Clara's pov (one month later)
I wish Jace would go home soon. He's been camping here at our house for a month now. He won't tell me why, but when he told my parents why, they welcomed him with open arms; under their conditions of course.
It really upsets me. Not that he's here, but that he told Ryder, Josh, heck even my parents why he's here, but he can't tell me.
"Jace, please tell me why you've been living here with us. I'm sure your parent miss you." I tried reasoning.
"You really want to know why, don't you?" He asked. I nodded.
"My mom left." He said. "Left? Where did she go?" I asked.
"I don't know. She got so fed up with my dad hurting her, that she left. She told me she'd come back. She said that when my dad changed. I guess she has a lot of faith in him to think he'll change. He's worse now." He responded.
"Why couldn't you tell me this?" I asked. "I didn't want you to doubt mates. They're supposed to be forever." He said.
"We aren't your parents. Their problems, aren't ours." I said. "Do you want me to go over there?" I asked.
"There's no way I want you around him when he's like this. That's why I've been here." He said.
"Please, I really want you to go home and make amends with your dad. Step one to having your mom come home." I said.
"Fine." He gave in. "But don't say I didn't warn you.
We decided to walk to his house, because my parents were at work. We didn't have school because it was the weekend.
When we got there, the house smelled of alcohol.
His dad was laying on the couch, a bottle of vodka in his hands. He wasn't asleep, he was staring at the ceiling.
"Jace?" He asked, shooting up. "Yeah Dad, it's me." Jace said, walking over to his dad.
"Thank goodness you're home." He said. I stepped outside to let them have a family moment.
A few minutes later a car pulled up. I was shocked to see Jace's mom, Marie, get out of the car.
"Are they inside?" She asked. I nodded. She stormed in and I could hear her yelling through the door.
"What on Earth are you thinking?!" She yelled. "This isn't changing! The only reason I'm back is because pack members are worried. You're stuck in here all day and Jace moved out! I'm begging you, please change! I won't come back next time you aren't taking care of yourself or our son. No, I will come back. But I'll be back with divorce papers and getting our son. Oh, and of course I'll let you see your daughter, Alice before we go. I don't like being away from you, but I can't live like this anymore." She said.
I mentally cheered for her. Of course I wanted Jace's parents to stay together, but I was happy she was standing up for herself.
She stormed out and saw me. "I guess you heard everything." She said. I nodded. She sat down beside me.
"When I met Jeff, I never thought I'd be in the position to threaten divorce papers." She sighed. "Or take away our two kids from him."
"You did what you had to do. Jace told me about what he does to you. It's not right. He should change." I assured.
"Yeah, but I still love him. I know he cares about our kids. I don't want to take them away from him, but there's no way they'd be safe if I was gone. I mean, Jace had to move in with you." She said.
"If you don't mind me asking, why did you take Alice, and not Jace?" I asked.
"Alice is five. I didn't want Jace to have to take care of a five year old with his father like this." She said.
"You know, if you take Jace, it'll show him how serious you are about this. If Jace is still here, it shows him you will come back, for something." I said.
"But if he thinks I'm gone for good, why would he change?" She asked.
"Good point."
Jace walked outside. "Mom, he's a mess." He complained.
"Good, just make sure you keep the alcohol away from him." She said, kissing him on the cheek.
"I have to go, I love you." She said. "Bye Clara." She waved.
I waved, then walked right into the house.
"With all do respect Sir, what the hell are you still doing laying on the couch?" I asked.
"Clara-" Jace's dad began, but I interrupted.
"No, did you seriously let her walk out? She loves you, but she's serious about the divorce! Just change for her!" I yelled.
"How?"
"Well stop hurting her! Get off your ass and stop drinking. Look after your son. That's what you can do!" I yelled.
"Clara, please." Jace begged me, coming inside. "It's okay, I'm done." I said, walking out.
I started walking home with Jace hot on my tail.
"Clara, slow down." He said. "Thank you for taking me there." He looked at me puzzled.
"Why?" He asked. "I see why you have to stay with us."
* * *
The door opened and my mom walked in, setting her stuff down on the coffee table.
"Where are Ryder and Josh?" She asked. "They left this morning, I don't know where." I said.
"Okay, you're father should be home soon." She said, sitting down. "I was not this tired when I was pregnant with you and your brothers, Clara."
"You're not that old, Mom. You're only thirty-one." I said. "I think this child is a wolf. I was more run down with Josh as well." She said. "Just don't tell your dad." She ordered.
"What, why?" I asked. "If he knew what I thought, he'd ask why. I can't lie to him, and I'd tell him how I've being feeling drained. He would not let me leave our bed." She explained.
I nodded in understanding.
"I'll be right back." I spoke, standing up.
I went upstairs to my room and got on my computer. I went online to YouTube, and quickly deactivated my account.
With everything going on, this was the last thing I wanted to deal with.
* * *
"Mom, what's for dinner?" Ryder groaned. "Why are you asking me?" Mom asked.
"You're our Mom." He answered, confused. "Lazy asses making me do everything." She grumbled getting up.
We looked at Dad for answers. "It's her hormones, don't take it personally."
"Am I like that?" I asked. "No, you're not too bad." Jace answered.
"Well, you know you're birthday is next week." I told him. He nodded.
"You'll be sixteen, do you want to do something special for it?" I asked him.
He shook his head. "My mom said she'd be back for it, but with the way Dad is I don't think she will be."
I snuggled up to him, feeling bad for bringing it up.
He wrapped his arms around me, and rubbed circles on my stomach.
"Hands to yourself." My dad said looking at the T.V..
We pulled apart, smiled on our faces. "Change of plans! We're going over to my sister's house for dinner!" Mom yelled.
"Which one?" I asked. "Camille, she just had her baby and wants us over to meet her." Mom answered. "Let's go!"
We got in the car, and Dad pulled up the seats in the back for Jace and I.
We drove in silence, before pulling up to a quaint two story house.
When we got to the front door, Camille answered it.
"Oh hi you guys!" She said, opening the door wider.
"I hope you don't mind, but I invited Diana and her husband over, as well as someone else." She said, as everyone stepped in.
Her baby bump was nearly gone and I saw her husband, Robert, standing outside, holding a small baby.
"Is that your daughter?" I asked, pointing to the backyard. She smiled and nodded. "Ever since she was born, Rob has been obsessed with her. She's not even a full month old and he's already wrapped around her fingers." She laughed.
"You named her Jennifer right?" I asked. She shook her head. "We were going to, but when we held her it didn't feel right. Rob suggested the name Leilani, it was perfect." She gushed.
She took us all outside, and Leilani started to cry. "Give me my daughter." She ordered. "She's hungry." He informed, handing her to Camille.
She took her inside and Rob started cooking meat on the grill.
"Let me tell you something, boy." He said, pulling Jace towards him, when everyone except us walked off.
"Fatherhood is completely different than what you expect. It's better. So whatever you expect it to be, good or bad, it's ten times better than what you're expecting. Especially if it's with the woman you love." He said, looking at Camille with Leilani in the kitchen, pure love in his eyes.
"Why are you telling me this?" Jace asked, confused. "I'm sorry, are you not the father?" He asked, looking at me.
"He is, I'm assume Camille told you." I said. He nodded. "I probably sound like an idiot."
"No, you don't." Jace interjected. "I am the father, I just didn't expect it. You're going to make a great father."
He smiled. "I sure hope so."
Camille came back out with Diana and her husband, who Mom said is someone Diana met in college named Rick.
Camille handed Leilani to Robert as she whisked her sisters away.
Robert was still able to cook, even with a small infant in his hand.
Jace and I made our way over to the edge of the yard. We sat down, our back against the fence.
"I think we should throw you a birthday party." I said. He sighed. "I told you I didn't need anything."
"If you agree, I'll give you birthday sex." I said. He laughed. "Your dad would be pissed. Plus, if you're to offer that I know you have an idea in your head."
"I'm hurt, you don't want me anymore. It's because I'm a fat whale, isn't it?" I said.
I honestly didn't care about my weight, but I did have something planned.
Although I had a noticeable baby bump now, being four months pregnant with twins.
"Don't say that. You're perfect, of course I want you, I just don't want your dad to hate me." He said.
"Please please please let me throw you this party." I begged. He sighed. "Fine."
I smiled and kissed him innocently.
Oh, but my plan sure wasn't as innocent as our kiss. But it was a good one.
"I also want to talk about custody. How it's going to work when the twins are born." I said.
"I live with you, why do you need to talk about that?" He asked. "A lot can happen in five months. Your parents will most likely be together again. I just want a plan so when the time comes we aren't completely clueless." I said.
"Well what did you have in mind?" He asked. I shrugged. "My mom and I were talking awhile back ago, I suggested we each get one baby but I didn't like that idea in the end, so she suggested we split it. That way, we both get breaks but still get to see them since we'll probably always be together." I said.
"I like that. But what about after summer? Who'll watch the kids?" He asked.
"Well I was thinking that since my mom was going to be on maternity leave, either about to have the baby, she could maybe watch them. I'd have to ask her though." I said.
Camille walked outside with an older man around forty and a woman the same age through the back door.
Mom and Diana's faces paled. They both back away, shooting their sister a glance with many emotions filled.
"Who's that?" I muttered. Jace shrugged.
"It's time for dinner!" Camille yelled, ignoring the looks her sisters were giving her.
Everyone went inside and sat at this big table in a dining room.
"Dad, I'm so glad you could make it." Camille said, sitting down with everyone.
Ryder, Dad, Rick and I caught onto why Mom and Diana were acting that way.
I took in their appearances. My grandpa had blonde hair, and was wearing laid back beach clothes.
His wife looked slightly younger, and had long braided black hair, with multiple flowers she most likely found outside somewhere in her hair. She was short, and wearing a gray tank top with a long skirt.
"Girls, please let us explain." My mom's dad said.
Diana nodded, but Mom said nothing.
"This is so more complicated than you girls think." He sighed.
"We left because Francesca was pregnant." He said, looking at his wife, who I assumed was Francesca. "You're mother is a terrible woman, you girls know that. But she was different when we got married. A little before we adopted Diana, she let our financial situation get to her head, and excuse my language, but she became a bitch. I thought we couldn't have kids, until I found birth control pills that belonged to her. Turns out she didn't want to ruin her body by having a kid." He said, shaking his head.
"The day I was going to tell her I wanted a divorce, she surprised me by adopting a little girl. She said she knew how much I wanted kids and that adoption was a compromise. I tried to give her another chance but when we found out she was having the twins, she blamed me. That's when one night I was drunk and Francesca just got home from a terrible date, that a seven year long affiar started." He confessed.
"What?" Mom shouted. "I knew you cheated on Mom, but I didn't think you had an affair with our nanny that started before I was even born."
That part got me. Francesca was their nanny? I was shocked at how oblivious Ms. Dean must've been to not notice two people living in her house were having sex right under her nose.
"When you were six I finally had the courage to give her the divorce papers. I wasn't necessarily nervous before, it just felt wrong leaving my kids. Luckily we got joint custody." He said.
"That doesn't explain why you disapeared." Diana spoke up. "When you were fifteen Diana, and your sisters fourteen, Francesca got pregnant. We didn't tell anyone due to the fact it was so early. But your mother found out. She threatened me that she would hire a guy to mug Francesca and kill our baby if I didn't give her money. I didn't believe her and her promise rang true." He explained.
"We left because there wasn't enough legal proof to have her arrested, and shortly after we left we found out she couldn't carry children anymore."
I heard crying and I thought it was Francesca, but it was Diana. She was sobbing in her husbands arms.
"I knew she had something to do with it." Rick muttered.
"You guys aren't talking about...?" Camille trailed off.
"What happened?" Mom asked.
"They hooked up in college, and Diana got pregnant. That's the reason they got married." Camille said, but Rick continued.
"When your mother found out, she demanded Diana get an abortion, but she refused. One day she was walking home from classes and she was attacked on the side of the road and lost the baby. We were going to file for divorce, but we fell in love grieving our child." He said.
"You think Mom had to do with both of those?" Mom asked. "What did your guy look like?" Francesca asked Diana.
"He was tall and built up, he had a buzz cut and scars all over his face." She tried to explain a clearly fuzzy, yet painful memory.
"Yes! Did he gave a tattoo right here?" She asked pointing to a spot on her arm. Diana nodded.
"Have you guys tried surrogacy?" Diana asked.
"We want to, but we don't know anyone we trust who would be willing to do that." Francesca said.
"She also kicked Liz out when she was pregnant at sixteen." Camille said.
"You were sixteen?" My I guess grandpa asked, paling.
"Yeah, I was Dad. Ryder is fifteen, and I'm thirty-one. The math is there." She said.
"If only I had been a better father." My grandpa said.
But I knew it would've happened either way. They're soul mates, they would've mated still and made Ryder, then Josh and I.
Either way I would've gotten pregnant, too. It's so weird, my mom is thirty-one and she's having her fourth kid, and I'm thirteen and I'm having two.
I'd ask how my life got this way, but I know the answer.
I was an idiot and had sex.
A/N Gah! Finally this is up! So sorry this took awhile, I had writers block, but now I'm right on track. I do have the full story planned out, there are just bits and pieces in between major plot development that need to be written that I can't word quite right, but I got it now. Tell me what you think, I hope you guys liked it.