You Are My Sunshine

Chapter One

Embry's POV

"You can have some fun, you know," Paul told me for like the fiftieth time in my head as we ran patrol. For a guy with such asshole tendencies, you'd think he'd leave me alone to live my life. But no, he had to try giving advice. Because clearly he was the guy to go to when that was needed. "Just because the other guys are dropping like flies doesn't mean you and I are going to. I mean, what are the odds? And hell, if we do manage to find them, wouldn't it be a good idea to have gotten it all out of our system beforehand? Sow those wild oats or whatever."

I gave him complete silence for a few beats before saying, "You are an idiot."

"Call me what you want, but at least I'm getting laid." He sounded so smug. As if he had it all figured out.

Truth was, I didn't envy him. He did what he wanted with whomever he wanted, but I had no desire for that. A few months ago, I might have been tempted to see things his way. But now after being around so many imprinted couples, there was nothing I wanted less than to be like Paul.

No, I wanted to find my imprint.

I wanted to be happy. I wanted to share those looks like Jared and Kim. I wanted to give kisses whenever I felt the urge like Sam and Emily. I wanted to be able to laugh and laugh with my other half like Quil and Claire.

Though it'd be great if I didn't end up with an imprint I'd have to wait over a decade to really couple with. I wanted an imprint more than anything, but I also hoped mine would be of a certain type. Nothing too demanding, just above eighteen. And nice. And funny. And hopefully pretty. The ability to cook wouldn't hurt. But honestly, I'd take her however I could get her if I got to experience whatever mix of intense emotions I'd witnessed in the other guys and their imprints.

"Interesting," I heard Paul think, and I instantly dropped my line of thought, assuming he'd been paying attention to my longing and standards. When I peeked over to his head to see what he was referring to, I was relieved to see it had nothing to do with me. Instead, he was settled on his stomach near Sam and Emily's place, watching through the trees as a woman and a small child walked to the front door. "Recognize them?"

I huffed, setting off in his direction. We were supposed to be patrolling, but taking a couple of minutes to check out what was going on couldn't hurt. Plus, Jared and Quil were slated to take over for us soon. "Right, because I hang out with people who aren't you guys all the time. I have so many friends you don't know about."

Paul's furry wolf form came into view, and he tipped his head. "Stranger things have happened." He thought of the people, chicks, he saw on a regular basis that he didn't share in depth with us about. Thank goodness for small miracles that he didn't.

Refusing to dignify that with a response, I stared at Sam and Emily's house as Sam opened the door. Based on the look on his face, the visitors were not expected. As Paul and I witnessed their interaction, my heart beat a little faster. Weird. I chalked it up to eager curiosity. Random people didn't walk up to our doors often.

As I kept trying to explain away my strange heartbeat to myself, Paul's voice in my mind echoed my biggest questions, "Wonder who they are? And why they're here?"

***

Sam's POV

Emily and I were curled up on the couch, watching some nonsense show that amused her more than it really should as we talked over wedding plans and waited for the cookies she'd popped into the oven a couple of minutes before to bake. I'd scored one of her beautiful laughs, her face tipping back with a smile, giving me the perfect opening to drop a kiss or two or ten all over her face. I gave an extra couple to the side with those damn scars. Hard as I wished I could take them away, turn back time and change the moment when I'd given them to her, that was not possible. So I'd make up for it the best I could by placing as many loving kisses there as I could. Shit way of making up for it, but it made Emily happy, so I'd do it until the day I died.