by Donna Raider
Mika and Leah hugged their children then turned toward Lindsey.
“Mom, Mika, this is Dr. Lindsey Rand,” Sara introduced them. “Lindsey, my parents, Priest Mika and Leah Cross.”
“Lindsey is the head of our thoracic department,” Jennifer added.
Both shook hands with Lindsey. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Rand.” Leah held Lindsey’s hand between both of hers and smiled her most gracious smile. Mika nodded in agreement.
“Would you like to join us?” the priest invited.
“No, thank you.” Sara smiled. “We will just be discussing hospitals and research. Probably bore you to death.”
“Nonsense, dear.” Leah smiled. “Mika and I love to hear about what is happening in your world. Why are you out so late? Don’t tell me you have just left the hospital, Jennifer.”
“Lindsey and I had to perform an emergency surgery tonight.” Jennifer nodded. “It was successful.”
“That’s good to know.” Leah smiled.
“If you are certain we won’t be intruding.” Sara looked questioningly at her parents. “We would love to join you.”
“We would love it,” her mother reassured her as she led her wife toward their booth.
After discussing their day, Lindsey set the tone for the conversation. “Your research was a failure?” she asked, never taking her eyes from Leah.
“Yes.” Sara exhaled.
“Your mother looks like your sister,” Lindsey pushed.
“While she and Mika can definitely take credit for me and my looks, I can in no way take credit for her ageless beauty.” Sara scowled, wishing Lindsey would discuss another subject.
Leah noticed that Dr. Rand was making her daughter uncomfortable. “When will you be leaving for Geneva, darling?” she asked Sara.
“Day after tomorrow.” Sara exhaled slowly. “I’ll be back June first.”
“Five days of hell for me,” Jennifer grumbled under her breath.
“You’ll live, honey.” Sara kissed her wife on the cheek. “Then we will be on vacation.”
Leah quickly looked around the room, spotting the security team guarding Mika. Five more days and she will be safe.
“Vacation,” Lindsey huffed. “You just returned from your honeymoon.”
“That was just a preview.” Jennifer laughed. “We’re taking a leave of absence for the summer.”
Sara smiled at her wife shyly and blushed slightly. Leah knew that look. It was Mika’s look.
“I will miss you,” Lindsey said sincerely.
##
“You know Dr. Rand is in love with you,” Sara said as she opened their apartment door.
“I think that maybe she has a crush on me.” Jennifer pulled her wife into her arms. “But nothing strong enough to act on.”
Sara brushed her wife’s lips lightly then embraced her for a solid, demanding kiss. “You do know you are off the market forever,” she said huskily.
“You angels are a possessive bunch,” Jennifer teased as she kissed Sara again.
Sara’s phone rang. “It’s Adam.” She smiled. “I need to talk with him.”
“I am jumping into the shower.” Jennifer kissed her quickly then walked into their bedroom.
##
“He must have been full of news.” Jennifer looked up from her book as Sara entered the room.
“He is as enamored of Aunt Amber as I am of you.” Sara laughed. “He and I discuss everything.”
“Everything?” Jennifer’s eyes opened wide.
“Everything.” Sara laughed as she stepped into the shower.
##
Sara leaned against the doorjamb as she watched her wife reading. Glasses, she thought. Jen is wearing glasses. They are so sexy.
“When did you start wearing glasses?” Sara asked.
“I picked them up today.” Jennifer frowned. “Do they make me look dorky?”
“No, they make you look very sexy, Dr. Jordon.” Sara licked her lips as she approached her wife. “Very, very sexy.”
She leaned down and softly kissed Jennifer. The gentle kiss quickly turned into a raging fire as the two embraced each other. Sara gently pulled the glasses from her wife’s face and placed them on the nightstand.
“Are you going to tell your brother about this?” Jennifer growled as she pulled Sara on top of her.
“Depends on whether or not it is worth bragging about.” Sara grinned mischievously.
It was!
##
The smell of bacon and freshly brewed coffee gently pulled Sara from sleep. She felt for her wife, but already knew she was in the kitchen.
Jennifer was sitting at the breakfast bar, reading the same book she had been studying the night before. The glasses truly are attractive on her, Sara thought.
“When did you decide to get glasses?” Sara asked as she poured herself a cup of coffee and refilled Jennifer’s cup.
“About a month ago, just before our wedding.” Jennifer smiled. “When I realized I couldn’t see the fine print on things. With all the excitement, I forgot to tell you.”
“You truly do look wonderful in them.” Sara toasted her with her coffee cup as she settled onto the stool next to her.
“I guess it is true.” Jennifer grinned. “Eyesight is the first thing to go.”
A look of pure horror crossed Sara’s gorgeous face. She quickly turned away, but not before Jennifer saw it.
“Baby, what is it?” Jennifer was instantly beside her wife. “What is wrong?”
“Nothing,” Sara lied.
“That look on your face was not nothing,” Jennifer insisted. “Tell me what that was all about?”
“I just love you so much.” Sara pulled Jennifer to stand between her knees and rested her head between her wife’s soft breasts.
“It’s about aging, isn’t it?” Jennifer stroked Sara’s silky blonde hair. “You are the first of your family to marry a mortal.”
Sara nodded without moving her head from her wife’s breasts.
“We discussed this before we married, honey,” Jennifer said softly. “You said you could handle it.”
“I can.” Sara raised her head for a kiss. “It doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
“Tell me something you do like.” Jennifer pressed her lips against the soft, full lips of her wife. “Something I can take care of right now.”
Instantly, she found herself in their bed. “How did you do that?” Jennifer gasped.
“I’m not sure.” Sara grinned. “But for right now, let’s just say I’m anxious to make love to my gorgeous wife.”
##
Leah jumped when Sara appeared in her dressing room at eleven in the morning. “Darling, is everything okay?”
“No, Mom, it is not,” Sara cried.
“What’s wrong?”
“You thought Mika was a mortal when you married her,” Sara said. “If she had truly been mortal and you could have made her immortal, would you have done it?” Sara avoided looking her mother in the eye.
“In a heartbeat!” Leah exclaimed. “I wouldn’t have given it a second thought.”
“Would you have done it without her permission?” Sara raised her eyes to meet her mother’s deep, dark eyes.
“Yes,” her mother hissed. “Yes, definitely.”
“What if she resented you for it?” Sara said sadly. “What if she grew to hate you for it?”
“I would do just as I do now,” Leah said thoughtfully. “I would let her know every minute of every day that she is the most important thing in the world to me. I would love her more than she could ever imagine and do everything in my power to make her happy.
“Being immortal carries a whole new burden mortals don’t have to face. Eternity is a long time, Sara. Nothing guarantees that someone will love you for all eternity.
“Mika and I have never played games with one another. If I’m jealous, I react immediately. I am not about to sit quietly while some floozy flirts with Mika. Mika isn’t o
ne to stand idly by when other people come on to me. Love what you have with everything that is in you. Protect that love and never, ever take it for granted.
“If the one you love hurts you in any way, immediately let them know. Harboring small hurts and jealousies is only asking for trouble. They will fester and push you apart. The few times I have felt insecure with Mika, I have immediately let her know.” Leah smiled as she recalled how she didn’t suffer in silence.
“Above all, remember, infidelity is the greatest hurt of all. You can never recover from it. It destroys trust and beliefs. So always make certain the one you love feels safe and secure in your love. You have married a fine woman who has the same morals our family has. Believe me, she will never do anything to lose your love.”
“How can I live if something happens to her?” Sara held back the tears that threatened to fall.
“I don’t know,” Leah said truthfully. “If something happened to Mika, I wouldn’t want to live.
“I know you are tempted to revive your research to make Jennifer immortal, but don’t do it without her full consent. It is difficult for mortals who suddenly become immortal. I know I had a very difficult time adjusting to it. If Mika hadn’t come into my life, I would have found a way to destroy myself.
“Love her and treasure every moment you have together. Don’t spoil it by wishing for something that may not ever be possible.”
Mika’s arrival in her wife’s dressing room startled Leah and Sara.
“Hello, darling.” Leah tilted her head to receive Mika’s customary hello kiss.
“Umm,” Mika hummed as she tasted her wife’s lips. She turned to hug her daughter.
“How did I get so lucky?” Mika smiled. “Two of the most beautiful girls in the world in one room.”
“We were just visiting, Mika.” Sara stood on her tiptoes to kiss her mom on the cheek. Mika was so darn cute. She understood why her mother adored her.
“Did you come to take Mom to lunch?” Sara said enthusiastically, indicating that she would be willing to join them.
“Oh, yes, of course,” Mika stammered. “We have found a new Thai restaurant. It’s just around the corner. Want to try it?”
“I would love to.” Sara always liked spending time with her parents. They were exciting and interesting.
##
Leah watched her wife and daughter as they discussed what had been weighing heavily on Sara’s mind. As always, Mika was giving her good advice.
Mika is so beautiful, Leah thought. I was seriously looking forward to some time alone with her at lunch. Making love with her is as natural and necessary to me as breathing. It is an intricate part of my day. Mika grounds me.
She adores you, Mika thought back to Leah.
A slow, beautiful smile spread across her lips as Mika turned to look into her eyes. Eye sex!
“Mom, Mika, hello, it’s me, Sara. Still here.”
“I am sorry, dear.” Leah blushed slightly. “She is just so beautiful.”
Sara laughed. She had grown up with her parents’ obvious devotion and need for one another. It was beautiful to behold. As far back as she could remember, there had never been any doubt about how much her parents loved one another. Now, after thirty-five years, they were even more in love. She knew how her mother kept Mika’s attention. Sara did the same things to Jennifer. The constant touches. The steamy eye sex. The quick kisses. The whispered words. The way her mom leaned against Mika. Everything they did was natural and sensual. They were the poster couple for true love.
“Don’t you leave for Geneva tomorrow?” Mika asked her daughter.
“Yes.” Sara nodded. “I am sad to be away from Jennifer, but I am excited to be a part of their think tank.”
“Promise me you won’t fly on an airplane.” Leah frowned. “After what happened to your brother and Rebecca, I don’t ever want to see my children fly again.”
“I promise, Mom.” Sara grimaced. “After the flight from Peru, I am giving up air travel. It is transporting all the way for me.”
“You do know to make yourself invisible, transport to your location invisibly, so you can look around and make certain no one sees you materialize,” Mika reminded her. “It took us a while to figure that out.”
“Good advice.” Sara nodded. “Honestly, I hadn’t thought about that.”
“You do know you can transport home every night.” Leah grinned mischievously. “That is what Mika did when she was in those meetings in Rome.”
“Really?” Sara laughed. “Have you two ever spent a night away from one another?”
“Just that awful time when Mika was in hell.” Leah scowled. “That was the most miserable time of my life. I thought I had lost her forever. I just wanted to die.”
Sara checked her watch. “I’ve got to run. Jen is leaving work early today. I want to be home when she gets there.”
They watched their daughter leave.
“We have forty-five minutes.” Leah looked up at Mika through dark lashes. A suggestive smile played on her lips.
Mika threw enough money on the table to cover the bill and a good tip. She caught Leah’s hand and led her to the alley beside the restaurant. “Forty-five minutes in your arms is more than anyone could ever ask.” She kissed her as they transported to their penthouse.
##
Jennifer turned off the television. She tried reading. She finally gave up and took a shower. Her first night without Sara was hellacious. She had never dreamed her blonde wife’s absence would leave such a hole in her life. It was after eleven and she was lying in bed wide-awake.
They had been married three weeks and already she couldn’t sleep without her wife in her bed. She wasn’t sure she could make it five days without Sara. She jumped when her cellphone rang.
“Hello, baby.” Sara’s soft voice warmed Jennifer’s entire body. “I miss you.”
“Oh,” Jennifer groaned as she thought about how miserable she was without Sara. “I miss you so much.”
“I could visit you, if you like.” Sara’s voice was sultry and swept over Jennifer like fire.
“I would really like that.” The doctor laughed. “More than you can imagine. Don’t tease me. That is cruel.”
“Don’t be startled when I walk into the bedroom,” Sara warned her.
“Startled!” Jennifer half laughed, then gasped as her wife entered the room. “Holy…is it really you? Oh my God, Sara.”
Jennifer was out of the bed and in her wife’s arms in an instant. She kissed Sara lightly, then desperately. She wasn’t dreaming. The woman in her arms was not an apparition, but warm, soft, flesh and blood.
“How…?” Jennifer gasped.
“Queen Mommy told me how to do this.” Sara laughed at her wife’s joy at seeing her. “You do know I just left this morning?”
“It was fine until I came home.” Jennifer frowned, leading her toward their bed. “Once I was home, it was so lonely. Nothing is the same without you.”
“I’m glad you are okay with me just popping in like this.” Sara grinned.
“Okay! I am thrilled.” Jennifer slowly kissed her way down her wife’s neck as she unbuttoned her blouse. “Why wouldn’t I be okay with it?” She pulled Sara tightly against her. “Just to hold you in my arms is marvelous. I was missing you so much, baby.”
“I was afraid you might think it was a booty call.” Sara laughed nervously.
“If it isn’t,” Jennifer pulled her down onto the bed, “I am going to be extremely disappointed.”
##
Saturday morning came bright and early as their children descended on their apartment. “You forgot to lock the elevator,” Leah mumbled sleepily. She locked their bedroom door. She had clutched Mika to her all night, making certain nothing happened to her before they left New York.
“I think I am going to cry,” Mika whimpered as she pulled Leah into her for a long, satisfying kiss. “I wanted to spend some alone time with you this morning, before we left.”
“From the sounds outside our door, I believe you will have to wait until later tonight.” Leah nibbled Mika’s lip, then stood and dressed them.
“Queen Mommy, Mika” a chorus of voices, both babyish and mature, filled their family room. From the ruckus, Mika could tell that all twelve of their offspring and their spouses had gathered outside her bedroom door.
Leah threw open their bedroom door and walked out doing her most impressive Evil Queen impression. “You want your Queen Mommy, well here she is.” She laughed out loud as the youngest squealed and ran to wrap their arms around her legs. The oldest children gathered her into a group hug. She caught Mika’s eye. “Thank you,” she mouthed. She smiled as she thought about how Mika and her children filled her life with happiness.
“Cook said she expects us all downstairs for breakfast at eight on the button,” ten-year-olds Eve and Paul announced.
“Well, we can’t keep the cook waiting, can we?” Leah laughed as she caught Mika’s hand and herded the children back onto the elevator.
The Tower staff joined them all for breakfast and said their goodbyes as the family prepared to depart on their summer vacation.
“If you have anything special you want to take with you, like computers, books, etc., bring those with you to our apartment. Don’t worry about clothes, pajamas, or anything like that. Those things will already be at our vacation home.”
“Meet us in our apartment in one hour.” Mika grinned.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Everyone stacked their items in the center of the room. “Now everyone holds hands,” Leah instructed. “Athena, you hold on to Mika and me. Luke, you hold my hand and Adam’s. Eve, you hold on to Adam and Amber. Paul, you hold on to Sara and Jennifer.”
Confident that all her younger children were safely in the grip of an adult, Leah nodded. “Everyone else hold hands to form our family circle.”
At ten o’clock, everyone found themselves in the great room of the hacienda. “Here we are, my darlings.” Their mother laughed as they surveyed their surroundings. For the first time since the wedding, Leah felt safe from the fear of something happening to the Mika.
“A swimming pool! We have our own swimming pool.” Eve and Paul ran to the patio door. “Can we go swimming, Queen Mommy, please?” All the younger children started begging at once.