Forbidden Imprint [Book 5] ✔️

22 • One Time Too Many

EMBRY'S POV

I was sulking. There were no other words to describe it. I had been dumped and I was now mourning the loss of my relationship like the little bitch I'd become.

I missed Amy more than I ever thought possible. I missed talking to her about the job. Not a lot of people understood the pressures of being a doctor but she did. She had emailed me when she got back to Africa. Thank God Pete updated the technology at the hospital since we'd left. It sounded like she was settling back into her old life just fine. And though she didn't say much about Pete, reading between the lines, it seemed like things were getting back on track for those two. Good for freaking her!

I knew my feelings were unreasonable, and I really only wanted her happiness. But it didn't stop me from being depressed or missing her. When I wasn't at the hospital, I was at my apartment lying in my bed.

Amy's absence in my life was only a part of my problem. The other issue was that the nagging in my back to go see Rebecca was getting worse by the second. I sometimes questioned my sanity. Why was I resisting so hard? Sometimes in my crazier moments, I even thought about going to her and offering friendship at the very least, just so I could have her back in my life. But I always talked myself out of it. I couldn't risk putting myself out there for her again.

On the second weekend after Amy left, I didn't have to work so I decided to do nothing but mope. I was lying on my couch watching TV when there was a knock on my door. Sighing, I got up and opened it. On the other side were Quil, Brady, and Seth.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked. Quil answered with a smirk on his face.

"I called the hospital and they said you weren't on call this weekend. Claire's sister is getting married, so Claire took Kayley up to her parents' house in Makeh. They've decided to have a girl's weekend. And since Brady can't go a whole day without seeing my daughter," Quil looked disgustingly at Brady when he said this, "I've decided to force him to go camping with me, and Seth volunteered to go with us. We got to talking and decided to drag your unsocial ass out too."

"You want to go camping? In the fall?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, it's not like we have to worry about cold weather. Seth and Brady are still phasing, and even though it's been a couple of years since I last phased, my body hasn't returned to normal quite yet. We'll be fine. So what do you say?"

I looked at each one of their faces. Quil looked anxious. He would, being away from Claire. Brady looked miserable and Seth looked...well, he looked like Seth, all smiles. I had two choices. I could either stay here and feel sorry for myself, or I could get out of the apartment and spend time with the guys.

"Fine," I finally muttered. "Give me a minute to pack."

We hopped in Seth's truck and headed towards Oregon, which was the opposite direction of where Kayley and Claire were. When we finally reached our destination, Seth and I set up the large tent we were going to be using, while Quil unpacked the car. Brady paced back and forth, rubbing his neck and looking north.

"I'll be right back," Brady finally said. When Quil raised an eyebrow at him, he added, not quite meeting Quil's eyes, "I have to piss, all right?"

Quil nodded his head and Brady took off. We felt a shimmer in the air a few minutes later. With a slight smile on his face, Quil pulled out his phone and called Claire.

"Hey hun," Quil said in a sickeningly lovey-dovey tone. "Brady's on his way to see you. Will you tell him to pick up a package of hot dogs on his way back?"

I heard Claire laugh and they began to chat some more. I decided to get up and take a walk, not wanting to eavesdrop on a personal conversation. Seth followed me. We walked in silence for a few minutes before Seth spoke up.