Dawn's POV
It's been a little under a month since Bella's wedding. Evangeline and her aunt have fit in wonderfully with the rest of the pack. Josette bought a small cottage a few houses down from Billy so the imprint pair could remain close. The pack has been enjoying the break in vampire activity. The boys still run patrols but they are less frequent and less stressful. Of course, with all the free time the boys just want Emily and me to cook for them. Just about every day someone is running to the grocery store for more food.
I had been staying with Mom for the past few days. She claimed that she missed me and that we never spent any time together anymore. I could easily tell she was hiding something from me but I let her keep her secret. To be honest it was rather nice to take a small break from the pack and it was nice to talk about something other than issues with the Cullens and patrol schedules.
I walked downstairs one morning and found Mom humming in the kitchen as she made breakfast. "Good morning, Mom," I said, startling her.
"Oh!" She jumped. "You startled me," she said waving a spatula at me.
"Sorry, wasn't my intention. Whatcha makin'?"
"French toast and a fruit salad. Do you mind cutting up the fruit?"
"Not at all." I grabbed a paring knife from the block and sat at the counter with a variety of fruits and a cutting board in front of me. After washing my hands I started on my assigned job watching Mom sway back and forth, humming to a tune in her head.
"Is everything okay?" I asked after a few minutes of semi-silence.
"Everything's fine. Why do you ask?" She questioned not meeting my eyes.
"It's just been a while since you sang in the kitchen. How did your tests go?"
"Everything's clearing up right on schedule."
"That's good."
After breakfast was ready we ate in silence. Mom read the paper and I looked at items for the nursery, as well as other essentials. Since Mom cooked I offered to do the dishes but she just shooed me back to the table. Instead, I sat at the peninsula and showed her some more things that I had been thinking of for the baby. She kept telling me not to worry since I was barely showing but I wanted to get an idea so Sam and I weren't floundering when the baby came.
"So what do you want to do today?" I asked as she put the last dish in the dishwasher.
"Up to you, dear," Mom said, turning to look at me. "I was thinking I might go visit Josette. She promised to teach me some new recipes."
I nodded along to what she was saying. "I think that sounds like a good idea. Do you think you'll need a taste tester?"
"If that's a subtle hint that you want to join, you are more than welcome."
"Thanks, Mom. What time do you want to head over?"
"How about now?"
I looked at our outfits and said, "maybe we should get dressed first."
She looked down at what she was wearing and laughed. "Maybe we should."
We both went upstairs and to our separate rooms. I traded my pajamas for a pair of black yoga pants, a white button-up, and a deep burgundy scarf. I threw on a pair of brown boots and threw my hair up in a messy bun. Before I left the room I grabbed my phone and wallet and met Mom downstairs.
We took a small stroll to Josette's house and talked about what she wanted to make. When we got close enough I could hear a variety of voices coming from inside. Instead of knocking we opened the door, took off our shoes, and walked into the kitchen. Josette was surrounded by hungry teenagers. Quil, Embry, Jake, and Evangeline sat at the small island with a stack of pancakes in between them. Jake was hoarding a few but I saw Evangeline sneaking a few from his plate. Jake just looked over at her and smiled. Embry made a whipping sound and Jake leaned across Quil to punch Embry in the shoulder. Dramatically, Embry fell out of his seat and feigned pain.
"Even I know that didn't hurt," I said, alerting the non-shifters to our presence.
Mom and Josette got started cooking right away. Embry and Quil complained that they couldn't stay and be taste testers since they had to leave for Patrol. Jake, Evangeline, and I laughed at their pouty faces and slouched posture as the two of them walked out the door. Jake and Evangeline left not long after claiming that Billy wanted to see them before he went fishing with Charlie and Sue. Jake snagged the last pancake as they walked out the door. Mom was hunched over a cookbook when my phone rang.
"Hello," I answered, walking into the living room so the two could cook in peace.
"Hey, gorgeous," a deep voice answered. "What are you up to?"
"I'm at Josette's. Mom wanted to have a cooking day and I invited myself along. What about you?"
"Just finished with Patrol. Embry and Quil are swapping with me now. Do you want to do something, just the two of us?"
"I'd love that. When do you want to meet up?"
"Right now. Turn around."
I turned around and looked out the front window. And sure enough there Sam stood with a single rose. I told Sam to give me a second before telling Mom that Sam and I had plans. She was so enamored in her cooking that she just waved her hand at me. I laughed and went to put on my shoes. I walked out the front door and right into my fiance's arms. He gave me a big kiss before swinging my legs up and carrying me bridal style.
"I can walk you know," I said, leaning my head on his shoulder.
"Just practicing," he replied, placing a small kiss on my forehead.
I let his warmth envelop me as he carried me back to his house. What surprised me the most was the lack of boys. Usually, they would rush out to meet us and of course, they were always loud.
He set me down on the front porch and said, "I need you to put this on." He held up a blindfold. I gave him a suspicious look but he gave me puppy dog eyes so I nodded my head. He secured the blindfold around my eyes before picking me back up.
From the awkward movements, I could tell that we were going upstairs. He walked a little way down the hallway before stopping and setting me down once more. I could hear a door open then Sam told me to take a few steps forward. I did as instructed and when I stopped I felt Sam loosening the blindfold.
When I could finally see I was astounded by the sight. The guest bedroom had turned into the nursery. The wall with the crib in front was a dark grey color and the rest of the walls were a softer shade of grey. Sam chose a black crib with a brown headboard. There was a bluey, cream, and grey striped rug with a small patch of faux fur in front of the crib. Hanging above the crib was a painting of a wolf. There was a bookshelf to the left of the crib and across was a changing table. In the far corner was a padded rocking chair. Hanging on the wall parallel to the crib were some more wolf pictures with the word Uley in the middle.
"What do you think?" Sam asked, nervously.
I turned and looked at him. "It's perfect," I said, tears coming to the surface. "But how?"
"I had a little help. The boys helped me put the furniture together while the girls helped pick colors and things that were gender-neutral. And your mom sent me pictures of the things that you two talked about."
I walked further into the room and rested my hand on the edge of the crib. I felt Sam wrap his arms around me and place a hand on my stomach. A small sense of deja vu washed over me but I shook my head to get rid of it.
Inspiration for the nursery
^^Nursery^^
^^Wolf that hangs over the bed^^
^^Pics on the opposite wall^^
AN:
So I finally got the inspiration to finish this story. The next few chapters will be more rushed than previous chapters. I will hopefully be finishing this story by the end of the week, next week at the latest.