❝later that night, i held an atlas in my lap, ran my fingers across the whole world and whispered 'where does it hurt?' it answered 'everywhere, everywhere, everywhere.'❞
the twilight saga / embry call
eclipse ― breaking dawn pt 1
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CHAPTER TWENTY: FIRST TO DIE
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MAE COOPER WAS NOTHING if not determined (stubborn) even at the best of times. When combined with other determined (stubborn) people -- take Paul Lahote and Jared Cameron as an example -- everything was bound to go to shit. Really, Embry should've known that before leaving her alone with them, even if it was just for an hour.
That would certainly explain why Mae thought it was a genius idea to adopt a dog from a rescue shelter (of course, under her father's name, for who in their right mind would let the three Stooges -- that being Mae, Paul and Jared) adopt a labrador with no jobs and a barely-there school record to showcase their trustworthiness. It was safe to say that Embry was stunned beyond belief when he returned to Sam's place, only to be greeted by a labrador on a sparkly pink leash, a leash that his girlfriend was holding for dear life with Paul and Jared on either side of them like bodyguards.
"Oh, Mae, you didn't."
"What?" she smiled up at him. She knew Embry couldn't resist once she smiled at him. "I didn't even say anything."
"You didn't have to," he grumbled, shooting a pointed look at the dog that was sniffing around his feet. He backed up a step and frowned when the dog whined at him. "Your new dog said enough for you."
"Oh, come on," she sighed, and leant down to cradle Spot's face in her hands. Yes, she had called him Spot. And she loved it. It didn't matter what Paul or Jared thought. Spot suited him. She'd known it from the moment they walked into the shelter. "How was I meant to say no to this adorable face?"
"Easy," Embry muttered, trying his best to stay unamused when Jake and Quil made their way outside and immediately started gushing over the animal. "Seriously? Come on, guys, not you too."
"What?" Jake shrugged, earning a fist bump and a pointed look from Mae when he added, "It's just a dog. Plenty of people own dogs."
"Right? And at least I have company for when you're out patrolling."
Which, nowadays, was every waking moment he wasn't at school or in trouble with his mum -- Tiffany Call, a viper of a woman who Mae was terrified to meet. What if Tiffany hated her? Or worse, blamed her for her son's sudden 'rebellious phase.' Mae did have the trouble-making vibe, as much as it pained her to admit it. Her ex-girlfriend's mother had hated her for it. Not that Mae cared much then, but this was different.
And also not the point.
It wasn't Tiffany she had to be worried about when it came to Spot. She'd already tackled Embry, who worried as it was about protecting her let alone something else Mae had grown attached to. All that remained now was James, who Mae believed she would be able to sway -- that is, if she left out the fraudulent lengths she took to get Spot in their possession. The real battle would be Kira who, for as long as Mae could remember, had always hated dogs.
