Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

Intensity

By Mama4Dukes

Chapter 16:

Paul’s POV

The meetings in Washington were done, and Crispy and I were able to procure the full approval of the Senate Finance Committee. Our flight had just arrived in Phoenix and we were on our way to meet our wives at our favorite Mexican restaurant to celebrate. Since we got there a bit early, we decided to wait for Babs and Bella at the bar. There were four military guys having drinks at the bar as well.

Ten minutes later, the girls walked in. They both waved to us and… What the hell? How come those military dudes are waving to our wives?

One of the men, a Marine, I think, walked up to Babs. “Hey, Bella, Babs! It’s nice to see you again. Where are Emily and Kim tonight?”

Why the hell do they know our wives’ names?

“Oh, they’re at home with their kids.”

“So do you girls come here often?”

“From time to time.”

“Why don’t you join us for drinks?”

“I’m afraid we can’t. We’re meeting our husbands for dinner.”

“I told you they were married,” a guy in an army uniform said. “Women who look like them don’t stay single for long.”

Meanwhile Crispy and I were both becoming red in the face. “Crispy, I think your ears are becoming pointy. Do they do that when you become upset?”

“Maybe, I don’t know,” he grunted.

I decided to approach my wife. I kissed her full on the lips and greeted, “Hey, baby. I missed you.”

“Well, we’ll see you ladies later,” the Marine slinked away in defeat. That’s right, bucko, stay away from our women!

“Bye, guys,” Bella chirped.

“Um, tell Kim that I said hello,” the Army guy said before he rejoined his buddies.

We went to take our seats in the dining room.

“Alright, who are those guys and how do they know your names?” Crispy huffed at Babs.

“Jealous?” Babs asked.

“Hell, yeah, I’m jealous. I’m gone for almost five days and all of a sudden these young military guys know your names. Where the hell did you meet them and what kind of shenanigans were Bella, Emily, Kim, and you up to while we were gone?”

Bella and Babs both started giggling.

“Well?” I asked, furiously, backing my buddy up.

“Oh, Paul, I’ve never seen you so unhinged,” Bella said. “It’s actually a pretty funny story. Kim and Emily dragged us to the mall because they wanted to follow Ryan and Sammy, who were out with a group of friends, which included some girls. They were coming towards us so we dove into the first store we saw. It turned out to be an Armed Forces recruiting office. Babs here saw a t-shirt she liked and asked the recruiter how much it was. He told us it was an incentive that he gave away for free to people, just for walking into the office and doing fifty or more push-ups. So, since we both liked the t-shirt, we got down on the floor and pumped out push-ups.”

“You’re kidding me? All for a t-shirt?”

“Nope, Babs and I ended up coming out with an Army t-shirt, a Marine Corps t-shirt, a hooded Navy sweatshirt, and an Air Force cap.”

“Bella also scored a stainless steel water bottle that says Army on it because she’s such a bitch,” Babs added.

“You’re just mad because I won.”

“Of course I’m mad! Your wife is psychotic, Paul. She did three hundred push-ups in front of those guys.”

“Three hundred? How many did you do Babs?”

“Two hundred seventy-eight.”

Crispy’s and my eyes bulged. “Why did you girls do so many?”

“Oh, well, they kept adding on more freebies, and it turned into a competition. You know how we get at the gym.”

“Yeah, insane,” Crispy chuckled.

“More like psycho,” I added.

“You know the worst part about it is that Emily and Kim got free t-shirts just for standing there and looking pretty. You should have seen Kim, she was blushing and getting all giddy because Ryder, the Army recruiter told her she was beautiful.”

“Oh, I liked it when she gushed to him, ‘I love R names.’”

We were all howling in laughter by the end of the conversation.

“Here’s the kicker,” Babs said. “The t-shirts and sweatshirts are all sized men’s extra large so they don’t even fit Bella and me. You boys just scored a whole bunch of new shirts.”

“Thank you for your hard work, ladies. How are your arms feeling by the way?” I asked.

“Like rubber,” Bella laughed. “I’m never doing that again.”

“Neither am I,” Babs agreed.

“Never say never, girls.”

“You know, you still have to get us Coast Guard t-shirts.” Crispy arched an eyebrow at the girls. “I know where their recruitment office is.”

“Um, you can go get them yourself. I couldn’t even bring myself to go to the gym today. I went for a massage at the Thai massage parlor in the mall.”

“Oh, I went there once, Babs. How are you feeling?” Bella asked.

“Like I was put through the wringer. I have to go get another massage to get over the massage.”

“Why? Are they that bad?” Crispy questioned with concern for his wife.

“No, they’re not bad. It’s a different style of massage. You two might actually like it. They stretch your body out along with the massage, and they walk on your back and manipulate your body into strange positions. It was just overkill for me.”

“We should give it a try Crisp,” I suggested.

“Yeah, maybe during lunch sometime this week.”

“Seriously, it might work for you two because you’re shape-shifters. I just needed pampering for my arms and shoulders-not sheer, brute force.”

Two hours later…

“I need you, baby,” I whispered into my imprint’s ear. We had just pulled into the garage of our house and my wolf was going crazy. Being away from Bella for five days was just too long. I pulled her onto my lap before she could leave the truck and started kissing her.

“Paul…”

“Shh… I need you right here, right now. I can’t wait any longer.”

“Paul, our bedr…”

I kissed her on the lips and worked on undressing her. I had my slacks off in a flash, and I was ready for her. Bella didn’t waste any time. She straddled my lap and sunk down on me instantly. I moaned at the sensation. With each rise and fall of her body, the need to claim her increased. The sight of her naked breasts in front of me brought me to a heightened state of arousal. She placed her palms on my knees and arched her back as she continued riding my cock. My mouth fell on her left breast and gently sucked her nipples.

“Aaahh…” she panted as I moved on to her right breast.

She quickened her motions and arched into me as I started thrusting into her from beneath her. I was close-so close, and so was my imprint. And suddenly, I felt her shudder all over me. Unable to hold out any longer, I blasted inside of her and bit down on her neck. “Paul!” she screamed in ecstasy.

I released my teeth from her neck and looked deeply into her eyes. “I love you, Bella.”

“I love you.”

“Are you ready for some more?”

“More?”

“Oh, yeah, we’re going all night long, baby.”

Her mouth formed into an ‘O’ shape and her eyes widened. I chuckled at the shocked look on her face and carried her out of the truck. Of course, in the heat of the moment I forgot my pants were pooled at my feet with my shoes still on so naturally I dropped her as I fell to the floor of the garage while trying to get out of the truck.

“Welcome home, Paul,” Bella laughed at my predicament. And I couldn’t help but laugh right along with her, with the two of us sprawled on the garage floor like we were.

Thanksgiving weekend…

La Push, Washington

I pulled the rental car up in front of Charlie and Sue’s house in La Push. I kissed Bella on the lips and asked, “Are you ready?” I took her hand and gave it a squeeze.

“Yes, I just can’t believe I’m back here to stay for a few days voluntarily.”

It was the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and we were in Washington visiting family. I recalled my last foray back to La Push during the summer when I was dragged here in handcuffs. I had to eat and sleep in the La Push jail for forty-eight hours because Tony Fuller had me arrested. Of course, the food wasn’t bad. An angry Sue and Leah kept me constantly fed with homemade food, and Emily kept sending me a never-ending supply of muffins. During the day, the pack would come and visit me and we’d play poker. Charlie even showed up, sat with me in the cell, and we’d practice aiming a golf ball into a coffee mug using putters. Actually, it was more like a mini-vacation for me, when I think about it. Sue had even brought a comfortable rollaway with brand new sheets and a Tempur Pedic pillow to the jail for me. The pillow was so nice, I brought it back home with me to Arizona.

“Just four nights and we’re leaving. Besides, Tolinka said we needed to return here. I still can’t believe Old Quil and she are dating.”

“It’s kind of romantic.”

“Do you think they’re having sex?”

“Paul, you’re killing the romance.”

“I’m just saying…”

I kissed her one more time before we got out of the car. I pulled our luggage out of the trunk and rang their doorbell. Sue answered the door, hugged us both, and invited us in.

“Oh, I missed you kids. How was your flight?”

“Not bad at all. We were on the same flight as Embry and Jess. They’re staying with Jess’s parents. Apparently, we’re all invited to Mr. Stanley’s house for a Texas style barbeque on Friday.”

“That’s nice of them. I’m actually excited. I’ve only met Jess’s parents in passing.”

“Where is Dad?” Bella asked.

“At work. He”ll be home later. He’s trying to catch up on some work he missed while in Arizona. Well, come on. I’ll show you to your room.”

She led us to Leah’s old room and gave us some time to freshen up. When I went to wash my face, there was no hot water to speak of.

“Mom, are there any repairs on the house which need to be done?” I asked after I went downstairs.

“I’m so happy you asked. Here’s a wrench. Dad tried to install a new water heater when our old one finally died.”

“Say no more, I’m on it.” I went straight to work, but my jaw dropped in shock when I saw what I had to work with. He had the damn thing held together with duct tape. I went to the garage and rifled through Charlie’s tools. I couldn’t find the right type of wrench. I called Embry up and explained my predicament. He drove over with his father-in-law’s tools, and helped me install it properly. He and I both took a photo of the duct taped water heater with our iPhones because it was something you had to see to believe.

“I’m going to do a quick check of the wiring in this house just in case,” he said.

“Don’t you need to get back to your family?”

“Honestly, I’d rather stay here. My mother-in-law yammers on and fusses more than Jess does.”

“Understood. I might as well do a run through of the house, too.”

The house wasn’t too bad. Jared, Sam, and Brady did a great job fixing it up. I checked the exterior and the foundation and siding were in good condition. The windows needed to be replaced but I planned on hiring an outside company to do that. All in all, I was satisfied with the house’s condition. I hopped onto the roof to give it a good look and my eyes bulged out. There was a section of shingles secured onto the roof by my father-in-law’s favorite adhesive: duct tape. I stood on the roof staring at it in disbelief.

“Hey, Paul? Are you okay up there?” Embry called from down below.

“You’ve got to see this man.”

Embry climbed onto the roof and started laughing. He took his iPhone out and snapped a photo. “Now this is art. Charlie should teach a class and call it the Art of Duct Taping.”

“Yeah, I’m beginning to believe the same thing myself.”

“You know, this roof looks like it needs to be replaced. You should hire a couple of guys from the res to do the work. I know a few unemployed carpenters and construction workers who would kill for a few bucks.”

“Good idea.”

“How does it feel to be back?”

“It’s been so long since I’ve really been back. I don’t know how I feel yet.”

We heard Charlie’s cruiser pull to a stop. He got out and looked up on the roof. “What the hell are you two doing up on my roof?”

“Duct tape, Dad?”

“Oh, do I need to reinforce the shingles again?” He reached into his cruiser and tossed a roll of duct tape up on the roof to me. “It’s great stuff isn’t it? I always carry a roll with me. You can buy them in bulk at Costco over in Sequim. They come in handy. Last month, I was able to repair the ceiling fan in our room with duct tape.”

“I didn’t see that,” Embry whispered to me. “Let me go and take a look at it before the whole house catches on fire.”

Between Charlie’s duct tape and Bella’s school glue, I had no idea what to think anymore about the Swans, and their odd way of repairing things.

---

Billy wheeled himself over to Charlie and Sue’s house around dinnertime. He only lived two houses down, and with his new fitness regimen in place, he liked the exercise. Sue prepared salmon for dinner to which both Charlie and Billy groaned.

“Stop fishing if you’re so sick of salmon,” Sue chastised.

“I can’t believe you’d actually try to take away one of our physical activities, Susie. Besides, Bella and Paul can take home some fish with them.”

“We’d actually welcome it, and I’m sure Embry and Jess wouldn’t mind taking home some fish as well. You can’t get good seafood in Arizona.”

“Oh good, I’ll pack a cooler for each family. We have fish coming out of our ears.”

“Okay, Paul, since you’re sitting here with two elders, we’re going to be tackling our first order of tribal business.”

“Now?”

“Yes, now. Charlie and Bella can feel free to chime in with their opinions as well. Josh Uley will be stopping by in a few minutes. We’ve made a few changes since we’ve been back, and now have Sue in charge of matters that have to do with the clinic and public health, Josh is in charge of the tribal school and education, and I’m handling all matters of public works which include water, sewerage, trash, recycling, the La Push tribal police and fire departments, street repairs, home maintenance, etc.”

“Does Tony Fuller know about this?”

“He does and he’s unhappy about it, but we told him he has enough on his plate as comptroller.”

“What’s Old Quil’s job?”

“When the horny bastard gets back from Arizona, he’ll be in charge of all matters related to maintaining Quileute culture. It’s a BIA requirement to have someone in charge of these matters. I have to tell you, I’ve learned a ton from your friend, Jeff.”

“Yeah, he’s a good guy.”

“How are you, Paul?” Josh, Sam’s father, walked into Sue’s house carrying a pie. “This is from Alison, it’s a Lemon-Lime Chiffon Pie for us to eat while we talk.” He put the pie down and gave me a hug. This man had been there for me through thick and thin, especially after I first phased. He had been rock solid in his support for me, and had made sure I stayed as calm as possible with my new situation.

“I’ll put on some coffee,” Sue offered.

“Um, no, Susie. Paul will do that. Did you bring the goods?” Charlie asked me.

“Yep, ten pounds of Pike’s Place Roast and ten pounds of Extra Bold.”

“Charlie! Are you out of your mind? Did you make our son-in-law bring twenty pounds of coffee from Arizona?”

“I sure did, and I’m not ashamed to admit that I can’t live without my son’s coffee. He doesn’t use that generic crap you use. My boy uses Starbucks.”

“Actually, I prefer Dunkin’ Donuts on some days,” Bella commented.

“That’s blasphemy, Bella,” I chastised. “Anyway, Mom, I picked up the coffee at the original Starbucks in Seattle on the way here so really it was no trouble at all.”

A few minutes later, the coffee was brewing and we were all settled in.

“First of all, Paul, I’d like to thank you for what you did for my son. I truly appreciate all of the help you gave Emily, him, and the kids.”

“It was no problem. Sam’s like a brother to me and he’s a welcome addition to my team.”

“Thank you, it means a lot to me coming from you.” Josh suddenly seemed to realize that Bella was there. “I’m sorry, how rude of me. I’m Joshua Uley, Samuel’s father.”

“I’m Isabella Swan Lahote. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Sammy talks about you all the time.”

“And he talks about you.” He chuckled. “I heard about what Paul and you did for Ryan and him.”

“What happened?” Mom asked.

“Oh, Bella and I caught Sammy and Ryan cutting school. They were walking along the street drinking iced coffees. Ryan actually tried to tell me that the principal didn’t have time to get his own coffee so he sent them out for some.”

“Oh, the audacity!” Sue and everyone else were laughing.

“Anyway, we hauled them both into the principal’s office, and now the pair of them are helping to renovate the school gym on Saturdays along with a handful of other kids who cut school. Sam, Jared, and I are supervising the project, and my company is underwriting it.”

“We need that sort of thing in our school. I’ve been doing some research and it seems that bullying is a major issue at the tribal school. Some gangs have formed and drugs are becoming more and more prevalent. The school is unsafe and we need security measures put into place. I also received this letter from the Department of Education.” Josh placed a letter in front of me. The school is in danger of losing its accreditation unless we get a three-year improvement plan in place. Standardized test scores must see yearly improvement and the teachers must be up to date on their continuing education credits and their licenses. The only problem is that Fuller claims there are no funds for this project.

Damn, my first day of tribal elder training and I’m hit with this whammy. Gee whiz.

“Okay, you need to explain to me how the school is funded. I’m going to have to consult with my attorney. He used to work for the Department of Education in Phoenix so he’s well versed in this sort of thing.”

“Are you talking about Crispy?” Billy asked.

“Yeah.”

“That’s a good idea. Josh, Crispy is the new beta of the pack. He’s a coyote from the Wa-Ya Reservation, the one I explained to Susie and you about.”

“Well, that will help matters.”

“Yes, it will.”

“I’m also going to contact Jeff Redbird, he’s my friend in the BIA, the one who shut down the tribal government this summer. He mentioned having the BIA fund the license renewals for this year because it’s an emergency situation. I’m going to see about making sure that any and all funds earmarked for the tribe are sent to Billy via secure courier. I don’t want Fuller having access to anything.”

“Paul?” my wife interjected.

“What is it, honey?”

“Can’t Lahote Engineering Design and Construction underwrite a grant? We have ten million earmarked for charity this year. Of that, we’ve given away six point eight million so far this year. We have five hundred thousand going to Toys for Tots and another five hundred thousand dollars going to the Salvation Army on December 1st, which leaves us with two point two million dollars of available funds.”

“It’s an idea, we have to get rid of that money before the end of the year and what better way than to support my own reservation.”

Josh Uley looked like his head was going to spin off. “You must be very successful, Paul.”

“I do okay.” I shrugged my shoulders.

“Pfft,” Charlie smirked and rolled his eyes.

“The grant is a great idea Bella because I can set it up so that the company pays the sources directly rather than sending a check to Fuller. I’ll get my charity coordinators working on it on Monday.”

“That’s his secretary and me.” Bella chuckled. “It won’t be a problem, but we need to set up a charitable foundation before Paul and I leave for Phoenix, and we’ll make it so the funds can target education and health care. I’m not sure if we’ll be able to fund anything to do with public works since there are certain guidelines which need to be followed.”

“That’s very generous of you. Are you sure you want to do this for us, Paul?” Billy asked.

“It’s a cause which means a great deal to Bella and me both. That’s all that matters. I think the grant will get us started in putting the reservation back together.”

“Alright, well, thank you, Paul. Sam and Billy were correct. You are the only one worthy of being alpha and our eventual chief. If possible, I’d like for you to tour both the school and the tribal clinic before you leave. I want to make sure both buildings are structurally intact. Sam and Jared had both been keeping an eye on the buildings for us, but they haven’t been looked over since their move in July.”

“Sure, maybe on Friday?”

“That sounds great.”

Billy and Josh both left, leaving Bella and me alone with Dad and Mom. It was funny how easily I took to calling Charlie and Sue, Dad and Mom. It was probably because they were as close to real parents that I’ve ever had. My own parents didn’t have an ounce of love in them. Well, maybe my mother had a little but her mind was too warped by the abuse she took from my old man and the alcohol she consumed to make her forget.

“Alright, time for bed kids.”

“But it’s only nine pm,” I argued.

“You and I are getting up at four am, it’s time you learned how to fish, son.”

“Fishing?”

“Sure. You taught me how to golf; I’m teaching you how to fish. Fair is fair.”

Bella and I scurried off to our room. “What the hell am I supposed to wear fishing, Bells?” I asked.

“Erm, hmm…” My wife rifled through the suitcase. “Jeans?”

“And?”

“Um, you don’t exactly have the right gear for it so you’ll just have to wing it. Dad wears technical gear meant for fishing, and I highly doubt Newton’s is open right now.” She peeled her shirt off, and slowly unhooked her bra. My breath hitched in anticipation for the sight of her beautiful breasts. She pulled her bra off, and that did it. I had her on the bed and in my arms in seconds. My wardrobe for the fishing trip was the furthest thing from my mind.

At four am sharp, I was dressed in jeans, sneakers, the Army t-shirt and Navy sweatshirt that Bella won doing push-ups as well as the Air Force hat. It was about as fisherman as I could get.

Dad and I picked Billy up, then we met up with Seth, Eric Yorkie and his son Harry, Jr. We picked up Willy along the way, too. He tackled me and gave me a big hug as soon as he saw me.

Dad maneuvered the fishing boat to what he called a good spot. Within five minutes, everyone had cast their lines into the water, even the little kids. Willy and Harry, Jr. did their best to show me what to do before Dad took over.

“Uncle Billy? Are you sure Uncle Paul is from the area cause I don’t know anyone who can’t fish at his age,” Harry Jr. commented.

“He is pretty bad, isn’t he? Even Aunty Bella is better than he is.”

“Bella can fish?” I asked.

“Of course she can, what the hell do you think we did with Jacob and her when she visited over the summers. She can hunt, too,” Dad said.

“She can hunt? With guns?”

“Yep, she has really good aim. I taught her myself before I got stuck in this chair,” Billy informed me.

Somehow, I couldn’t picture my wife fishing or hunting, but then again, she did know I should be wearing technical gear to go fishing. I was the only one wearing jeans and running shoes.

“Come on, Paul. You can do it. Bend at the elbow and throw that line forward,” Dad instructed.

I did as he instructed. I bent my arm at the elbow and threw the line forward, putting my body into it. Suddenly, I found my body hurtling forward, and plunged head first into the water.

“Man overboard!” Seth yelled laughing. In fact, they were all laughing.

I swam back to the boat and was pulled back on board. “You cast with your arm not with your entire body,” Eric instructed.

“Yeah, I think I just figured that part out.” Fortunately, I’m a wolf so the cold water was refreshing.

A few hours later, we returned to the house for Thanksgiving dinner. Willy had to go home because Jake and Angela were having dinner at her parents’ house in Forks.

When we got home, Bella, Leah, Kyla, and Sue were all cooking. I could smell everything from roast turkey to pumpkin pie and my stomach started growling. I noticed that, in addition to Harry, Jr., there were two little kids, two toddlers, and an infant in the living room. They were Seth’s kids and Leah’s kids. Gee whiz, suddenly I realized that I was an uncle.

“Eric! Get the baby. She needs her diaper changed,” Leah yelled.

“I’m on it!”

“Seth, Melia needs…”

“I’ve got her!”

“Boys, go into the game room and play on the Playstation or something. We don’t need you running around while we’re cooking,” Sue called.

“Okay, got it!” I replied.

“Not you, Paul! The little kids. You’re watching the game with the men.”

“Oh, okay. Um, I’m going to take a shower.”

“You do that.”

Four hours later, we were crashed out in front of the TV. Seth, Leah, and I polished off a twenty-four pound turkey by ourselves. Thank God, Sue roasted two turkeys. Since, we’ve been phasing regularly recently, we’ve all noticed that our appetites have increased significantly again. Another thing we’ve noticed is that the guys in my pack who were out of shape were quickly getting into shape again. And all of our libidos have increased. This included both the wolves and the coyotes. Randy was keeping track of the changes in our bodies.

Around eight pm, Bella and I drove to Leah’s house in Forks along with Leah, Eric, Seth, and Kyla. Sue and Charlie took the seven grandkids in for the night, including the baby, in order to give the parents a break. I packed a small backpack and loaded it into our rental with a change of clothes. There was no way I was staying in a house with seven kids, nah-uh, my patience was running thin as it was anyway. Bella kept reassuring me she was keeping up with her birth control.

About five minutes after we arrived at Leah’s house, which was Charlie’s old house, Collin and Linda showed up. Linda was carrying a large paper grocery bag while Collin had three cases of beer with him.

Linda was the first to speak. “Are you Bella?”

“Yes. Yes, I am.”

“Oh! It’s so nice to meet you!” She ran up to Bella and gave her a hug. “Do you like margaritas?”

“I love margaritas.”

“Come on, we’re making margaritas.” Bella, Leah, and Kyla followed Linda into the kitchen.

Gee whiz, I don’t remember Linda being this perky. Of course, I think she was still in middle school or just starting high school when I saw her last.

“She’s been excited to meet Bella for a while now,” Collin explained. “How are you, Paul?”

“Great, how are things with you?”

“Excellent, we’re all happy and reconnected. I’m speaking about Linda, the kids, and me of course.”

I glanced towards the kitchen and saw that Linda was busy pouring the ingredients for frozen margaritas into a blender. She looked like she genuinely wanted to become friends with Bella.

The guys and I decided to play some poker. A half an hour later, Embry and Jess showed up with more drinks and something that smelled phenomenal.

“Jess’s dad smoked some ribs for us, guys. Dig in!”

“Hallelujah! Man, these are juicy!” I commented.

“I’m telling you, we need to add a smoker to your outdoor kitchen, Paul.”

“Yeah, maybe when we get back, we can…”

“Embry! Paul!” Bella and Jess both scolded.

“It was just a suggestion.”

“We’ll do it while they’re at work,” Embry whispered.

I gave him a thumbs up in agreement. The smoker was going to become reality for the Lahotes no matter what my wife said.

“How was Thanksgiving Dinner for you guys?”

“Terrific! The food was fantastic, the company was phenomenal, then Jake and Angela stopped by and ruined it all. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t mind Jake at all, but I was ready to hurl Angela’s pompous ass out of the house. I actually felt bad for Jake.”

“Why did they stop by at Jess’s parents’ house?”

“Apparently, Angela wanted to reconnect with her ‘best friend’ from high school.”

The girls sat with us with their drinks. “She actually asked me if I wanted to go to the beauty salon with her tomorrow. I told her we had plans. Then my clueless mother invited them over to have dinner when you all come over tomorrow night for the barbeque. Jacob accepted, but she suddenly thought of some plans she had forgotten about as soon as she heard that Bella was coming,” Jess explained.

“Bella? Can you stay here because you seem to be an effective Angela repellent,” Linda said. “Oh, fuck the margaritas. Let’s do shots! All of this talk about Angela is making my head spin.”

“Sorry,” Collin said apologetically. “Linda has a mouth on her. She has three older brothers.”

“I’m not bothered, I’m used to it. I have Bells and Jess around me all the time.”

“Hey, I’m not that bad, I just have a dirty mind,” Jess said. “Speaking of which, tell me about those recruiters Kim was gushing about.”

“Oh, you mean Ryder the Army recruiter?”

Bella retold the story about the t-shirts.

“Seriously, Bella? Three hundred push-ups?”

“I know, I was on a mission. There was no way I was letting Babs win.”

“I’ll take you on, Bella,” Linda said confidently. That’s when I noticed that Collin’s wife was in top shape. Actually, she was in phenomenal shape.

“Huh?”

“No, no, no. I want to see if you can outdo me with the push ups,” Leah smirked.

“That’s not fair, you’re a wolf.”

“Oh, let’s do it, Bella. Let’s see if we can beat Leah,” Linda said. The girl was drunk. I saw her knock back three shots since she came to sit with us.

“Fine, we’ll give it a whirl.”

“You girls are nuts,” I said as the three girls started pumping away.

At around two hundred, Embry gasped, “Jesus! Aren’t you girls tired yet?”

Bella had her face in sheer concentration and ignored him. Linda was keeping right up with Bella, which was impressive because my girl was in top shape. Leah actually puttered out first at three hundred sixteen, then Bella at three hundred forty-three, and Linda finally gave way at three hundred sixty-one.

“Oh my arms feel like rubber!” Bella groaned and giggled simultaneously. “How come you’re in such good shape, Linda?”

“My brothers all played football at Forks High, and they had to work out. They’d have to bring me with them to the gym because they had to babysit me so I’ve been working out with weights since I was nine years old alongside my brothers. I still work out with them.”

“Damn, I’m out of shape. I was just bested by two human girls,” Leah laughed. “Ouch!”

All three women were rubbing their arms in pain. “You know what really sucks is that we don’t even get any free t-shirts this time.”

We laughed and joked around. Somehow they managed to persuade all of us guys to do push ups, too. Eric bowed out gracefully saying that he wasn’t stupid enough to go up against shape-shifters. I won at twelve hundred push-ups but Seth was really close at eleven hundred eighty-eight. Collin gave out at nine hundred sixty and Embry ran out of steam at six hundred four.

“When we get back, we’re challenging Quil,” Embry declared. “I just need to bump up my workout a little more first. He’s been hitting the gym religiously because of Crispy’s beta order.”

All in all, we had a pretty good Thanksgiving night. Bella and I stayed overnight at Leah and Eric’s house in her old room. We woke up early in the morning, thanked them for their hospitality, and had breakfast at the diner in Forks. Afterwards, we headed back to La Push where I met with Josh Uley to tour the reservation and check out the structural viability of all of the buildings. The school and the clinic were fairly well maintained. Both building needed new roofs, though. I did a cursory glance at the exterior of many of the homes and they were in poor condition. I told Josh about how Jeff had told me about all of the maintenance requests, which had not been fulfilled. He was shocked at the figures that I gave him.

“We need to find out where all of the money is going. We’re looking for any information on Tony Fuller.”

“Oh, yes. Come with me. We’re going to walk by his house.”

We arrived at an extremely, well maintained home with a white picket fence. It was the largest house on the reservation. There was a Mercedes, a BMW, and three fairly new pick-up trucks parked in front. “Those trucks belong to Tony’s kids.”

“It pisses me off. Brady drives a ten-year old Honda Civic and works his ass off to support his family. Missy drives a twelve-year old Dodge Caravan. How is Fuller coming up with the cash?”

“That’s what I’d like to know.”

Six houses down was Jared and Kim’s old house. It was decently maintained because of Jared, but you could see where he had to jimmy things because he had run out of funds to do the repair. I walked inside with Josh, and it was completely dilapidated. How they managed to raise five kids in a two-bedroom house, I had no idea. My respect for Kim and him went up tenfold.

“Thanks for taking me on the tour, Josh.”

“No problem. Thank you for everything. Honestly, Paul, I’ve known you since you were a kid and I really thought that you were going nowhere in life, but you’ve proven me wrong. You singlehandedly managed to get your pack brothers out of their rut and you didn’t give them any sort of handout either. You even helped my brother Tom and his family. He has a lot of fine things to say about you. I know I’m not your father in any way, shape, or form, but for a while there I was the only male role model in your life. I’m proud of you.”

“Thank you, Josh. And I’ll never forget about all of those times Alison and you fed me because my mom couldn’t.”

“It wasn’t just us that looked after you, Paul. The Camerons, the Atearas, the Clearwaters, and the Blacks all knew you needed to be taken care of back then. We did what we could. I also know that Charlie Swan was always looking out for you in his own way whenever you raised hell in Forks.”

“Well, you all did a great job. I guess you could say I was raised by the entire village.”

“Yes, you were, but the growing up part you did on your own.”

“Come on, Alison wants to feed you lunch. I think she made beef stew for you.”

“Beef stew? Oh, yeah, I’m there.”

I thought about Josh’s words. He was right, these families-all Quileute’s and residents of La Push, made sure I was at least fed and clothed as a kid. For their sake, I owed a great deal to the reservation. La Push didn’t give me a miserable childhood, my good for nothing parents did. My anger had been completely misplaced. I owed these families my life. I owed my tribe my life.