"Timber! Emily!" called Chad.
Timber and Emily left the room and went downstairs. Chad smiled at Timber when he saw her.
"You look so beautiful," said Chad and Timber beamed. "Henry is going to be here with the limo shortly. I want to lay down a couple of ground rules. I don't want to find out in six weeks that you're pregnant yet. I know that I will never see them but still..."
"Henry and I can't have kids," said Timber. "Henry had surgery to prevent that years ago. We've already discussed it and we both accept that it is part of our lives. It took time on his part but we'll have lots of nieces and nephews."
Chad smiled with relief in his eyes.
"You've matured beautifully. I'm very, very proud of you and I know your parents would be too."
Timber kissed his bald head and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I love you, Uncle Chad."
"I love you too, Timber."
The doorbell rang and Grace opened the door. Standing on the front porch was a well-dressed man Timber had never seen before. He was tall and lanky with light blonde hair and a slightly crooked nose. She studied his face and smiled as soon as she recognized his hazel eyes. She couldn't help but shout out in excitement and throw her arms around his neck. He smiled and returned her embrace. After a short moment, she let go and grinned broadly at him.
"Do you know him?" asked Chad in confusion.
"Not directly, but this is Henry's brother," said Timber. "I know because he and Henry have the same eyes."
"Henry was right when he told me you were intelligent," said Henry's brother with a chuckle. "My name is Charles Santelli."
"It's wonderful to meet you," said Grace.
"Likewise," said Charles. "Henry is already at Eagles Hall. He has a surprise for you so he needed to get there early. I am your limo driver tonight."
"Is this what you do for a living?" asked Emily curiously.
"I used too," said Charles. "I bought the company and now I run it. Henry called me and asked if I wanted to meet Timber before the wedding. The way he talks about her; I couldn't say no. Anyway, we should go or you'll be late."
Timber smiled and followed him out to the limo. He opened the door for her and she slid into the back seat. She waved good-bye to her family before Charles closed the door and went to the driver's seat.
"I'm very happy to meet you, Charles," said Timber as he started the car.
"I can say the same to you," said Charles. "My brother called me right after New Year's and told me he was engaged. I hadn't heard from him in years except through letters so it was wonderful to hear his voice. He talked about you for an hour. He told me how beautiful you are, and that you're remarkably intelligent. He told me everything."
"Everything?"
"Yes. From what I hear, you are a very lovely wolf. My brother told me where he went a few weeks after his bite. I didn't believe him at first but our mother kept telling me he was dead. Then I realized that Henry couldn't be dead if he was sending me letters. It took several months but I came to accept the fact that my brother is a werewolf."
"Were you two close growing up?" asked Timber.
"Very close. We did almost everything together. We're only nine months, a week and two days apart in age. We were even in the same grade. I'm older but Henry was too smart. He skipped kindergarten and was put in my first-grade class. We played together during lunch, we did our homework together. I even convinced him to join the little league softball team with me. He didn't like it much so as punishment Henry made me wander around a history museum with him for a day."
"Henry hasn't changed much then," laughed Timber. "He loves history. I do too but Henry is completely enraptured by it."
Charles told stories about Henry that had Timber laughing so hard, her sides were hurting. It turned out that Henry had always had wild antics and would be constantly scolded by their mother for exaggerating his movements and laughing too loud. Henry never listened.
"Well, here we are," said Charles. "Eagles Hall on North Corry Street. Henry will be waiting inside for you."
"Thank you," said Timber.
Timber slid out of the limo and walked up the front steps alone. Behind her somewhere, she heard the familiar sound of Diana laughing at her for being alone saying that she was stupid for showing up at prom without a date. Timber smiled. Nothing was going to ruin her evening. She walked through the open doors and looked around with a smile. The whole room smelled of old wood, different fragrances of perfume, and a hint of lemon polish. In the back of the hall, there was the DJ on a wood stage with deep purple curtains and framed in stained oak. The high ceilings matched the stage and the floor. The wall decorations were simple streamers in purple and gray to match the school colors and hanging from the ceiling were hundreds of sparkling purple and gray stars. Off to the left side of the room, there was a table of various snacks and beverages. To the right, there was a row of chairs for people to sit down.
"Hello," said a voice from behind her. Henry wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek. "You look amazing, Mia Bella."
"Well, I can't reply because I can't see you," said Timber.
Henry let her go and she turned around. Her jaw hit the floor when she saw him in his tuxedo and her lungs forgot how to function momentarily. His hair was brushed back and fell at his shoulders in a neat manner. His short beard was shaped fuller than Timber was accustomed to but she liked it. Henry smiled at her reaction.
"I guess you like it then," he grinned. "That's good because I bought it. It was cheaper to buy than to rent it twice. Oh, I have a gift for you."
Henry pulled a white box out of his inside jacket pocket and handed it to Timber. She opened it up and her hand flew up over her mouth. Her russet eyes grew wide and she began to snivel. Inside was a gold bracelet with a pendant that was identical to the one on her mother's necklace.
"Where...?"
"Remember when I was gone for four days last week and I wouldn't tell you where I was going?" said Henry. "I went back to Haven to take care of a few things and stopped by your old house in the north. I found this in the rubble. I guess your mother forgot it when you left for Nebraska. I have your old baby shoes, a photo album I found, and a few other things that were still in one piece. They're at my house."
"You said you'd never go back," said Timber. She was surprised and touched.
"I had to get a few things of mine that I had left there on accident," said Henry. "A few workers were cleaning up and ran across one of my boxes in my old house after Louise moved out. It was some old books, a few photos, my first sword and a couple of shirts I don't fit into anymore."
"Well I'm glad you stopped by my old house," said Timber joyfully. "Thank you."
She took out the bracelet and put it on her left wrist. She smiled up at Henry and he offered her his arm, which she took with the biggest smile her mouth could make. When Timber and Henry walked on the dance floor together, the small crowd became stationary and everyone's eyes followed them. They were all looking at Timber, who was beginning to blush from all the attention. The boys were looking at her in disbelief and the girls were glaring at her in jealousy because she was on Henry's arm. Henry paid nobody any mind and he took Timber in his arms and kissed her in front of the whole senior class. Only Timber could hear the gasps of disbelief vibrate through the room though there was a small group in the corner that cheered and Timber grinned. Her friends were here too.
"I thought we were here to dance!" yelled Xianna's voice.
The crowd murmured and started dancing again and the DJ turned up the music. Henry motioned that he was going to get drinks when he saw Xianna and the girls fighting their way through the tight crowd. All the girls had gone dress shopping together and were all wearing identical gowns in different colors. In the past, matching outfits would have been impossible but in the last few months Timber had lost almost fifty pounds with the removal of the werewolf venom and tonight the results were obvious. Her friends were admiring
her makeover with great admiration.
"I love your hair," yelled Gina whose normally tight spiral curls had been relaxed so instead of falling on her shoulders, it fell to the top of the neckline of her plum gown. "You should do this more often."
"We should get out of the crowd," shouted Kendra.
She motioned to the side of the hall and lifted her black gown to avoid tripping on it. The five of them walked over to the snack table where Henry was. He handed Timber a cup of fruit punch and Timber downed it quickly.
"I'm going to hang out here for a bit," Henry said speaking over the music. "You girls go enjoy yourselves."
"Are you sure?" asked Timber tilting her head.
"I'll be on the dance floor later," Henry replied with a small smirk. "I promise. Now go have fun."
Timber was dragged away by Xianna right into the middle of the dance floor. With such upbeat music, it was difficult not to move. Timber danced and bounced with the music right along with everyone else. Several songs passed and the DJ stopped the music. The crowd cried out in protest. Xianna, Gina, Kendra, and Ashley seemed to know what was happening and forced everyone into a circle around Timber. Then Henry appeared and she was immediately confused. He took her hand in his and placed his other hand around her waist and pulled her in close. The DJ started playing upbeat modern music in Spanish and Henry and Timber began to move.
Timber was in complete awe. She had no idea Henry could dance. Their steps matched perfectly as they moved. Henry spun her and she lowered herself to the ground and stood back up while Henry kept her twirling. He dipped her and brought her back up. They moved so effortlessly together that it looked to others like the dance had been rehearsed.
"Do you trust me to catch you?" asked Henry in her ear and Timber nodded.
He grabbed her by the waist and tossed her as high as he could. She spun her body parallel to the ground as fast as she could. For a moment, she felt as though she were flying. Henry caught her when she came down and set her on her feet. The crowd roared. They danced through the full length of the song as Timber's classmates cheered. When the song ended, Eagles Hall erupted in cheers and shouts of praise. Timber saw Diana near the stage with a look of pure covetousness on her face. Timber grinned triumphantly, making Diana scoff and stalk away angrily with her nose in the air.
The dance floor filled up again as the regular mainstream music began playing. Henry stayed beside Timber for most of the evening. She could tell he was enjoying himself. For a moment, she could see Henry as he would have been when he was eighteen.
After an hour, Henry whispered in Timber's ear that he needed to use the men's room and Timber said she would go and sit down for a few minutes to give her feet a break. Henry left for the front hallway and Timber went to go sit down. She could see her friends dancing with their dates in the front by the stage and she grinned. She took off her heels and flexed her ankles in a circle.
While she was sitting there, Sean approached her. It was the first time she had seen him since he drugged her and Timber immediately wanted to run away. Unfortunately, there was nowhere to run. For the first time since last year, she looked directly at his face. His eyes were not his. They were glazed over and black instead of the brown Timber remembered from her childhood,
"Hi Timber," he said.
"Get out of here Sean."
"Where did Mr. Santelli go?"
"Bathroom."
"Do you want to dance with me?"
"No. Firstly, I'm here with my fiancé," said Timber firmly. "Secondly, the last time I saw you, you laced my sandwich with meth. You almost killed me. I don't want anything to do with you."
"That's your fault for not going out with me. Now dance with me. Just one dance."
"No, Sean. Don't make me say it again."
At that moment, Sean snatched her by the wrist and pulled her up. Timber resisted but he wouldn't let go. He grabbed her breast and Timber struck him as hard as she could in the face. Instead of letting go in spite of this, Sean grabbed her face and forced his lips onto hers. All of a sudden Sean was pulled away from Timber and thrown to the floor. Henry was standing there glaring at Sean as though he wanted to kill him.
"Keep your filthy hands off of my fiancé," yelled Henry.
"Come on, man," said Sean as he stumbled to his feet. He was not able to think properly. "Sharing is caring. What's wrong with a kiss?"
"She's not yours, she's mine," growled Henry protectively. "Get out of here."
"Alright, alright. Calm down, man!"
Sean left towards the other side of the hall. Henry turned to Timber.
"I'm so sorry," pleaded Timber, fearful that Henry would think her unfaithful. "I didn't - he grabbed me. I'm sorry!"
"I know what he did and I saw you try to fight him off," said Henry. "I'm not mad at you at all. Don't apologize." He looked at her carefully. Her last encounter with Sean nearly killed her. "Are you alright? He didn't try to slip you anything again?"
"No he didn't but I feel violated," said Timber, "I'm alright, though. There's something wrong with him. His eyes aren't normal."
"Do you want to keep dancing, or go home?"
"Let's keep dancing," said Timber. "I'm not going to let one idiot ruin my evening. You're with me now. I'm safe."
Henry smiled and led her out to the floor where they grouped with Timber's friends and their dates. He tapped Timber's shoulder and spun her around by her hand, then pulled her in. Henry and Timber moved in close to each other and rotated slowly on the spot. She looked up at Henry to find him smiling at her with pure love echoing in his hazel eyes. Timber wanted to stay in this moment for the rest of her life as they swayed back and forth to the music. The magical moment ended when Timber and her friends got very loud because a song entitled 'Timber' came on.
Much to the amusement of the rest of the crowd, the five girls had a full dance routine for this song. Henry was thrown into a fit of laughter as the girls locked elbows in pairs and started skipping in circles and switching off partners. Xianna grabbed Henry before he could object and got the man bouncing with them. They danced the rest of the night away and before anyone knew it, it was nine thirty at night and the dance was over.
The crowd dispersed slowly as girls took the high heels off of their aching feet. Timber and Henry walked down the front steps laughing with Xianna, and Gina about something Kendra and Ashley had said earlier that evening. They were having a great time when someone grabbed Timber on the rear. She jumped, squealed, and spun around, and came face to face with Sean who was barely standing. He did not look or smell drunk. He looked ill.
"I could do amazing things with that."
Henry looked furious as he whirled to face Sean. However, his tone was calm when he spoke.
"How old are you, Sean?" he asked.
"Eighteen."
"Good." Henry drew back his fist and sent it flying into Sean's face. Sean fell to the ground. "I told you to keep your hands off of my fiancé."
Xianna, Gina, Kendra, and Ashley cheered wildly as Sean got up and stumbled away. Timber, however, didn't laugh. She stared at Henry with sheer panic.
"Henry, you punched a student!"
"He is eighteen that means he is legally an adult. I was also defending you. I have done nothing wrong. Besides, I could have done a lot worse after what he did to you in November."
"What about your job," Timber reminded him.
"I won't lose my job, Timber. Holborn will want to talk to me but I've seen Sean in the office for harassment so many times I can guarantee that Holborn will be a little more lenient with disciplinary action. Besides, the jackass gave himself a criminal record. I know there are consequences Timber," said Henry upon seeing Timber's disbelief. "I'm a grown man. I'm smart enough to know that I won't get off scot-free but I won't lose my job."
"Promise?" Henry chuckled.
"I promise."
"Cut the man some slack Timber," said Gina.
"He's only defending your honor," said Kendra.
"Don't worry." Timber smiled and took a deep breath.
"Sorry," she said.
"Bye guys. See you Monday," said Xianna as Orion pulled in front of the hall to pick her up.
Timber, Gina, Kendra, and Ashley waved as Xianna got into the car. Just then, Charles pulled up in the limo and got out. He walked around the front and grinned at Henry when he noticed he was surrounded by beautiful girls.
"Who is this?" asked Kendra, studying Charles with a curious look.
"This is my older brother Charles," said Henry. "These are three of Timber's friends, Ashley, Kendra, and Gina."
"Wait. Now I see it," said Ashley. "Is he single?"
Charles laughed.
"I'm happily married with two toddlers. So are you two ready to go?" Charles asked Timber.
"I would assume so," said Henry. "Timber?"
"Yeah, just give me a minute."
Henry smiled and Timber hugged her friends goodbye before sliding into the limo. She rested her head on Henry's shoulder as the limo began to drive away. It was a few minutes before Timber realized that they were headed south.
"Where are we going?"
"The San Jose area," said Henry.
Timber's head shot up off of Henry's shoulder and she became somewhat panicked.
"What? But I haven't packed! I have to go pack! Do my aunt and uncle know?"
"Emily already packed for you while you were getting your nails done today and your aunt gave your case to me as soon as you went upstairs to get ready," said Henry. "Your aunt and uncle filled up your wallet too. Everything is in the trunk, so yes, they know. I thought it was a good time for you to meet my family since I spend so much time with yours. Your uncle agreed."
"You planned this a while ago, didn't you?" asked Timber.
"Yes. It was wonderful to spend the entire day with my bother too," said Henry. "The only condition to this trip is that I text your aunt and uncle when we get there."
Timber stared. If Emily packed, there would be nothing missing because Emily thought of everything. It helped Timber relax knowing that she had everything she would need. She sent a silent thank you to her aunt and uncle for allowing this and to Emily for packing.
The Timber Effect Page 27