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𝐌𝐢𝐚 𝐊𝐚𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲. What started as a nerve-wracking dinner turned into hours of laughter and effortless conversation. By the end of the evening, they were swapping numbers and hugging like old friends. Embry watched them both with quiet admiration, his heart swelling at how naturally Mia had charmed his mother. Despite her nerves, she carried herself with warmth and poise, and he couldn't take his eyes off her.
As he walked her to her car, Embry gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek, reminding her to text him when she got home safe. The moment stayed with Mia for days. Even during the drudgery of her exhausting twelve-hour shifts, she couldn't help but smile. Her feet ached, customers tested her patience, but none of it could dim the glow she still carried from that night.
The shifts were long and the diner quiet, broken only by the occasional late-night trucker stopping in for coffee and a stale donut. During the slower moments, Mia would sneak glances at her phone, holding back smiles as sweet messages from Embry or Kim lit up her screen. With only an hour or two left before she could clock out, she leaned against the counter, mentally counting down the minutes.
The familiar jingle of the front door bell snapped her out of her daydream. Her body tensed instinctively—it hadn't been that long since Laurent's creepy visit—but the tension vanished the moment she saw who had walked in.
Embry Call.
His smile hit her like a wave of relief, and she found herself grinning in return. He made his way to the counter and took a seat, looking like a beacon of calm after the chaos of the shift.
"Miss me already?" Mia teased, wiping her hands on her apron.
"Just got off patrol. Thought I'd keep you company." His voice was casual, but his eyes told her otherwise. He fiddled with a straw, his gaze flicking between her lips and her eyes.
Without missing a beat, Mia leaned forward over the counter, rose to her toes, and kissed him softly. The contact was brief, but electric. She cupped his cheek, trailing a few more feather-light kisses before pulling back.
"I've been thinking..." she murmured. "Maybe it's time we told the rest of the pack. Sam, my uncle. All of them."
The words hung in the air between them.
Embry searched her face, trying to gauge how serious she was. But before he could respond, Mia's lips found his again, and he melted into the moment.
"Finally," he whispered into the kiss, and that was all she needed to hear.
Embry couldn't deny he was nervous about how the others would react—Jacob and Paul had already proven less than thrilled—but he also knew this had to come from Mia. Her timeline. Her choice. And he'd support that.
The sweet moment was shattered by the ding of the diner door. Mia quickly stepped away, not out of guilt, but knowing her boss wouldn't be thrilled to catch her slacking. She turned to welcome the customer and froze.
Bella Swan had entered, flanked by Edward, Alice, Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie Cullen.
They moved like shadows to a booth in the far corner, skin glowing under the diner's cheap lights. Mia wasn't surprised by their late arrival—they were regulars when the clock pushed midnight—but it had been a while since she'd seen the whole coven. Their presence made her uneasy, and judging by the growl that rumbled low in Embry's chest, he wasn't thrilled either.
He stood, jaw clenched, already on edge.
Mia reached out and tugged him back by the hem of his shirt.
"Sit your ass down," she whispered. "They tip like royalty."
Grumbling, Embry sank back onto the stool, eyes fixed protectively on her. Mia rolled her eyes but was secretly touched by his overprotectiveness.
She approached the vampires with her best customer-service smile, doing her best to ignore the tension crawling across her skin. Bella ordered food, the others stuck to coffee and tea. Their interaction was minimal, which was just how she liked it.
Back at the counter, Mia launched into a story about the cheesy horror flick she and Jacob had watched recently, hoping to keep Embry distracted. He softened again, his hand resting in hers while she exaggerated the movie's worst moments to make him laugh. Occasionally, she glanced toward the Cullens' booth to ensure they were taken care of.
Eventually, they asked for the bill, and Mia dropped it off, hoping this would be the last interaction of the night.
But just as she turned to leave, Bella spoke.
"The way he watches you," Bella said softly, "it's like he'd take a bullet for you."
The entire group looked up. Mia's cheeks burned under their collective stare. Alice beamed, Edward and Jasper looked intrigued, and Emmett grinned as he handed her a wad of cash.
Behind her, she could hear Embry growl again.
Mia took a breath, met Bella's gaze, and let the words fly.
"Look, Bella—we're not friends. And we never will be if you keep treating Jacob like crap. Here's your bill. I hope you enjoyed the food. You're lucky I didn't spit in it."
The silence that followed was deafening. Rosalie let out a loud, amused snort and didn't bother to hide her grin. Emmett, however, wasn't amused. He stood slowly, posture tense, displeasure clear on his face.
Before things could escalate, Embry appeared at Mia's side, muscles tight, eyes hard. The tension crackled between him and Emmett like dry wood about to catch fire.
Edward stepped in just in time, placing a hand on Emmett's chest and guiding him toward the door. The others followed, with Alice offering Mia a polite, close-lipped smile on her way out.
When the door finally shut behind them, Embry let out a slow exhale. But Mia just turned her attention back to the counter, counting the crumpled bills they'd left behind.
"They didn't leave a tip," she muttered. "Cheap bloodsuckers."
