“Oh my God.” I bury my head in Zane’s chest as I break down.
“Get her out of here!” a male nurse yells just as a shrill beeping sound blares out. I’m forgotten as everyone scurries to Cal’s side. I watch in slow motion as they all rally around my husband’s bed.
I’m bug-eyed, staring at the beeping machine.
The continuous flat line taunts me from the screen, and I can’t drag my gaze away from the strong hands of the doctor as he frenetically pumps Cal’s heart.
A wave of anguished pain rips my insides apart, sending shards of razor-sharp shocks darting all over my body. A hideous wailing sound rises up my throat, and I’m screaming and crying hysterically as my lungs fight for air.
A searing pain rips across my stomach, and I shriek as a flood of warm water gushes out from between my legs.
Every last ounce of fight leaves me as I dissolve in Zane’s arms.
Epilogue
Four years later
I pluck the weeds from the edge of the slate gravestone and replace the withered plant with the purple geranium I brought. Rocking back on my heels, I close my eyes and offer up a silent prayer for his soul.
Peeking at the dial on the dash, I push the acceleration button on the car and floor it. I’ll never forgive myself if I’m late for the party.
The car glides up the gravel-lined driveway, and my eyes soften, as my home looms large in front of me. The beautiful one-story wooden house, nestled at the edge of the forest, overlooking Roseland Lake, never fails to steal my breath away.
Four years ago, all thoughts of a life like this were just wishful thinking.
I still have to pinch myself to believe that I’m living the dream.
As I lock the car behind me, the creaking of the front door gives me a two-second warning. The boys fling themselves forward, laughing, whooping, and clapping. Lucas’ blond head bobs up and down as he wraps sticky hands around my bare leg. “You’re just in time for the party, Mommy!”
“I think someone had his hand in the cookie jar already!” I tease, wiping a thumb across Lucas’ chocolaty face. Louis sucks on his thumb, chin tucked into his chest, waiting for an invitation. Stretching out my arm, I bend over and snag my other son into my side. “I hope you left some for me!” I run my fingers through his sunset-red hair and plant a light kiss on the top of his head.
“I had to stage an intervention,” my husband says, his seductive voice sending an immediate thunderbolt straight to all the sensitive parts of my body. My tongue moistens my lips as I look up at him, only short of flat-out drooling. Lounging against the doorjamb, he wears khaki shorts, a plain white T-shirt, and black flip-flops, but somehow manages to still look totally edible. He reaches up and grips the top of the door and his shirt lifts displaying a tantalizing hint of glistening, taut, sun-kissed skin. Swiping a hand through his blond fringe, he pushes the hair out of his dazzling blue eyes.
Blue eyes that know me inside and out.
Blue eyes that are quickly transforming to fiery red as he recognizes the hankering in my face. He winks and shoots me his best panty-dropping look.
I sway unsteadily on my feet and Cal laughs devilishly.
“Mock me at your peril,” I whisper in his ear as I stroll past, each of my hands wrapped around a tiny little one. Cal swats my butt and I shriek.
Lucas lets out a loud peel of laughter. “Daddy’s so bold!” He chuckles.
“That he is,” Mel says, smiling, as I step out onto the open deck, which wraps around the entire outer perimeter of our home. She gives me a quick hug before dropping me like a hot potato. Crouching down, she wraps an arm around each of my sons. “I have presents for two little birthday boys,” she says. “But I can’t find them anywhere. I wonder where they are?” She pouts as she looks all around her, determined to keep up the pretense for as long as possible.
But four-year-olds aren’t known for their patience.
“We’re here,” Lucas shouts, jumping up and down. “It’s our birthday, Aunty Mel. We want our presents.”
“Lucas,” Cal reprimands, slinging an arm around my waist. “Remember your manners.”
Louis stands shyly to the side, happy as usual to let his brother speak on his behalf.
They are as different in their personalities as they are in their looks. Though it’s blatantly apparent which son is Cal’s biological child, we’ve never sought confirmation. Nor is there any need. Preliminary testing, conducted in the aftermath of his birth, confirmed that Louis was completely healthy and totally normal and that was all that mattered to us. Initially, we’d been concerned that the government’s genetic meddling might have extended beyond embryonic fertilization. But thankfully, those concerns were unfounded, and we were both able to breathe a sigh of relief.
Cal treats both our sons equally and he’s an amazing father, as I always suspected he’d be.
“Would you like a glass of wine?” Cal asks, dipping down and kissing me softly.
“Let me get changed first,” I say, gesturing at my navy uniform skirt and starched white blouse that now contains scant traces of little chocolaty lips.
“Need a hand with that?” Cal whispers.
“You are so bold,” I reply in a low voice. “But actually, I do have something I need to tell you.”
The doorbell rings and Mel hops up, a beautiful glow lighting up her face. “I think that’s Zane. I’ll get it. You two go do … um, whatever,” she says, looking sheepishly at her brother’s face. “I’ll finish setting the table, and we’ll keep an eye on the boys.”
Cal whisks me away before I can even acknowledge Mel’s words.
Somehow, I’ve managed to change without giving into my husband’s amorous advances. Four years on and he’s still all grabby hands.
But I love it.
And him.
“Can you help me with this?” I ask, handing my diamond and ruby necklace to him. It was Cal’s gift to me the day of our formal wedding ceremony two years ago. Glancing at the framed photo by our bed, I smile at the image of my cherished little family—our wedding photo perfectly complete with the addition of two grinning little boys.
His lips nuzzle my neck as he clips the clasp in place. He moves super-fast. Before I know it, I’m pinned under him on the bed. “All the smooth moves in the world aren’t going to get you laid right now,” I say, twisting my head sideways to deflect his tempting lips. “Behave.” I shove his chest with my hands. “We have guests.”
As if on cue, the doorbell sounds again, and the pitter-patter of little feet running to the front door lifts my heart right out of my chest.
Admitting defeat, Cal slides off the bed and helps me up. “I have something for you,” I say, a delicate blush creeping over my skin. Cal arches a brow and levels a quizzical look my way. “Here.” I reach into my bag and snag the small silver box, handing it to him. I watch as he pries the lid open.
He sucks in a sharp gasp as his fingers clutch the tiny little booties. “You’re pregnant?” he asks, his tone reverential.
I nod. “T confirmed it earlier.”
“Oh My God,” he says, bridging the gap between us and swooping me up into the air. “This is the best news ever!”
“Put me down, you moron,” I squeal, but I’m euphoric. I knew he’d be pleased, but his obvious happiness in our family life always provokes an indescribable flurry of contentment.
“Have I told you lately how much I love you?” he whispers, before his mouth devours mine.
“Congratulations,” Zane conveys silently as he rises to greet me.
“How did you?” My words stall on my tongue. “Damnit! I dropped my shields again, didn’t I?” I groan inwardly.
We’d agreed a few years ago to keep our mental shields up permanently. It’s easier that way. The only time we relax the rule is if we need to send a message to each other. Sometimes it’s far quicker than modern-day communication channels. Though, I still have difficulty keeping them in place at times of emotional up
heaval.
“Please don’t say anything to Mel. We don’t want to broadcast the news yet.”
“I won’t say anything if you promise to never admit that I knew first. She’d have my balls otherwise.”
I attempt to disguise my laugh as a cough. “Deal!”
I watch Cal, Deacon, Zane, Ben, Taylor, Xander, and Dad play soccer with the boys on the field behind our house, from my elevated position on the deck. Gil plays referee from the sidelines. Ruby tops up my wine while Mel conspicuously declines another glass. Ruby shoots me a look. I have a theory about that, and if I’m right, I may have a partner-in-crime for this pregnancy.
“How is the wedding planning going, Mel?” I ask, swirling the liquid in my glass. Not a drop of it will pass my lips, even though I keep up the charade. Ruby has an uncanny ability to weed out the truth from far less evidence, and I don’t want to take any chances by revealing our happy news so early.
It’s bad luck.
“I haven’t been feeling that great lately so no other progress to report,” she admits, a blush staining her cheeks. I knew it! Ruby mouths “Wow” at me from behind Mel’s head, clearly drawing the same conclusion that I have. “But,” she adds, “we have most of it organized already so Zane and I were actually thinking of bringing the date forward a bit.” Uh-huh.
“When were you thinking of?”
“Next month.” Ruby spits her wine out all over the table.
“That’s fantastic news, Mel,” I say, jumping up and running around the table to hug her. “I’m really pleased for you.”
And I’m completely sincere.
Mel pursued Zane with the determination of an Olympic athlete, and it was so difficult to watch him continually pushing her away. It killed me that he was still hurting, and I can’t recall the amount of nights I prayed that he would be able to leave the past in the past and move on with his life.
All I’ve ever wanted is for him to be as happy as I am.
For Mel there was never anyone else. She tried dating a few times, but none of the guys ever matched up to Zane. Ironically, they finally got together the day of our wedding, and they haven’t looked back in the two years since. I cried when Mel told me Zane had proposed, and I was finally able to let go of that last remnant of guilt.
Now it looks like he’s all set to become a father too. Life truly has come full circle.
When I was seventeen, I wanted nothing more than a career in the military. No boys. No babies. Nothing so parochial was ever on my horizon.
I never imagined that I could have all that and more.
My eyes land on my husband as he tackles Louis with the ball, and I thank the Lord every day for bringing him into my life. Cal has willingly sacrificed his own prospects for promotion to support my ambitions. He works out of the local Connecticut military base assigned to ground operations while I travel up and down the country with Dad overseeing the establishment and management of local police and military operations in different states. During those first six months after the end of the war, I was involved in the War Trials, which was a real eye-opener. It was difficult to bear witness to at times, but I know I sleep better at night now that President Calavero and Zolt Rada are both behind bars.
My new job is a welcome change and one I was enthusiastic about from the outset. Though, I couldn’t have accepted the position if Cal hadn’t agreed to stay locally so he could be here for the boys. I worry sometimes that he’ll come to resent me for it, but all I have to do is look at him with our sons to realize that he’s right where he wants to be.
Releasing Mel, I slink back into my seat, throwing my glass of wine into the plant pot behind me while neither of them is looking.
“The boys want to say goodnight to their Uncle Zane,” I say, standing at the sliding glass doors, beckoning him with my fingers.
“We’re going to call it a night,” Ruby says, pushing Gil forward. “I’ll phone you about lunch next week.”
She kisses me on both cheeks and I bend over, enveloping Gil in a warm hug. “Thanks for the invite,” he says. “Our place next time.” He plants a kiss on Ruby’s palm as they make their way outside. Cal and I wave them off at the door.
There was a time when I thought Ruby might have become my sister-in-law, but Jaden predictably screwed up that relationship. I shake my head as I think of my errant brother-in-law. He lives on Novo with my father-in-law, and we only see them a few times a year unless I have to fly there on official business, and then I always make the time to catch up with Nate.
Travel is freely permitted between Earth and Novo now, and individuals can choose for themselves where they wish to live. Huge reconstruction projects have been ongoing on both planets since the aftermath of the big battle. Much was damaged and destroyed. However, together we are working hard to rebuild our world.
Now that Deacon knows the truth of his parentage, he splits his time between Dad’s house in Connecticut and the Remus household on Novo. Lily is attending Harvard and we try to visit her as often as we can.
So many variations of family. Thankfully, it works.
“Earth to Ari,” Zane says, snapping his fingers in my face and drawing me into the present. “I hear two little boys are waiting for me to tuck them in.”
We leave Mel and Cal talking with Ben and Dad on the deck.
The boys wrap their tiny arms around Zane’s neck as they say goodnight. “You are going to be an amazing father,” I say, as I close the door outside their bedroom.
“What?” he says, feigning ignorance and scratching the side of his head.
“It’s pretty obvious that Mel’s pregnant. I’m so happy for you.” Reaching over, I give him a quick hug. “And I’ll keep your secret like you’re keeping mine!”
“You can compare bumps,” he teases.
“Don’t even joke about that,” I say, nudging him in the ribs, “I still remember the harassment I had to endure the last time I was pregnant.”
“God, that seems like forever ago,” he says, scrubbing a hand over his jaw.
Not to me it doesn’t.
I shiver as I recall the circumstances under which I gave birth to the boys. The shock of seeing Cal flat-line had induced early labor, and it was real touch and go for the first few weeks. But they are fighters, like their Dad, and with the aid of modern medical technology, they both pulled through.
Cal was technically dead for four minutes, but the medics were relentless in their efforts and they brought him back to life.
Well, it was either that or Cal’s infamous stubbornness that did it.
Irrespective, I’m eternally grateful. I shudder to think what my life would be like if he hadn’t made it. Zane clasps my hand. “Don’t go there,” he says quietly.
“This time will be a doozy,” I explain, working hard to keep the atmosphere lighthearted. “Come with me.” I motion with my head. “I have something to show you.”
I close my bedroom door softly behind me. “Sit,” I command and he drops down on the edge of the bed. Opening the sideboard, I retrieve the item I stowed there earlier.
I plop down beside Zane, tucking my legs up underneath me. “Look what I got back,” I say, dropping the chain into his hand.
He gasps as his fingers skim over the tarnished silver casing of the locket. “Always and forever,” he whispers, reading the inscription. “Where did you get this?” His warm brown eyes search mine.
“We found another warehouse stuffed full of items the government had confiscated. Dad discovered it and gave it to me. Incredible, right?”
“Yeah.” He blows air out of his mouth. “Jeez,” he says, looking deep into my eyes, “I still remember the night I gave it to you. As clearly as if it was yesterday.”
“Me, too,” I admit. Though the strongest memory I have of the night of my fifteenth birthday is how guilty I felt for being happy—that I didn’t deserve to be young and in love after I had taken Siva’s life.
“You still feel guilty over Siva, don’t you
?” he says.
I frown. “Thought you couldn’t read my mind.”
“I know what you’re thinking just by looking at your face.” His expression visibly softens.
“It’s getting better,” I admit, unconsciously knotting my hands in my lap.
“Cal said you were at his grave earlier.”
One of the things I did to try to make amends was erect a gravestone in his memory. His body isn’t buried there, of course, but at least there is some acknowledgement of his life, and his death.
“Yeah. I go once a year to pray for his soul. And I still volunteer at the Welcome Center whenever I can.” A Welcome Center was set up in each state to help individuals struggling to cope with readjustment to our new world. Many of the people who attend the Connecticut branch were subjected to the mind-manipulation program of the newer Vita implants. Plagued with horrendous nightmares of the bloodshed they inflicted on their own colleagues while their minds were thwarted, they struggle with daily life. Supporting these people helps assuage some of my guilt, and it feels good to be giving something back to the community, to my fellow survivors.
In time, I hope that I can totally forgive myself. For now, I’ve found a way to live without the guilt threatening my sanity.
Zane is pensive as he watches me self-analyze. His thumb rotates in small circles over the locket. “You know,” he says, lifting his head, “when I gave this to you, I thought ‘Always and forever’ only meant one thing.” He drops the locket into my hand and curls my fist around it. The strength of his emotion bleeds into my consciousness. “But now I know that I was wrong.” He leans in and hugs me. “It’s still a promise, Ari,” he whispers in my ear. “To always be here for you as your friend.”
Destiny Rising Page 36