Chapter 10: Christmas Eve Will Find Me
A/N: Don't worry I havent forgotten about my other stores, I just wanted to get this plot bunny out of the way.
Isabella groaned as she turned the car off. Her feet were killing her.
Before she could contemplate her next move, her driver-side door opened revealing her son.
"Ma!" he greeted.
"Z! My handsome little man. Care to give your ma a hand with the groceries?" she asked.
"of course ma! And I brought reinforcements!"
It was then, that she noticed the three other boys standing shyly behind her son.
"ma! These are ya brothers! Pa said their my uncles, which is kind of weird but cool too."
Isabella froze at her son's words. Did he say her brothers?
" Big sister!" the smaller of the three boys yelled as he hugged her torso. However, zele pulled him back.
"Careful now Zeke, gotta be careful with Mama. She's in delicate condition right now."
Bella smiled at her son and his protectiveness, she then squatted down as well as she could and looked the boy in the eyes.
"Zeke is your name? My name is Isabella. And apparently, I am your big sister. Who is your mom?"
"my mom's name is Renee! And I've been excited to meet you, big sis! Mom always told me I would meet you one day! And now that day is here!"
Bella blinked and put a hand over her mouth. The other two boys stepped up introducing themselves.
"My name is Collin and this is Brady. We are your brothers too except Charlie is our dad!" Collin said excitedly.
Without words, Bella embraced the three boys.
"I am so happy to meet you all. I am so happy you three are here." She said through tears.
"Ma! kyleah is awake."
"oh! I'm coming. Boys can you all grab the groceries!" she asked
"We got it, sis!"
Bella then turned to the back passenger seat where Zele was making funny faces at the child in the back seat.
Kyleah smiled up at her big brother with her pretty grey eyes and gummy smile. She was only two years old and so smart.
A warm body molded itself against her and buried itself into her neck.
A moan escaped her lips as warm hands gripped her hips.
"Well, hello doll. What took you so long hmm"
"Emmm, please not now. we can't play around with a house full of guests." Bella complained.
Embry hummed into her neck.
"oh doll, you know I can make time for you anywhere."
"da! Wooaaahh!" ky'leah shouted as she stretched her arms out for her father.
"Always a daddy's girl." He cooed. " come on, let's go greet the family. Are you ready for this Doll?"
"as ready as I'll ever be."
…..
Charlie talked with Billy as they gathered in the dining room. embry had announced that dinner would be ready in just a few moments.
"so Billy, you want to explain to me why you're here? It is obvious Embry invited you but why?"
Billy sighed as he drank his third cup of coffee.
" Embry's my son Charlie and I abandoned him when he needed me most. It was a one-night stand with Tiffany. I pretended he didn't exist when she told me."
Charlie sighed.
"looks like we've both screwed up old man."
Billy was silent.
The dining room became full as all occupants joined them at the table. Except for a few that is.
"Charlie, where are the boys?" Jade asked as she sat next to him.
"Here we are, Mom!" Collin announced as he walked into the dining room carrying a tray of food. Brady was behind him carrying another tray.
"just put it on the table guys." Zele directed.
Zeke was also with him, however in his arms was a little Asian girl with grey eyes.
"hey Mom, Dad meet kyleah! She's big sis's daughter, which would make her my niece." He told Renee cheerfully.
Renee frowned at the girl and then smiled.
" She sure is pretty…" Renee complimented as the little girl smiled and clapped her hands.
" Zeke you can put her in her high chair?" Zele asked as he pulled out a high chair.
"you sure do a lot around here, don't you? I don't think a young man like you should be doing so much." Sarah black commented.
The pre-teen stopped what he was doing to smile up at Sarah.
" but I'm not doing too much, I am helping my family." He paused for a minute a, faraway look in his eyes.
"I… lived with my grandparents on the Navajo reservation for a few years, after my parents died. And then my grandparents passed away. I then went to live in Texas with my aunt but she became sick and died too. However, she was best friends with the parents I have now. And she asked them to take care of me should anything happen to her. It took a lot of fights between the Navajo reservation and the government but in the end, my new parents won. So I don't mind when it is time to take on responsibility. I don't mind when it's time for me to do the dishes, or clean my room. or when Ma asks me to do something, that's what family is for we work together."
"I see that's very mature of you." Sarah smiled uneasily.
"ok… so what now?" Rachel asked. "I mean were here. We have been shown our rooms and all these fancy things but let's get to the real reason why we are here. It obvious embry invited us here."
She gestured to her family.
"and it's obvious Bella invited you all."
She then gestured to Charlie, Renee, Jade, and Phil.
"so what's the point of all this?"
"the point." A soft and yet tired voice spoke in the doorway. "was for the family to get together again."
It was then all eyes turned to see Isabella Call in all her pregnant glory, standing in the doorway. Embry stood behind her, a giant smile on his face.
"I would have thought my dear husband would have said something earlier, but the whole point of this get-together was for the family to enjoy the holiday and just be at peace."
"oh so a few days together and we are just supposed to forget that my dad, cheated on my mom and you abandoned your father." Rachel sneered.
Isabella laughed as Embry pulled out a seat for her at the head of the table.
"not at all, but we were hoping it would be a start. Embry and I have two kids and another one on the way. So we were hoping everyone could just grow up and be adults and move on. Embry and I hold no will towards anyone. We just wanted our children to know their families. And not that it's any of your business but I did not abandon my father, I went to college and lived my life. He has done the same thing. Hi mom, hi dad. Phil and this must be my new stepmother."
Jade stood and walked towards Bella gesturing for a hug.
Bella eagerly accepted.
"Thanks for taking care of him," Bella told her.
"It's my pleasure. You're all he ever talked about."
Charlie stood as his wife pulled back. Rubbing his neck nervously.
"bells..i..i-"
He stopped having no clue what to say to his daughter. Instead of words, Charlie pulled her into a hug. Bella wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest.
"I love you, dad. I am so sorry."
"I'm the one who should be apologizing to you. I was a horrible father," he admitted.
"yeah, but it seems like Jade and the boys have whipped you into shape."
Charlie let out a laugh.
"They sure have."
Bella's mother interrupted the two when she put her hand on Bella's stomach.
"Well, it seems you have been busy all these years. Too busy to call your mother?"
"Hello, mom. Thanks for adding to the collection of brothers I have. It's nice not to be an only child."
…..
While Bella was being harassed by her mother, Embry dragged Jacob, Billy, and Sarah into the kitchen.
"so I wanted to end this here once and for all. Chief…I am not angry at you. Mrs. Black, I am not here to replace anyone. To be honest, I just want to get to know Chief and my father and rebuild the brotherly bond I once had with Jake."
Embry poured himself a cup of coffee as he waited for their response.
"I want my brother back," Jacob said sincerely as he looked at Embry and then his parents.
"I was never angry at you Embry. I was angry at the situation. We should have handled it better. I am sorry."
Embry sighed. Something akin to weariness on his face.
"look we can be sorry all day. And we can make apologies until we are blue in the face, I just want us to be a family. Can we at least do that?"
"I would love to… son," Billy spoke with pride.
Acceptance flared in Embry's heart.
That evening as the snow piled on the driveway the warmth of the fire filled the Call house. Both families sat amongst each other telling stories of old memories and gaining new ones.
That's what it had been about from the very beginning. A family. Torn, broken, and yet reunited.
And even though their love happened so fast, Embry and Isabella couldn't be happier.