her? Yes. Start a family? No. I've already made sure I can't have children. You're sister is aware of this and supported my decision."
"Is that so?" Seth raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, that is so. Leah and I meet each other today. I will talk to her about this when I see her."
"You'd best," Seth said, and then proceeded to walk away. "And Meat Monger."
"What?" Hailey huffed, aggravated by the name.
"I think it only fair to warn that you will have a lot of hurtles to jump through. Just keep that in mind."