"The mother's one request was for them to stay together. Lydia, the eldest, mothers the other two. To take them away from her would be sinful." The old woman dabbed her eyes with a tissue.
"All the girls seem to be above average intelligence. I had them screened. Of course, Lacey, the baby is still too young to get an actual IQ, but she's right on target developmentally. Lydia scored 140 on her IQ test. She's very bright. Leah was at 133, but she's only three, making the test iffy; nonetheless, she's already reading. Lydia is reading small chapter books. They're little gems, Raif, but they come as a matched set. You can't get them individually."
Raif said, "Mother Mary Alex, you sound as if you want to adopt these girls, or not let them go."
The old lady nodded. "If I weren't almost eighty, I would adopt them. And I WILL NOT let them go to just anybody. As a matter of fact, I need to meet your Neely, but if you love her, she has to be special."
"She is. You'll love her." He gave her a half-grin. "You'd have to meet her anyway. Right?"
"Well, yes." She chuckled softly. "I can't get anything over on you."
He teased, "Were you trying?"
"Not really."
Raif laughed. "Now, may I meet these little gems?"
"Hmm. Without Neely?"
"I just want to meet the babies that have affected you so."
"Very well. Come along. All the children are in the great room now." Raif helped the aged nun stand and they went to the common room. "As a matter of fact," she said as they walked, "see if you can spot them. I haven't told you what they look like."
Mother Mary Alex and Raif entered a room where more than fifty children occupied themselves in various endeavors. Raif surveyed the room. He spied two little dark-haired girls working to put together a floor puzzle and a much younger blonde, curly-haired toddler that kept picking up the puzzle pieces the other two had fitted. The eldest would take the piece, replace it, and scold the baby who would laugh and take a different piece of the puzzle.
"Right there," said Raif. "They're beautiful."
Mother Mary Alex regarded Raif. The look in the man's eyes told her these children had found a home. "Come on," she said. "I'll introduce you."
The aged nun sat between Leah and Lacey. Lydia said, "Mother Mary Alex, you're gonna have trouble getting up. Don't you remember what happened last time?"
"I'll be fine this time, dear. I've come to play with you, and I brought a friend. He'll help me up." With her eyes, she indicated Raif should sit on the floor.
Raif sat between Leah and Lydia. "Hi," he said. "May I play?"
Lydia scooted closer to her baby sister and looked up at Raif with big bright green eyes. "My name is Raif," he said as he extended his hand to Lydia. "What's yours?"
Hesitantly, Lydia put her small hand in Raif's. She replied, "Lydia Carrollton." Raif took her hand by the fingers and kissed it. "Why did you do that?" she asked, pulling her hand back.
"A gentleman should always kiss the hand of a princess."
"I'm not a princess," she said.
"You're not? I'm sorry." He turned to Leah. "You must be the princess." He, then, took Leah's hand and kissed it. Leah giggled.
Lydia said, "She's not a princess either. That's my sister, Leah."
"I am, too, a princess," said Leah with a pouty face.
"Aha!" exclaimed Raif. "I knew it!"
Lacey stuck her chubby little hand out toward Raif. "What's this?" he asked. "Another princess?" Raif kissed the baby's hand.
"No," Lydia said, "that's Lacey."
"Well," said Raif, "I could've sworn that three such lovely ladies had to be princesses."
"I am a princess," said Leah. "Lydia too serious. She not like to play pretend very much."
Raif arched an eyebrow toward the nun.
The old woman held up a hand. "Not my words. Maybe some of the sisters."
"Well, I do sometimes," Raif said. "And sometimes I like to put puzzles together. You know, I actually sort of put puzzles together for a living. I draw and build houses. It's just like putting a great big puzzle together. Do you need some help with this one?"
Lydia said, "We need Lacey to stop stealing the pieces."
"Well, I might be able to help with that. Lacey, come over here and sit with me."
Lydia put a hand on the baby who let out a little squeak at being restrained.
"It's okay," Raif said. "I promise I won't hurt you."
Lacey fell as she toddled around her sister. Raif set her on his leg. "Okay," he said. "Let's get to work, ladies."
Lacey reached out to get a piece of the puzzle that was already in place. Raif caught her hand. "Nope. That piece is already where it belongs." He picked up another piece and handed it to Lacey. "Try this one and put it right there." He showed her where to put the piece and helped her fit it in. She squealed and clapped and bounced up and down on Raif's lap.
"Do you want to do another one?" he asked. Lacey picked up a piece and handed it to Raif. He looked down at the puzzle. "We'll have to wait a few minutes for Lydia and Leah to put in some pieces."
Glancing back at the man, Lydia and Leah put in several pieces before Raif said, "Right there," and showed Lacey where to put her piece. She got her piece in and celebrated again.
When the puzzle was finished, Raif observed, "Oh, my. It's a castle fit for three princesses." He turned to Lydia. "Are you sure you're not a princess?"
Lydia looked at the floor and said, "Maybe I could be. Maybe if my daddy was a king."
"You are the daughter of a king, sweetie. Jesus is King of Kings," said Mother Mary Alex.
"No. I mean a king with big muscles and black hair and blue eyes." She looked up at Raif.
Raif stood with Lacey still on his hip. He bowed and clicked his heels. "King Raiford Gautier at your service, milady. I need only to speak to my queen."
"Really?" asked Lydia. "Nobody ever wants me." She blinked back tears. "They just want Leah and Lacey, mostly Lacey."
"Not I. No, my dear. I could never break up a perfect set. Come here."
To Mother Mary Alex's total amazement, Lydia reached up for Raif, and he picked her up on his other hip. "Me, too!" cried Leah.
"Oh my! How do I do this?" asked Raif. He knelt. "Come around back and grab on for a piggyback."
Leah latched on to Raif's neck, and he stood up with all three little girls hanging onto him. He said, "Mother Mary Alex, Neely and I will be in on Monday. Bend the rules; pull some strings; do whatever it takes."
"You haven't talked to Neely yet."
"She'll agree. Girls, I have a question—one room or three rooms?"
"One," said Lydia.
"I can do that. I just need to redo my puzzle a little bit. Can you let me go now so I can get started?"
"You promise you're coming back?" asked Lydia.
"I promise, Princess Lydia, and I shall bring my queen."
26
A Gold Mine
Raif could not wait to call Neely. She answered a little breathlessly, "Hey, baby. Is something wrong? I'm just getting to the hotel."
"No, nothing's wrong. I can't wait for you to get home. I have found"—He inhaled deeply—"our perfect child. Their names are Lydia, Leah, and Lacey."
"Three, Raif?"
"Just wait until you meet them."
"Raif, three?"
"Trust me."
Later that night, Neely called Raif. "Trust me," he answered.
"I do. But still, three at once?"
"It'll be fine. I'll be home as much as I can swing, and Colleen will be a great quasi-grandmother and nanny."
Her husband's voice buoyant, Neely caught his enthusiasm. "I called to give you my news. Sixteen paintings sold tonight, and I've been commissioned to do three for Microsoft's new building."
"That's terrific. Will you be able to do them here?"
"Yes, and ship them."
"Good. I don't like being away from you for more than one night."
"I could catch the red-eye."<
br />
"You could wake me up."
"'Bye."
Wearing a new lace teddy, Neely Gautier woke her husband.
They skipped Sunday school and went church at eleven o'clock and then out to lunch with Ray's family. In the car afterward, Neely asked, "Why didn't you say anything about the girls to Ray?"
"I want you to meet them first."
"How about now?"
"Okay." He glanced toward her in the passenger seat. "I had said we'd be back tomorrow, but we'll surprise them. Then, I can get started on the one big room they want."
"You already planned to remodel the house?"
"Yep."
Neely huffed. "Raif, I get that you're excited, but don't you think you should talk to me about big decisions before you do them?"
He turned his head to his right. "You're right. Sorry." He looked sheepish and grinned. "Lydia just said they'd like one big room."
"Okay. That'll be fine."
"I thought we could knock out the wall between the east guest room and the room that used to be the nursery. That way, there'll be a bathroom and a bay window. We can arrange three canopy beds and chests-of-drawers for each section to be set off by a screen that you can paint. By the bay window we'll make a little sitting area and a wardrobe. There's already a big walk-in closet and the bathroom has a dressing table."
"How old are these girls, Raif?"
"Five, three, and thirteen months. Lacey is really a baby. She's so cute. She has this little cherub face, blue eyes almost like mine, and curls the color of your hair. Lydia is the eldest. She and Leah look a lot alike. They have long dark brown hair and green eyes. Their mother was a hooker who recently died from AIDS. The girls have been screened, and they're healthy. And they're all really smart. They're sisters. They cannot be separated."
Neely laughed out loud. "You're so excited. What would you do if I miraculously got pregnant?"
"Headstands. I'm a good father, Neely. I'm really good at it."
"I believe you. Look at Patrick and Trista."
"We had a little bump there."
"Look at the circumstances. That was such a rough time for everyone, but we all survived."
Raif took Neely's hand. "You'll be a great mother."
"I hope so."
"You will. You know what?"
"What?"
"You know how I haven't added anything new to the Victorian Christmas village? Well, I'm not. It's done. I'm going to start a medieval town beginning with a castle for the little princesses and my beautiful queen."
Neely clutched her hand over her heart. "Raif, what if they don't approve us?"
"We've already been approved. I used some connections."
"What?"
"Well, there are some official things we'll have to do, but Mother Mary Alex will work to make sure these girls become our daughters."
Raif's enthusiasm was contagious. By the time they reached The Children's Village, Neely was just as exuberant, but as nervous as a cat in a room filled with dogs. She was terrified the girls would not like her.
"How could they not?" assured Raif.
"Raif, you couldn't wait until tomorrow?" greeted Mother Mary Alex.
"No. Let me introduce you to my Neely. Neely, this is Mother Superior Mary Alex Samuels. She sort of split Ray and me up."
"Not by choice," corrected the old woman holding up a finger. "My, Neely, you are as beautiful as Raif said. It's so nice to meet you."
"May we see the girls, please?" Raif asked, wasting no time.
"Raif, Lydia and Leah are at Vespers. Lacey is napping."
"How long?"
"Half an hour."
"Okay, enough time to go get gifts."
"He's spoiling them already." Neely grinned.
"I knew he would. Raif, no matter what I think, I still need some things for the file."
"Okay. Name it."
"All right: Financial statements for three years, fingerprints; background checks; marriage license; home inspection; medical statements; three references on each of you, and only one reference can be related to you; psychological profiles."
"Whew! You don't want much, do you?"
"Sorry. Those are not my rules. In addition, get a good lawyer to handle this for you, and wait on that one big room until after the home inspection."
"How long will all this take?"
"Six weeks minimum."
"They have to stay here that much longer?"
"I'll see what I can do. Now, run get your gifts."
Raif and Neely purchased three books about princesses and a big floor puzzle. When they got back, Mother Mary Alex showed them to a private sitting room. "Wait here. You should know that the girls have been talking about getting a mommy and a daddy since they met you, Raif."
He smiled. "That's a good sign." They waited as the old woman went to get the girls.
She brought in Lydia and Leah first. The two little girls squealed with delight and ran up to Raif, fully expecting to be picked up. He gladly obliged.
"Well, are you ready to meet Queen Neely?" he asked.
"Yes," the girls answered.
Raif put the girls down. "This is my wonderful Neely. Neely, this is Lydia, and this is Leah." Raif touched each girl on the head.
"You're pretty," said Leah.
"Thank you," said Neely. "So are you." She sat on the couch. "Come sit with me," she requested, patting the cushion.
One child sat one on each side of Neely. Leah reached up and touched Neely's hair. Neely put her arm around the girl.
Lydia gently touched Neely's tattoo. "What's this?" she asked.
"A rose tattoo. My father did it for me."
"It looks real."
"Yes. He did very good work."
"Can I get one?"
"If you want to when you're old enough."
As they visited, Mother Mary Alex brought in Lacey. She bounced when she saw Raif and reached out for him. He took her from the mother superior and sat on the floor in front of Neely. "This," he said, "is Lacey."
Neely blinked back tears. Lydia reached up and wiped the single tear that escaped. "Are you sad?" she asked.
"No," Neely choked. "I'm overwhelmed. You're all so perfect."
Lacey reached up for Neely. She put the child on her lap and buried her face in the baby's hair, inhaling the scent of baby powder. Lacey latched her arms around Neely's neck and said, "Momma."
Neely couldn't hold back as she cried openly. The girls all scooted close to her, and Raif clutched her hand. Mother Mary Alex Samuels had every intention of making sure this family happened.
The next week Raif got his home inspection and began remodeling. He and Neely placed the furniture and Neely painted the outside of the screens, but left the inside for the girls to make their own.
By the end of the week, all the paperwork was in place. Raif obtained references from his brother, Walter Bertram, and Avril duLac while Neely got letters of reference from Pierre Charmant, Colleen DuPin, and Amile Barbeau. It became a waiting game, but Saul Blackwell represented the Gautiers and pushed the agenda. Mother Mary Alex signed everything with the highest approval.
Ray and Larkin visited the girls with Raif and Neely. The children were amazed that Uncle Ray looked just like Daddy.
The house finished, Raif started his medieval Christmas town while Neely completed her pieces for Microsoft and kept her phone on her at all times. On the day after Labor Day, Raif went groundbreaking for the new courthouse Gautier and Associates had designed. When Raif opened the door after a long day, Neely's phone rang. She answered after the first ring, but Raif looked over his shoulder as if seeing something that needed attention.
"Take a breath, honey," said Mother Mary Alex. "I have a question for you. Do you want to wait until morning or come tonight?"
"We'll be there in about an hour."
Neely leapt into Raif's arms and wrapped herself around him. Raif kissed her from the depths of his soul. "How fast can we do this?" he whispered.
"Ten minutes, tops." They fell onto the sofa.
Fifteen minutes later, they bounded out the door. Neely stopped on the porch. "What's that?" she asked looking at a carrier against the outside wall.
"I was optimistic. That is a golden retriever. The girls can name him."
"I thought you were going to wait until they got here." She gave him a mock scowl. "We can't leave him in that little cage."
"I had no intention of leaving him out here. I meant to bring him in when I got home, but you had other ideas." He danced his eyebrows. "The breeder called and told me he was the last one and someone else was looking at him. I had to get him today." Raif took the puppy out of the travel carrier. The puppy yipped and wagged his tail. "I'll put him in the hall bath with water, food, and some newspaper."
"Hurry."
Three hours later, Raiford, Neely, Lydia, Leah, and Lacey Gautier walked through their front door. They were greeted by a puppy that should have been in the hall bath.
Raif shook his head. "How did you get out?"
"Surprise!" echoed from everywhere. Almost the whole family was there. Only Trista, Townes, and Christine and Dupree, Lindsay, Roxanne, Lucy, and Marley were missing, but they were on the phone. Saul had called everybody, and Larkin had thrown together a welcoming party quickly. Even Patrick had sped in just for the party because he had an exam the next morning.
The party lasted a couple of hours before everyone left the new family to settle in. Leah lugged the puppy, his tail and back paws dragging the ground. "Daddy, what's his name?"
"You girls have to decide that."
"What kind is he?" asked Lydia.
"A golden retriever."
Lydia and Leah whispered conspiratorially. "Nugget," announced Lydia.
"A most excellent name." Raif grinned and put his arm around Neely. "Let's put Nugget in the backyard for a little while so y'all can get ready for bed. Then, he can come in and sleep with you. That room will be a little gold mine."
27
Chief Baker
Neely was covered in paint. "Well, do we have budding Rembrandts, Picassos, or what?" joked Raif coming in from his evening run with Nugget.
Broken (The Raiford Chronicles #3 Book 1) Page 19