Chapter 38

Paul

"Someone needs to go find Jacob." Sam says during one of our pack meetings. We've all fazed back and are getting ready to go back to Emily's for dinner.

"Why?" I pull on my shoes and turn to Sam. "Seems that he's better off gone."

"Billy has been worried about him. He's our pack brother. We need him to make the pack feel complete."

"Do we really?" Leah shoots a glare over to Sam. "Paul's right. He's just annoying. Bella this. Bella that. That's all I can think about because I'm a fucking simp."

"That's a little harsh, sis." Seth rolls his eyes. "I don't like him either, but he is still one of us. We should at least make sure he's okay."

"Fine! Whatever. I'll do it." Leah glares at Sam. "I don't have a precious imprint to cater to, so I'll go get our resident simp."

"Thank you, Leah." Sam gives her a sad smile.

"Whatever." Leah heads behind a tree and fazes before heading off.

"Are you sure that's such a good idea?" Brady asks as we make our way back over to Emily's.

"She'll be fine. She'll either talk or beat some sense into that thick skull of his." Jared quips. I offer him a fist bump.

As soon as we enter Emily's, we all search for our respective imprints. Sam heads over to Emily and kisses each of her scars. Jared sweeps Kim off her feet and spins her around. And I finally spot Kelsey coming out of the bathroom.

She's pulled her hair back into a braid, and she's wearing jean shorts and a Walking Dead tee. She is is beautiful.

"Hey, babe. How was patrol?" she asks as I pull her into my arms.

"Boring." I kiss the top of her head. "How about you? How was wedding planning with Emily? You were practicing making her wedding cake today, right?"

"Yeah. It turned out really good. There's some left if you want it. Oh, and Emily suggested I bling out my pump and make it part of my dress."

"That's great." I lean down to press my leaps against hers. "I'm glad it went well."

I pull Kelsey onto my lap and help myself to a piece of cake. It is absolutely delicious.

"Mmm, Kels. You know how to bake." Seth says around a giant mouthful.

"Thanks. And Seth? Close your mouth. I don't wanna see your food." Kelsey rolls her eyes.

It's late when I get a call from Kelsey. I've just climbed into bed from a night patrol when my phone rings, Kelsey's name and picture popping up on the screen.

"Hey, baby. What's up? Is something wrong?" Kelsey usually goes to sleep early. Could she be hurt? Could she be in the hospital? Could she be having a panic attack?

"So, Bella just uninvited me from her wedding." Kelsey sounds both annoyed and a little sad.

"What? Why?"

"She doesn't want my insulin pump to ruin her perfect wedding. I mean, is it that ugly that I have to hide it? Is my diabetes that shameful?" I'm not sure if she wants an answer; she sounds more pissed than insecure. Still, though, I know she sometimes gets insecure about her diabetes, no matter how much she accepts it.

"No, of course not! It's made you such a strong person. There's nothing to be ashamed about."

"Thanks. I just... needed to hear that."

"Of course. I'm here through the highs and the lows."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Are you patrolling tomorrow?" Kelsey changes the subject.

"Nope. I'm off. Why? Do you wanna do something?"

"Yeah. There's a new Mexican restaurant in Port Angeles I want to try. Is that okay?"

"Yeah. Of course. Do you want me to pick you up?"

Kelsey leans across the cab of the truck to give me a kiss. She smiles and holds out a green apple latte to me. She's got me hooked on them now.

"How was your shift?" I ask, flashing her a smile as I back out of her driveway.

"Long. Lauren was out, so I was doing twice as much work."

We spend the drive into Port Angeles jamming along to the radio. Kelsey sings along to almost every song, her syrupy alto filling the car. She makes all the songs sound ten times better.

The Mexican restaurant is really good. Kelsey laughs at me when I finish off my eighth taco.

"Geez, Paul. Where do you put it all?" She gives me an amused glance.

"I'm a growing boy."

"Seriously?"

We walk through the streets, looking for something fun to do. Kelsey suddenly points out a doughnut shop.

"You want one?" she asks.

"More like five."

So we end up ordering a half dozen doughnuts. Kelsey goes for an apple cider doughnut, and I order a bunch of chocolate ones.

"Where did you put it all? You were just saying how full you were!" Kelsey snickers, flashing me a teasing grin.

"Oh, I put those in a whole different stomach."

"I should know better than to question your ability to pack in insane amounts of food by now. You realize our grocery bill's going to be through the roof later, right? I don't know how Emily affords it."

"She gets money from the Council for feeding us. It's probably the only reason she's able to do it all the time."

"Hey, check it. I've always wanted to do that." Kelsey points out a town fare and a Farris wheel.

"You've never been on a Farris wheel?" I take her hand and lead her over to the ride.

"Nope. Always wanted to do it with that special person." She flashes me a wink.

We sit side by side in the small car, my knees practically touching my chin. Slowly, we begin to move. The Farris wheel isn't as high as some of the ones I've seen, But Kelsey seems to love it. She leans her head against my shoulder and pulls out her phone. "Smile." She shows me the selfie before putting her phone back into the side pocket of her backpack.

"We're at the top." I turn to face her. She nods, flipping her dark hair over her shoulders before leaning in. The kiss is soft, sweet. She tastes of apples and cinnamon.

"I had fun tonight." Kelsey says as I walk her to her front door a few hours later.

"Me, too. We need to do that more often."

"Absolutely." She leans up on tiptoe and presses her lips to mine. "Love you."

My heart skips a beat. "I will never get tired of hearing you say that."

"Good. Because I don't plan on ever stopping." Kelsey's smile is soft.

"Good. Because I never plan on letting you go. Love you, Kelsey."

She smiles over her shoulder as she steps inside her house, pulling the door shut behind her. I stand there on the porch, smiling like an idiot for a few moments before returning to my truck. Why did I ever think it was a good idea to fight this?

A/n: Surprise, I'm not dead. I think at this point it's easier to say I'm just not consistent, no matter what I do. Life is insane, and I'm trying to balance a lot of responsibilities at once. Also, I've been sick, like, three times since my last update. Nevertheless, I'm gonna try to get more steady updates out. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Later!

Lauren.

Replies to Reviews:

Royan Granger-Nott: Hi. I'm glad I'm back to updating, too. It's normal amidst all the crazy. Much love right back at you from the USA.

Jingerr: I don't believe so, but I'd be open to working that in. I haven't fully decided yet.

Bayshore: Thank you! I love writing Kelsey because of her sarcasm and sass. Here's the next chapter. Hope it was worth the wait!