I had finished chopping up some firewood for Mrs. Jenners – who insisted on paying me even though she has less money than I do – when I got home to find Claire stretched out on my couch, her nose in a textbook.

 

“Well, this is a nice surprise,” I said.

 

“Hi,” she said with a smile.

 

Then I realized I hadn’t seen her mom’s car out front. “Wait, you didn’t walk here alone, did you?”

 

“No. Jessa was giving me a ride home from school, so I asked her to drop me here. I’m glad you came home because I really did not want to call my mother to come pick me up.”

 

“You should have called me.”

 

“I did,” she said and then gestured toward the kitchen table – where my cell phone sat.

 

“Sorry,” I said, sitting down on the couch and lifting her legs over my lap so I could slide closer to her. “I was cutting firewood for Mrs. Jenners.”

 

“Do you realize this is the first time we’ve been alone together – I mean really alone with no family lurking in the next room – in, like, a month?”

 

“A whole month, huh?” That reminded me of something I’d been meaning to ask her. “So, you would know by now if you’re not …” I faltered. I’m a grown man, for heaven’s sake, why couldn’t I say the word?

 

“Pregnant?” she asked. I nodded, grateful she’d stepped in.

 

“I’m not.”

 

“Then this calls for a celebration.” I pulled her onto my lap and kissed her.

 

“Mmmm. I’ve missed this,” she said.

 

“So have I.” We kissed some more and then I pulled her away from me and gave her a faux stern look. “You didn’t come over here to seduce me, did you?”

 

“So what if I did?” she smiled. “What are you going to do about it?”

 

It felt so good to hold her and kiss her the way I wanted to instead of the way I had to when her family was around. I kissed her some more and then whispered in her ear, “I just might let you get away with it.”

 

“That’s what I was hoping you’d say,” she whispered back.

 

I picked her up and carried her into the bedroom. She pulled my tee-shirt off and I worked on getting the buttons on her shirt undone. I wasn’t making much progress – those things were tiny – so she took over. I undid her jeans and pulled them off of her. She took off her bra and I started kissing and caressing her beautiful breasts. Then I traveled to other parts of her body, like I had the first time. Then she asked me to stop.

 

“Did I do something wrong?”

 

“No. I just wanted you to roll over and let me do that to you.”

 

I couldn’t help but smile as I rolled onto my back, and she began exploring my chest with her lips and hands. I moaned in pure pleasure. She continued, moving down my body to my stomach. And then further down. That made me catch my breath, which was getting more rapid by the moment. Her touch made my skin feel more alive than it ever had. Like the sensitivity of every nerve ending was magnified. Eventually she kissed her way back up to my neck and jaw. I could feel her naked body stretched out beside me, pressed against me. I ran my fingers along her back, her skin as smooth as silk.

 

“Quil?”

 

“Mmm?”

 

“Where’d you put the condoms?”

 

I pointed to the nightstand. “Top drawer.”

 

She found the box, took one out and opened its package. She looked at it for a while, like she was confused.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“Nothing. Just trying to figure out which way to put it on so it unrolls right.” Then she smiled at me and said primly, “I looked it up online so I would do it correctly.”

 

I had to laugh a little. “Is there anything you can’t find out by looking online?”

 

“Hmm. There are probably a few secrets still out there somewhere,” she said with a smile. Then she slipped the condom on and straddled my waist. “Is this okay?” she asked.

 

“Oh, yes.” Then she lowered herself onto me. Slowly. I wanted to raise my hips to meet her, but she had taken the lead on this, and I wanted to let her. It was almost torture to stay still. But exquisite torture. Once I was fully inside her I put my hands on either side of her waist just above her hips. Then she leaned forward to put her weight on her hands. The way she moved made me moan. She clearly found it incredibly pleasurable too. She tried different rhythms and angles to find the ones we both liked best. Finally, she gave out a cry of pure joy and I could actually feel her tighten around me. Then she laid her head on my chest, like she was spent.

 

“Should I take over from here?” I asked.

 

“Please do,” she whispered.

 

I held her to me with one arm while I used the other to turn us both over. Then I made love to her until we were both spent. After I lifted my head from her chest, I gazed at her for a moment.

 

“You are so incredibly beautiful.” She just smiled in reply.

 

I was about to pull out when she stopped me.

 

“Wait. You have to hold onto the condom while you pull out so it doesn’t come off.”

 

I did. Then, after tossing it to the floor, I took her in my arms and laid back. I held her – along with the feeling of complete and utter happiness – close to my heart.

 

 

I must have drifted off because Claire had to wake me. “As much as I am loving this,” she said, “I mean, I wish I could spend the night – but I should be getting home.”

 

Sadly, I couldn’t disagree with her. I sat up.

 

“It’s getting dark already,” I said with some surprise.

 

“Yeah, tomorrow’s the autumn equinox,” she told me. “The days will only get shorter from here on out.”

 

I was still a little groggy. “So today was the longest day of the year?”

 

“No, that’s the summer solstice.”

 

“I always get those mixed up,” I admitted.

 

“The equinox is when the hours of daylight and darkness are equal.”

 

I thought about that for a moment. “Okay. Then don’t the days start getting shorter right after the summer solstice?”

 

“Yeah. But after the equinox the hours of daylight will start getting shorter than the hours of darkness. Until the winter solstice, which is the longest night of the year.”

 

I swept back the bit of her hair that had fallen in front of her face and rested my palm against her cheek. “Let it get dark. You are all the light I need.”

 

Then, as if to prove me right, she smiled, setting off a glow of happiness that warmed her face and made her eyes twinkle.

 

 

When I dropped Claire off at her house, she gave me an almost pained look when it became clear to her that I wasn’t going to accompany her inside.

 

“You’re not coming in?”

 

“I’d love to, Sweets. But then your mom will insist that I stay for dinner.”

 

“So?” I didn’t know what to say. “You’ve had dinner at our house more times than I can count,” she reasoned.

 

I took a deep breath. “I just can’t sit at the kitchen table with your parents after … this afternoon,” I confessed. “I’m sure the look on my face will give me away and then they’ll never let me see you again.”

 

Claire smiled. “They would never try to keep me from seeing you. They love you like family – heroic family that snatched me from the jaws of certain death.”

 

I couldn’t help but laugh at that. But it still didn’t make me want to face her parents right now. “I know. It would just be … uncomfortable for me.”

 

“Okay. As long as this afternoon wasn’t uncomfortable for you,” she said with a meaningful smile.

 

“Anything but,” I assured her.

 

“Good.” She leaned across the cab and kissed me.

 

“I love you.”

 

“I love you too.”

 

 

I went home and fixed myself something to eat. Then I’d decided I should clean the place up a bit when my phone rang – it was Jacob.

 

“Hey, Jake.”

 

“I just heard from Alice.” His tone was serious. He had news. “She said they’re on their way.”

 

That made my heart pound. “Could she see how many?”

 

“Not exactly, but she said it was more than a handful. Sam should make sure the whole pack is on alert.”

 

“Any idea when they’ll get here?”

 

“No, but she said they’re not planning on attacking until well after daylight tomorrow.”

 

“Any idea where?”

 

“Just somewhere in the forest.”

 

“Good. We’ll be ready.” I wanted to ask Jacob if he was going to join us, but I didn’t want to put him on the spot.

 

“You know I’d be there if I could,” he said, as if reading my mind.

 

“I know.”

 

“It’s just that,” he took a breath, “Nessie is pregnant again.”

 

“Jake, that’s great! Congratulations!” He was silent. “Wait, what do you mean ‘again’?”

 

“Sorry, we haven’t told many people, but Nessie’s had three miscarriages. Well, three that we’re sure about.”

 

“I’m so sorry.”

 

“The last one was really hard on her. I almost lost her, Quil. Thank God Carlisle was here. He’s coming back – he wants to see her through the whole pregnancy this time … assuming there is a whole pregnancy – but he got caught up at work and was delayed.” He paused. “I just can’t leave her, Quil. You know what it’s like.”

 

“I do. Don’t worry about us. We’ve been preparing for this for weeks. We’re ready.”

 

I called Sam as soon as Jacob and I had hung up and gave him the intel. He asked if Jake was planning on joining us. I told him he wasn’t, but I didn’t say why, and Sam didn’t ask.

 

I called Claire next. After I gave her the run-down, I told her I wanted her, Martha, and Karl – and Claire’s dad, if they could persuade him – to get out of town for the day.

 

“But tomorrow’s a school day,” she protested.

 

“I know, but I need to know that you’re away from here and safe.”

 

“Do you think he’s going to try and use me as bait again?” There was real worry in her voice.

 

“We don’t think so, but I can’t take any chances.”

 

“Okay.”

 

“Claire, let me talk to your mom for a minute.” Claire handed the phone to Martha. I gave her the story and asked that she take the family to Port Angeles.

 

“I know Claire could drive herself, but I’d feel better if you were with her.”

 

Martha said she understood. The school would just have to arrange for a substitute.

 

“Don’t stop the car until you get to Port Angeles,” I said. “Then only stop when you’re someplace with a lot of people around. Stick to the shopping areas or restaurants. The more people you’re around, the safer you’ll be.” She agreed and then handed the phone back to Claire.

 

“Listen, Claire, in case anything happens to me–”

 

“I’m coming over,” she said before I had a chance to continue.

 

“Claire, that’s not a good idea.”

 

“It’s not open for debate.”

 

“Claire … Claire?” She’d hung up the phone. There was no point in calling her back – I’d never talk her out of it, and she probably wouldn’t answer anyway. That left me to wonder if I should go pick her up. I didn’t think she’d walk here, but I couldn’t be positive. If she was walking, I’d probably miss her if I drove over because she would cut through the wooded area between our houses. The thought of her in the trees at night made my stomach lurch. I could phase to track her down but that wouldn’t help me find her if she was driving here. It made me crazy to just wait, but I didn’t feel like I had any viable options. I decided to wait on the front porch. Or, rather, pace on the porch.

 

By the time she pulled up in her mom’s car, I had about decided that I couldn’t wait around any longer. She ran to me and threw her arms around me. I held her tight and then we went inside.

 

“Claire, you shouldn’t have come.”

 

“I had to, Quil. I couldn’t stand the thought of us spending the night apart.”

 

That was a surprise. “Do your parents know you’re planning on spending the night?” She only nodded. “And they’re okay with that?”

 

“I didn’t ask permission, Quil. I just told them I was coming over and that I’d be back in the morning.” I must have had an expression of incredulity on my face because she put her hands on my arms and said quietly, “I asked Mom if I could borrow the car, and she said yes. If she didn’t want me coming, she would have said no and that would have been the end of it. I’m sure she knew I wouldn’t be able to talk you into picking me up. And walking over here was out of the question.” I was relieved to hear her admit that, but I still didn’t know what to say. Finally, Claire said, “It’s the twenty-first century, Quil. Don’t you think my parents know we’re having sex?”

 

A part of me knew Claire must be right about that, even though it was hard to admit it to myself. Especially since I was afraid her parents would think less of me now. I sat down on the couch. She sat next to me.

 

“Please let me stay, Quil. Being apart tomorrow will be hard enough. I’ll be worried sick about you. I just wanted to have you all to myself for one night.”

 

I turned to her and found myself unable to say no. I kissed her instead.

 

We made love again. Slowly. Purposefully. Making every kiss, every touch, every moment last. I fell asleep holding her in my arms.

 

 

I woke up once during the night from a bad dream. I’d lost Claire again and had been getting frantic trying to find her – only to wake up with her sleeping beside me. She was laying on her left side, so I rolled onto my left side and laid with my front against her back, the bend of my knees matching hers. I put my arm over her and curled my right hand around hers. I slept until morning.

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