Lines were forming around the food tables when they returned. Multiple pairs of eyes watched them warily, curious as he finally pulled away from her to greet his giggling son.

As they headed toward the lines, Jamie cried, "Did you see any Vampiders?"

A few people chuckled, turning to smile at him affectionately as Paul laughed. "Nope. None today, buddy. But that's a good thing."

Bella left their side to toss her sandals onto the ground by her bag and returned to the line. She followed them through the selections, helping make a plate for Jamie since he wouldn't let his father put him down.

She intended to carry Jamie's plate wherever they settled to eat and rejoin Leah near the fire. To her surprise, that was where Paul carried Jamie and sat him down beside him. Bella handed Jamie's plate to her husband and moved over by Leah, Emily, Sam, and their children.

Leah leaned toward Bella and said, "Well, don't you three look like a happy family unit."

Overhearing her, Jamie asked, "Dad? Is Bella family?"

He laughed, reaching over to pat Jamie's head. "Yeah, buddy. Bella will always be family."

For the first time in her life, a well of emotion rather than laughter nearly choked her as she tried to swallow the bite she'd just taken. She reached behind her for her discarded wine glass and beckoned toward the cooler with her other hand.

Emily laughed as she reached for it. She let the lid fall closed with a loud 'thunk' as she handed Bella the bottle of Merlot and a juice box for Jamie, which Bella passed along to Paul.

As Bella carefully poured a glass, she asked Emily, "Do you want some?"

Sam chuckled beside her as Emily drained the last of whatever was in her solo cup and held it out to Bella. "Yes. Please." Bella reached behind her into her bag for the other wine glass, making her laugh.

"Bougie bitch," Leah teased.

Jamie turned to glare at Leah. " Thass not nice, Lee."

Leah chuckled. "Bella knows I don't mean it. It's just a joke."

Jamie turned toward his father. "What does… budgie mean?"

Paul coughed as he tried not to laugh around his mouthful of food. After swallowing, he said, "That's bougie, buddy. And it means fancy. Leah was saying Bella is fancy ."

"Close enough," Leah muttered.

Bella laughed and nudged her stepsister with her shoulder.

She was relieved as everyone focused on eating. Bella watched the wolves with amusement as they went for seconds or thirds, still in awe of how much food they could put away. The food was good, but nearly half of her plate went untouched as the sunset. The heat from the low-burning fire was less effective as the night air cooled around them. She drank her wine a little faster, dreading the impending story time and barrage of questions she might have to answer.

Suddenly, her husband got up and jogged away from them toward where Jacob, Sanna, and their children sat together on a wide patchwork quilt. Bella recognized it instantly, recalling sleeping under it at Billy's house many times. Sanna chuckled as she handed Paul a baby wipe, and he jogged back to clean off Jamie's hands and face.

Catching her observing them, Leah nudged Bella again and whispered, "See something you like, Swan?"

Under her breath, Bella muttered, "I've always liked what I saw, Leah. I just never deserved to have it."

Paul tensed slightly but continued cleaning off Jamie's face. Sam and Emily exchanged a conspiratorial look. Leah, however, blanched in surprise and went silent.

Well, that shut her up.

Bella harrumphed and stood to carry her plate to the large trash can waiting by the folding tables. Instead, Paul held his hand out for it, nodding toward her spot beside Leah as if telling her to resume her seat. He refused to look her in the eyes as she handed it over and sat back down. Apparently, she'd shut him up, too.

She wanted to kick herself for the admission. Bella would still leave in a week. She still didn't want to have children. And Paul is an incredible father… He deserved to be with someone who could give him more if that's what he wanted. That person wasn't her, even if she could easily see herself there, spending time with him and Jamie, content to watch them interact.

She quickly learned she was technically the 'guest of honor' as she tried to help clean up and got shooed away. Bella walked over and sat beside Billy, out of the way as everyone else worked together.

After cleanup, the many children who had been swimming redressed and got patiently corralled toward the parking lot. Some blankets got moved closer to the bonfire. Despite the feast they'd just had, several packages of marshmallows, hot dogs, and buns got placed on the remaining folding table for the pack to roast over the fire. The effort put into the pack bonfires was always impressive. But now, it was an event filled with family interaction, heartwarming to see.

Suddenly, Bella heard Jamie yell and looked over in time to see him kick Devon in the shin. Devon hissed something back at the toddler, who turned on his heel and ran toward Bella with angry tears on his cheeks. She was on her feet instantly, scooping the child up and covering his wet cheek with kisses as his little arms wound around her neck.

"Jamie, sweetheart," she cooed in his ear as he buried his face against her shoulder. "What happened? What did cranky 'ole 'Tector' Devon say?"

Bella hadn't even realized she was furiously striding straight for Devon with Jamie in her arms, the urge to defend the child boiling in her blood. In her peripheral, she spotted her husband stomping toward them.

Before Paul could say anything, Bella shifted Jamie's weight in her arms and yelled, "What the hell did you say to him?"

Jamie sat up in her arms, clutching the sheer material of her dress in his tiny fists. "Colin said you gonna tell stories. And I said I don't want to go to Aunt Emmy's. I want to hear you tell stories. And Devon said you was gonna lie. I told him thass not nice, and he called me a shit, so I kicked him."

Quietly, Paul warned, "Jamie!"

Jamie turned toward his father and cried, "Thass what he SAIDS, DAD! "

Bella would have laughed if she wasn't so furious. "You don't have to like me, Devon, but don't pick on Jamie. Only the worst cowards bully children, and it's not his fault that I'm here!"

Jamie sniffled and asked, "You leaving? Devon says you gonna leave and never come back."

Bella looked down into his sad face, his big gray eyes swimming with tears as he waited for her response. "Jamie… I have to go back to Florida next week, buddy."

He wailed, "Why?" He slammed his little face down against her chest and sobbed. Heartbroken for him, Bella wanted to cry.

Carefully, she said, "Because I live there, buddy. My apartment, my job, my mom… they're all in Florida, and that's where I live."

Between sobs and muffled against her dress, he said, "Thass crap."

Paul huffed as he rolled his eyes and turned a menacing glare toward Devon. Bella couldn't help but feel impressed with how calm her husband stayed despite his anger. Once upon a time, he would have stomped the tar out of Devon by now, witnesses be damned. She could only assume he didn't want all the children to see him lose it. She had far fewer qualms about it, however.

She walked toward Paul, who quietly said, "Come here, James."

Jamie's bottom lip puckered as he looked up at her and obediently reached for his father. Bella's now-empty hands shook as she moved closer to Devon. Before he could make another hateful remark, she kicked him square in the crotch. Bella ignored the eruption of gasps and laughter behind them as Devon doubled over in agony and dropped to his knees.

She leaned down toward his face, knowing he could have heard her anyway, and hissed, "If you ever make this child cry again, I will fly to wherever the fuck you are and kick you in the dick again. Do you understand me? I was married to a vampire, Devon. I'm not afraid of you ." Bella gave him a shove, knocking him backward on his ass, still cupping his crotch.

To her surprise, Jamie and Paul giggled, looking mighty proud of her bravado. The tiny smile on Jamie's face instantly cooled her anger, and she reached over to stroke the back of his head, letting the tips of her fingers brush Paul's cheek.

She turned toward Devon, who panted as he croaked out, "Do you really think …that we…haven't heard… a thousand things about you… already? You're the… traitor who left everyone behind!"

Bella's eyes welled with angry tears as she turned toward her husband and his son. "I didn't leave them, Devon. I left myself ." Looking back toward the young man on the ground, she added, "I hope you're never in the position to find out exactly what that means."