Home At Last
by Momma2fan
Chapter 4
Bella pulled up in front of Sam’s after her enlightening lunch with Leah. She got out and sat down on the porch swing hanging from one of the beams. She pulled out her phone and decided to call him. She knew it was early, but she needed to see him.
“Hello?”
“Hey, it’s me. You got a second?”
“Yeah, hang on.” Bella heard some rustling and murmured voices before he came back on the line. “Hey. You okay?”
“Not really. I’m at your house.”
“Bella, what’s going on?”
She sighed, “I had an interview this morning, it went well. I sat on the beach for a bit after it was over and then I had lunch...with Leah.”
“Fuck!”
“Sam, I think we need to talk about this.”
She heard something in the background before his voice came back. “Okay, stay there. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
He disconnected and Bella sat back, swaying in the breeze. Ten minutes after they’d hung up, Sam sauntered out of the forest, buttoning his jeans. He’d phased as soon as he told Paul and Jared something was up and ran home.
He walked up his porch steps and found Bella, swaying back and forth. “Are you okay?”
She shrugged, “I don’t know.” She looked up at him. “She’s my friend, Sam, or at least I thought she was. To know that she is deliberately hurting her own imprint and trying to get to you...I’m worried.”
Sam knelt down in front of her and took her hands. “Bella, I have you now. You and I will figure this out.”
Bella smiled at him. “Well, I have one solution.”
Sam stood and then sat beside her on the swing. “What’s that?”
“I told you I had an interview this morning.” At his nod she continued, “I got a job at the res clinic.”
Sam smiled and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her to his side. “That’s great, honey.”
Bella snuggled into his side. “There’s just one requirement,” she looked up at him. “I have to live on the res.”
“Are you going to move in with Charlie and Sue then?” He was excited at the prospect of her being closer.
Bella grinned at him, “Well...what if I moved in here? What do you think?”
Sam was stunned, but inside his wolf was doing the snoopy-dance. His mate was suggesting she move into his den. “I say let’s go get your stuff.”
“Sam, I’ll be staying in one of the other rooms...for now.”
Sam smiled at her and reached out a hand, pushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I know, but my wolf is dancing right now. He’s happy his mate will be in his den.”
“And what about the man?”
“The man is thrilled too, Bella. The more time we spend together, the faster we will get to know one another again. We have our whole lives ahead of us, honey. I can wait as long as you need.”
***HaL***
Three hours later, all of Bella’s stuff was at Sam’s and she was setting up things in the guest room. Sam had helped her carry in her books and kitchen things, and was unpacking those while she was upstairs.
“Hey, Bella?”
“Yeah?” Bella came to the top of the stairs.
“Do you want me to add your books to mine on the shelves?”
“I have a lot of books, Sam,” she giggled. “Do you have room?”
Sam rolled his eyes, but smiled at her. “Yes.”
“I’ll be down in a minute,” Bella grinned and finished up her room. She wasn’t sure how things were gonna work, especially since her room was across the hall from his, but she was willing to do anything to keep Emily from hurting her mate.
She bounded down the stairs and walked into the living room. Sam had put out the pictures she had, some of her with the pack, with the imprints, and with her dad. She realized there were none with her and Emily, which made her happy, but there were also none with her and Sam.
“We need some pictures of us,” she said off hand.
Sam walked up behind her and put his hands on her waist. “We’ll get some, honey. We have time.”
Bella leaned back into him, enjoying his warmth. She sighed after a moment and walked toward the kitchen. “I’m gonna start dinner. You want a beer?”
“Sure. You need any help?” He offered.
“No. You go relax, I’ve got this.” She handed him a beer and smiled when he pressed his lips to her hair.
“Thanks.”
Sam put on a movie and nursed his beer, relaxing in the knowledge that he wasn’t alone for the first time in a while. Soon the smells coming out of the kitchen were making his mouth water and his stomach growl.
“Geez, Sam, I heard that in here.” Bella laughed.
“Sorry. It’s been a long time since anyone has cooked here.” Sam got up and walked to the kitchen, leaning against the counter. “Emily has been bringing me food, but that doesn’t count in my opinion. I wish she wouldn’t bother. I’m not helpless.”
“That shit stops now, Sam,” Bella looked at him. “We may not be together in every sense, but this is my house. She’s not welcome, unless she’s with Paul.”
“I agree.” He thought about that morning, how she was in his house, but didn’t know how she’d gotten in. He would have to check with the pack about their keys. It was time to change the locks and not let anyone but Bella have access to his, their, house.
Bella plated their food and the two of them went to the table. They were just starting to talk when there was a knock on the door.
“Is that...?” Bella asked him.
“Probably,” Sam sighed. “I’ll get rid of her.”
“No,” Bella stopped him and stood up. “Let me.”
She walked over to the door and looked through the peephole. Taking a deep breath, she pulled the door open enough to peek through. “Hello, Emily. Paul isn’t here. Can I help you with something?”
Emily was stunned to see Bella before her and narrowed her eyes. “I was bringing Sam some dinner. What are you doing here?”
Bella smiled at her, “I live here.” She watched the woman before her narrow her eyes further until they were just slits. “Thanks for thinking of him, but Sam and I are having dinner right now...together.”
“Oh, well I can just put this in the fridge for him for later.” Emily moved to come in the door, but Bella blocked her way.
“Oh, that’s okay, take it home to Paul. I’ll be making sure Sam is well taken care of from now on.” Bella couldn’t help the innuendo in her words and smiled acidly at the woman she had once thought was her friend. “He is mine after all. Go home, Emily.”
Bella closed the door, but didn’t miss the look of outrage that crossed Emily’s face. She walked back to the table and sat down, looking at Sam.
“She’s gonna cause problems, Sam. What are we gonna do?”
Sam reached across the table and took her hand. “We are going to ignore her for now. Bella, we will deal with this, right now I want to focus on us.”
“Twenty questions?”
Sam smiled and nodded. They kept the conversation light for the rest of their dinner and through the clean up. They waited until they were in the living room to get into the deep stuff.
“Tell me about the Cullens.” Sam asked.
Bella sighed and leaned back on the couch, stretching her legs out over top of his thighs. She smiled when his warm hands began massaging her calves. “The Cullens gave me something I’d never had before...a family. When my mom left Charlie, taking me with her, I lost my chance at that. Mom is...eccentric and still very much a child herself. By the time I was seven, I was doing all the cooking and making sure the bills were paid. I had to make cleaning and grocery shopping a game just to get her to participate. Things were better when she met Phil, he took care of her and I was able to be a teenager for a while. I realized I was missing out with my dad so I came here. Charlie didn’t need me though, he’d been a bachelor so long he didn’t know what to do with a teenage daughter. The Cullens, mostly Edward and Alice, took advantage of that and molded me into the perfect girlfriend, sister, and daughter. That’s why when they left me I was so devastated.”
Sam was stunned, he had no idea it was like that for her growing up. “Our backgrounds are very similar. My dad took off when I was two and my mom drank away the pain of his absence. When Tiffany turned up, pregnant with Embry, she drank even more to deal with that betrayal. She finally drank herself to death. By the time I was nineteen she was gone.”
Bella looked at him sadly and leaned forward to hug him, “I’m sorry, Sam.”
He breathed in her scent for a moment before pulling away. “Okay, this turned way too serious.” He looked at the clock and realized how late it was. “One more and then I think we should call it a night.”
“Okay, I’ll go.” Bella looked him in the eye, “How many women have you been with? I know about Leah, so other than her.”
“There have been two other than her. I tried dating while you were at school. I wasn’t very interested and it was more to scratch an itch. I was never disrespectful, but nothing ever happened beyond that with them. I haven’t been with anyone in a year. How about you?”
“There was one guy I dated in college, no one since him and that was three years ago. And before you ask, I never slept with Edward. He could barely kiss me.”
“I wasn’t going to ask, but that’s honestly a relief, to me and my wolf.” He glanced at the clock again. “We should turn in. I’ve got early patrol and then work.”
Bella nodded and together they turned off lights and made sure the doors were locked. Sam followed her up the stairs, trying to keep his eyes off her ass, but failing. At her doorway, he stopped her.
“I’m glad you’re here, Bella.”
Bella smiled and stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “Me too. Night, Sam.”
“Night.”
***HaL***
Emily was tearing apart her kitchen, throwing and breaking things. She was grateful Paul was on patrol, she didn’t need him finding out she didn’t want him. She wanted Sam, had wanted him since she’d met him when she was sixteen.
She had done everything she could to break him and Leah up. When she’d finally succeeded, he had disappeared. She’d been on the Makah reservation with her family when he’d come back, so she hadn’t been able to see him. When she finally did make it back, he had changed and was hanging around Jared and Paul.
She’d come back and was hanging on his every word, trying to get him to see her as more than Leah’s cousin. She even thought if she started flirting with his friends, perhaps he’d notice her. That plan had completely backfired when Paul had imprinted on her. She knew she had to accept so she could stay around the one wolf she really wanted.
She had been just about to carry out her plan when Bella had come back and Sam imprinted on her. She was silently thrilled when they decided to take it slow and Bella wouldn’t be moving in right away. She’d had it all planned out to seduce him that evening, when Bella opened the door.
“Arg!! What was she doing there!?” Emily threw a glass at the wall in frustration. “Sam should be mine!”
Emily continued her tirade, not knowing there were two wolves nearby listening intently.
Bella pulled up in front of Sam’s after her enlightening lunch with Leah. She got out and sat down on the porch swing hanging from one of the beams. She pulled out her phone and decided to call him. She knew it was early, but she needed to see him.
“Hello?”
“Hey, it’s me. You got a second?”
“Yeah, hang on.” Bella heard some rustling and murmured voices before he came back on the line. “Hey. You okay?”
“Not really. I’m at your house.”
“Bella, what’s going on?”
She sighed, “I had an interview this morning, it went well. I sat on the beach for a bit after it was over and then I had lunch...with Leah.”
“Fuck!”
“Sam, I think we need to talk about this.”
She heard something in the background before his voice came back. “Okay, stay there. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
He disconnected and Bella sat back, swaying in the breeze. Ten minutes after they’d hung up, Sam sauntered out of the forest, buttoning his jeans. He’d phased as soon as he told Paul and Jared something was up and ran home.
He walked up his porch steps and found Bella, swaying back and forth. “Are you okay?”
She shrugged, “I don’t know.” She looked up at him. “She’s my friend, Sam, or at least I thought she was. To know that she is deliberately hurting her own imprint and trying to get to you...I’m worried.”
Sam knelt down in front of her and took her hands. “Bella, I have you now. You and I will figure this out.”
Bella smiled at him. “Well, I have one solution.”
Sam stood and then sat beside her on the swing. “What’s that?”
“I told you I had an interview this morning.” At his nod she continued, “I got a job at the res clinic.”
Sam smiled and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her to his side. “That’s great, honey.”
Bella snuggled into his side. “There’s just one requirement,” she looked up at him. “I have to live on the res.”
“Are you going to move in with Charlie and Sue then?” He was excited at the prospect of her being closer.
Bella grinned at him, “Well...what if I moved in here? What do you think?”
Sam was stunned, but inside his wolf was doing the snoopy-dance. His mate was suggesting she move into his den. “I say let’s go get your stuff.”
“Sam, I’ll be staying in one of the other rooms...for now.”
Sam smiled at her and reached out a hand, pushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I know, but my wolf is dancing right now. He’s happy his mate will be in his den.”
“And what about the man?”
“The man is thrilled too, Bella. The more time we spend together, the faster we will get to know one another again. We have our whole lives ahead of us, honey. I can wait as long as you need.”
***HaL***
Three hours later, all of Bella’s stuff was at Sam’s and she was setting up things in the guest room. Sam had helped her carry in her books and kitchen things, and was unpacking those while she was upstairs.
“Hey, Bella?”
“Yeah?” Bella came to the top of the stairs.
“Do you want me to add your books to mine on the shelves?”
“I have a lot of books, Sam,” she giggled. “Do you have room?”
Sam rolled his eyes, but smiled at her. “Yes.”
“I’ll be down in a minute,” Bella grinned and finished up her room. She wasn’t sure how things were gonna work, especially since her room was across the hall from his, but she was willing to do anything to keep Emily from hurting her mate.
She bounded down the stairs and walked into the living room. Sam had put out the pictures she had, some of her with the pack, with the imprints, and with her dad. She realized there were none with her and Emily, which made her happy, but there were also none with her and Sam.
“We need some pictures of us,” she said off hand.
Sam walked up behind her and put his hands on her waist. “We’ll get some, honey. We have time.”
Bella leaned back into him, enjoying his warmth. She sighed after a moment and walked toward the kitchen. “I’m gonna start dinner. You want a beer?”
“Sure. You need any help?” He offered.
“No. You go relax, I’ve got this.” She handed him a beer and smiled when he pressed his lips to her hair.
“Thanks.”
Sam put on a movie and nursed his beer, relaxing in the knowledge that he wasn’t alone for the first time in a while. Soon the smells coming out of the kitchen were making his mouth water and his stomach growl.
“Geez, Sam, I heard that in here.” Bella laughed.
“Sorry. It’s been a long time since anyone has cooked here.” Sam got up and walked to the kitchen, leaning against the counter. “Emily has been bringing me food, but that doesn’t count in my opinion. I wish she wouldn’t bother. I’m not helpless.”
“That shit stops now, Sam,” Bella looked at him. “We may not be together in every sense, but this is my house. She’s not welcome, unless she’s with Paul.”
“I agree.” He thought about that morning, how she was in his house, but didn’t know how she’d gotten in. He would have to check with the pack about their keys. It was time to change the locks and not let anyone but Bella have access to his, their, house.
Bella plated their food and the two of them went to the table. They were just starting to talk when there was a knock on the door.
“Is that...?” Bella asked him.
“Probably,” Sam sighed. “I’ll get rid of her.”
“No,” Bella stopped him and stood up. “Let me.”
She walked over to the door and looked through the peephole. Taking a deep breath, she pulled the door open enough to peek through. “Hello, Emily. Paul isn’t here. Can I help you with something?”
Emily was stunned to see Bella before her and narrowed her eyes. “I was bringing Sam some dinner. What are you doing here?”
Bella smiled at her, “I live here.” She watched the woman before her narrow her eyes further until they were just slits. “Thanks for thinking of him, but Sam and I are having dinner right now...together.”
“Oh, well I can just put this in the fridge for him for later.” Emily moved to come in the door, but Bella blocked her way.
“Oh, that’s okay, take it home to Paul. I’ll be making sure Sam is well taken care of from now on.” Bella couldn’t help the innuendo in her words and smiled acidly at the woman she had once thought was her friend. “He is mine after all. Go home, Emily.”
Bella closed the door, but didn’t miss the look of outrage that crossed Emily’s face. She walked back to the table and sat down, looking at Sam.
“She’s gonna cause problems, Sam. What are we gonna do?”
Sam reached across the table and took her hand. “We are going to ignore her for now. Bella, we will deal with this, right now I want to focus on us.”
“Twenty questions?”
Sam smiled and nodded. They kept the conversation light for the rest of their dinner and through the clean up. They waited until they were in the living room to get into the deep stuff.
“Tell me about the Cullens.” Sam asked.
Bella sighed and leaned back on the couch, stretching her legs out over top of his thighs. She smiled when his warm hands began massaging her calves. “The Cullens gave me something I’d never had before...a family. When my mom left Charlie, taking me with her, I lost my chance at that. Mom is...eccentric and still very much a child herself. By the time I was seven, I was doing all the cooking and making sure the bills were paid. I had to make cleaning and grocery shopping a game just to get her to participate. Things were better when she met Phil, he took care of her and I was able to be a teenager for a while. I realized I was missing out with my dad so I came here. Charlie didn’t need me though, he’d been a bachelor so long he didn’t know what to do with a teenage daughter. The Cullens, mostly Edward and Alice, took advantage of that and molded me into the perfect girlfriend, sister, and daughter. That’s why when they left me I was so devastated.”
Sam was stunned, he had no idea it was like that for her growing up. “Our backgrounds are very similar. My dad took off when I was two and my mom drank away the pain of his absence. When Tiffany turned up, pregnant with Embry, she drank even more to deal with that betrayal. She finally drank herself to death. By the time I was nineteen she was gone.”
Bella looked at him sadly and leaned forward to hug him, “I’m sorry, Sam.”
He breathed in her scent for a moment before pulling away. “Okay, this turned way too serious.” He looked at the clock and realized how late it was. “One more and then I think we should call it a night.”
“Okay, I’ll go.” Bella looked him in the eye, “How many women have you been with? I know about Leah, so other than her.”
“There have been two other than her. I tried dating while you were at school. I wasn’t very interested and it was more to scratch an itch. I was never disrespectful, but nothing ever happened beyond that with them. I haven’t been with anyone in a year. How about you?”
“There was one guy I dated in college, no one since him and that was three years ago. And before you ask, I never slept with Edward. He could barely kiss me.”
“I wasn’t going to ask, but that’s honestly a relief, to me and my wolf.” He glanced at the clock again. “We should turn in. I’ve got early patrol and then work.”
Bella nodded and together they turned off lights and made sure the doors were locked. Sam followed her up the stairs, trying to keep his eyes off her ass, but failing. At her doorway, he stopped her.
“I’m glad you’re here, Bella.”
Bella smiled and stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “Me too. Night, Sam.”
“Night.”
***HaL***
Emily was tearing apart her kitchen, throwing and breaking things. She was grateful Paul was on patrol, she didn’t need him finding out she didn’t want him. She wanted Sam, had wanted him since she’d met him when she was sixteen.
She had done everything she could to break him and Leah up. When she’d finally succeeded, he had disappeared. She’d been on the Makah reservation with her family when he’d come back, so she hadn’t been able to see him. When she finally did make it back, he had changed and was hanging around Jared and Paul.
She’d come back and was hanging on his every word, trying to get him to see her as more than Leah’s cousin. She even thought if she started flirting with his friends, perhaps he’d notice her. That plan had completely backfired when Paul had imprinted on her. She knew she had to accept so she could stay around the one wolf she really wanted.
She had been just about to carry out her plan when Bella had come back and Sam imprinted on her. She was silently thrilled when they decided to take it slow and Bella wouldn’t be moving in right away. She’d had it all planned out to seduce him that evening, when Bella opened the door.
“Arg!! What was she doing there!?” Emily threw a glass at the wall in frustration. “Sam should be mine!”
Emily continued her tirade, not knowing there were two wolves nearby listening intently.