by Moira Byrne
Ben kept on grinning as he took it upon himself to plate up my food. He stacked the pancakes high and mounded up the eggs into a tiny mountain. He was most certainly a man after my heart if he was going to feed me like that. I loved delicious calories and calories loved me. I scooped up a spoonful of perfectly cooked scrambled egg, ate it with glee, then let out a contented sigh.
"Thank you," I said. "You're the best."
"I know how important breakfast is to you."
Be still my heart.
"So," Ben began between mouthfuls of breakfast, "I was thinking we could spend the day together. Talk through some things, y'know?"
I looked down at my plate to hide my smile. This was the sort of thing I was talking about. He was so good-natured. His world was just turned upside-down and he simply wanted to talk it out. That was probably something I could benefit to learn from him.
"Unfortunately, duty calls first thing today. My drooling darling has an appointment."
"An appointment?"
"Yeah, her one-month check-up is today."
"A month?" Ben looked at our daughter, a hint of remorse in his eyes. "I've missed so much."
"Not really. She was basically a slug up until now. Cute as button, but not much going on."
"I still missed her birth. And you had to go through the whole pregnancy alone."
"My sister's a midwife. Trust me, I wished I was alone toward the end. As for the birth? You don't even wanna know."
I was surprised to hear myself trying so hard to make him feel better. It felt so unlike me. Not to mention the fact that I cursed his name up, down, and sideways for not being here to help me out during it all. It wasn't just his fault, though. The world conspired against us and we managed to miss each other at every turn. I couldn't stay mad at him for that.
"I'll make it up to you. Somehow."
"Ben . . ."
"Seriously. Anything you need me to do, I'll do it. Even diaper duty until she's potty-trained, if that's what it takes."
I snorted, nearly choking on a mouthful of pancake. I paused to make sure I wasn't going to die by carbohydrate inhalation, then gave Ben a long look.
"That's a very bold offer. Do you have any idea how many diapers this bundle of joy destroys per day?"
"I mean it."
I looked down at my plate again, gnawing at the inside of my lip. Something about what he said reminded me of the elephants that were running rampant in the room. What was our life going to look like in the future? I wasn't sure. It had alarmed me the other day when he said he wanted to move. I certainly didn't. Fayoak was my home. Honestly, there really was a lot we had to discuss.
We had a baby together. As much fun as we had last night, a romp in the hay didn't mean we had everything figured out. For one, Ben didn't even live here—which was only one of many things we had to go over.
My good humor popped like a balloon floating in a room full of spikes. It didn't even stand a chance. The kitchen was suddenly stifling with all the elephants breathing down my neck. I took my last bite of pancake and eggs then got to my feet.
"I need to go get ready. Mind watching Ana for a bit?"
"Yeah, no problem."
I raced out of the kitchen a little faster than was probably decent, considering all that he had done for me this morning.
"Hey, why the hurry?" Ben called out behind me.
"Beauty takes time."
I was nearly in my room when I heard Ben call out, "You're already beautiful."
I wanted to smile but I couldn't. There were so many things left unaddressed and they were all swarming through my head at once, taunting me for daring to let myself be so happy this morning. I had no idea where we would go from here and I had a feeling that it wasn't going to be easy to work it out either.
I got ready at the pace of a sleepy sloth. Part of it was my usual meandering and the other part was that my head was just too much of a mess to face Ben. By the time I was dressed and ready to go, we had twenty minutes to drive into town and get Ana to her appointment.
I got Ana strapped into her car seat, grabbed my purse, then raced for the door. I cursed underneath my breath when I realized I had forgotten her diaper bag. I turned around to go get it and was met with Ben's strong chest.
"Ready to go?" he asked, diaper bag slung over his shoulder. It was a cute look.
"Uhh, you're coming with us?"
"Of course I am. Your pack is still out there, right? Plus, I don't want miss any more of my baby girl's life."
I smiled but there was a knot forming in my throat. God, I hoped we would be able to work this out.
We managed to make it to Ana's appointment on time and the doctor gave me a glowing report of her health. She was growing like a little weed and would probably end up being tall like the rest of the Addison women. It had been nice to have Ben there, too. Sophie had been the only other person to come to one of Ana's appointments with me before now.
Afterward, as we made our way to The Honeyed Peach for lunch, it was easy to slip back into thinking it could all work out. It felt so normal. I never would've thought of myself wanting something like this, but I'll be damned if it wasn't nice. I didn't think I would grow to love Fayoak either, and look at me now. Okay, I still hated the excessive kitsch, but it was undeniably home.
Stepping inside the homey atmosphere of The Peach only made our little family feel that much more real. Ben holding the heavy wooden door open. Me, smiling, Ana's car seat hanging over my arm as I carefully stepped inside. Look at us being all cute and wholesome.
Rhonda greeted us at the door, her eyebrows climbing sky-high when she caught sight of Ben. I was sure it was pretty obvious that the youngish Korean guy who mysteriously appeared was Ana's father. Especially to someone as sharp as Rhonda. She wasn't the type you hid anything from. She was a mother of three and had eyes in the back and sides of her head from what I could tell.
"Hey, Alysse and . . . friend?" Rhonda said in a sly, knowing tone.
"Rhonda, this is Ben."
She pursed her lips and raised her brows. She wanted more info. I sighed.
"He's my baby's daddy."
Rhonda feigned shock. "You don't say? Well, it sure is nice to meet you, Ben."
"Uhh, it's nice to meet you too, Rhonda."
Ben gave me a look. It was probably weird to be introduced to a random waitress, but that was Fayoak for you. Everyone knew everyone. And Rhonda knew everyone's business.
"Let me get you two seated." Rhonda plucked a couple of menus from a slot on the wall and looked around the bustling diner. "Oh, goody, it looks like I've got a booth so you can set the little one down."
I didn't know how she managed to see anything through the jungle of plants they had all around this place. They lined the entryway, hung from the ceiling, and were scattered just about everywhere they fit. Rhonda took off through the diner and we followed along behind her.
She gave us a booth drenched in sunshine from the big windows that lined the wall. The seats were pleasantly warm from the spring sun. I slid Ana into the booth and popped up the car seat's cover so she wouldn't get too much sun. Rhonda flashed me a smile as she watched me get situated.
"Ana's such a little doll."
Ben chuckled as he slid into the seat across from us. "I was just telling Aly this morning that Ana takes after her mother and aunt."
"Oh, definitely. I remember Sophie caused such a stir when she showed up in town. All leggy and beautiful, like some sort of model, I swear," Rhonda gushed, waving her manicured red nails in the air. "Aly here has been just as bad. Turning heads left and right."
Ben's eyes narrowed slightly. "I'm sure she has."
I snorted. Honestly.
"The funny thing is," Rhonda said, "neither of them seem to notice."
"We're too mean," I explained with a smirk.
"Maybe a little." Ben's expression eased into a relaxed smile "I've always liked that about you, though."
A genuine smile tugged
at my lips. He had always made me feel good about just being me. I hadn't exactly dated around a ton before Ben and I started hanging out, but I had never felt more accepted by a guy before I met him. I suppose that was why I slowly let him get closer until that fateful night we conceived Ana.
Even then, I hesitated. I didn't want to ruin a good thing but I couldn't hold myself back. I'd wanted him too much and he'd felt the same. Although I'm thankful for Ana, one might say that we went and screwed it all up. As good as things were now . . . I shook my head. I didn't want to think about any of that right now.
"So, what'll it be for lunch today, kids?" Rhonda asked as she slipped open her little notebook.
We each ordered ourselves some sandwiches and fries and fell into a simple back and forth, each of us delicately skating around the tougher topics.
"You remember that time you scared the hell out of my dorm's RA?" Ben mused with a grin.
"I panicked," I said with a laugh. "I didn't want to get caught sneaking into your dorm."
"You thought making her think there was a possessed cougar with bright blue eyes roaming the campus was the better choice?"
"Did it work or not?" I countered with a raised brow.
"Good point. Everyone thought she had lost it for a minute."
Ben chuckled, low and deep, the kind of laugh that made my skin tighten and tingle. It reminded me of all the times we spent just like this. In diners. Together. Sitting across from each other and just talking through our day-to-day life. Those were good times.
It was then that Rhonda appeared with our order. She placed the hot plates in front of us, fighting back a smile the whole time. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. She was obviously enjoying this.
"You two all good? Need anything else?"
We both shook our heads.
"Mm-kay, well, you just holler for me if you need anything."
Just then, there was a commotion at the door. Rhonda's snapped her head to the side. Her smile fell, then the corners of her lips curled up into a snarl disguised as a smile. Curious about what had earned such a nasty look, I watched her as she walked to the entrance of the diner.
I groaned when I saw the three women who stood near the entrance. The witches. They had walked well in front of the plants, so everyone could see them and took to posing dramatically as they waited to be seated.
The one in the middle had perfectly styled blonde hair, her nose lifted sky-high as she primly clutched her pink rhinestone-encrusted purse. The two women flanking her were just as perfectly put together. Their eyeliner swooped out in dramatic wings and their cheeks were blushed and contoured within an inch of their lives.
They all wore heels that were far too high. They looked like they should be drinking cocktails while giggling at the naughty names, not going to lunch at a diner. That was Fayoak's resident witch trio for you though.
"Who are they?" Ben asked, slightly bewildered. "You and the waitress look like you want to tear into them."
"For good reason. The peroxide-bleached wonder is a nasty piece of witch named Heather. The two with her are Rachael and Paige, her ever-present entourage." I clicked my tongue. "They suck."
"Hmm . . ."
"'Hmm' what?"
The right side of his mouth quirked up in a half-smile, causing his dimple to appear. "Just trying to imagine what they did to deserve the Aly Seal of Disapproval."
"The middle one helped some guy from our old pack stalk my sister then tried to do some freaky shit to her boyfriend."
Ben stared at me, his face blank, then slowly asked, "And why is she here and not in jail?"
Rhonda led Heather and her sycophants by us just then. It took everything in me not to hiss at her. I settled on a glare. "She's not in jail because there was no evidence and the guy she was working with, uhh . . . well, he's not talking much these days."
In truth, he was dead and buried in the Greenhavens' orchard. My sister killed him when he attacked her and Alex, but that wasn't something I could go around blurting out. Just because we were magical beings in a mostly magical community didn't mean we got away with what I would choose to call . . . extreme self-defense.
Ben nodded at me from across the table. He understood without being told. Shifters were prone to said self-defense tactics.
Rhonda reappeared at our table still looking a little annoyed.
"I'm sorry I had to seat them so close to you." She didn't bother keeping her voice low even though she had seated Heather at the booth behind us. "The last thing I needed was Heather throwing another one of her 'guilty until proven innocent' fits."
"She's still trying to pretend like she was wrongfully accused, huh?" I peered around Ben and saw Heather looking anywhere but at us.
"You know she is, darling."
"Because I was," Heather piped up, her voice terse. "Maybe if you joined us, you would understand, Rhonda."
I blinked up at Rhonda. I had nearly forgotten she was a witch. She was the only one in Fayoak that I knew of who didn't practice. She didn't like magic much, from what I could tell. I didn't bother asking her about it, nobody did, because she got snippy real fast. Only Heather would make a mistake that dumb.
"Child, please," Rhonda gave Heather a cold look, "I'm too old for that nonsense. You can keep on playing Sabrina the Teenage Witch all you want. I'm not interested."
"I used to watch reruns of that show with my little sister," Ben said with a chuckle. "You remind me of the snarky cat, Aly."
I thought for a moment, then nodded. "I could see it."
That was when Rhonda suddenly slid back over to Heather's table, a look of fury on her face. "What did you just say?"
Ben and I shared curious, wide-eyed looks. We had been so focused on our conversation that we had tuned the witches out. What did we miss? I leaned over to get a better look at the unfolding drama.
Heather looked terrified but she doubled down anyway, puffing herself up a little. "I said, 'You might just regret it.'"
Bold move, Heather. I scoffed. What an idiot.
Rhonda curled her fingers around the back of Heather's booth seat and leaned forward. Her voice was low, but I had no problem hearing her hissed-out words.
"Somehow, I doubt that. Now, if you don't want me to call the sheriff, you best shut up and order some pancakes."
Paige, the only one of Heather's witchy group that seemed to have some sense left, suddenly piped up, "I'll have the, um, French toast platter."
Oh my God, I mouthed to Ben. He placed his elbows on the table and leaned forward into his hands, trying to muffle his laughter. If I didn't love Rhonda before, now she was probably my favorite person in Fayoak.
After taking the witches' orders, she strutted back to our table, clearly pleased with herself.
"You're a woman after my own heart." I laughed.
She placed a hand on her hip and shot me a smile. "You couldn't handle all this, sweetie."
"You're right. You're so out of my league."
Ben mimed wiping a drop of sweat from his brow. "Phew. I thought I lost you."
"I'll let you keep her." Rhonda winked. "Now, I'll be back in a bit to check on you two. If you-know-who starts misbehaving, just let me know."
As Rhonda left, I happened to notice Rose suddenly pause in the middle of grabbing an order. I knew what that meant. She was having a vision.
I was about to brush it aside when her eyes suddenly snapped to mine. She looked worried. Even over all the food scenting the air, I could smell her fear from here. No. My heart sank to the pit of my stomach. Don't come over here. I swear to God, Rose . . .
She quickly placed several plates of food on a tray and started to walk toward our table. Damnit. I clamped down on the awful feeling churning inside me and greeted her with a smile.
"Hey, space cadet," I greeted her jokingly, as if that would make the inevitable bad news go away. Rose would normally smile and giggle, but there wasn't even a hint of a smile on her face right now.
"Be carefu
l, Alysse," Rose said, cutting to the chase in an unusually ominous voice. "I don't know what, but I have a feeling something very, very bad is going to happen."
I deflated in an instant. "What did you see?"
Ben gave me a confused look from across the table as Rose's eyes grew distant, but I shook my head. I didn't want anything to distract Rose from seeing her vision again.
"Fighting," Rose murmured sadly. "So much fighting."
"Who?"
Rose shook her head and her eyes cleared once more. "I'm sorry, but it's too hazy. I wish I could tell you more."
"It's okay. Thanks for letting me know."
Rose nodded and gave me something between a frown and a smile before she hurried the tray of food to a table on the other side of the diner.
"What was that about?" Ben asked.
I brushed my fingers over Ana's forehead. Rose might not know what she had seen, but I had a feeling I did.
"That waitress? She's a clairvoyant." I sighed and slumped back into the booth. "Either she got her vision all wrong, or even more trouble is headed my way."
I hoped she was wrong. I heard she got confused about her visions sometimes and didn't quite see the whole picture.
"That scary fae lady frightened the hell out of those two guys, though. You think they'll come back?"
"Yeah. I've got a funny feeling Petunia knocking them around only made things that much worse. They apparently like to beat up on women, not the other way around."
Ben's jaw clenched. "You know, even if they found you in my hometown, my family and my pack would shred them to pieces."
I bristled slightly. Not just because he was hinting at the whole moving thing again, but because he was insinuating that the people in Fayoak couldn't protect me. That I couldn't protect myself. I would think it was obvious by now that both were untrue. Didn't he just say himself that Petunia scared Robby and Seth away? She was only one of many people I had at my back.
"Charlie is an ogre, Ben," I snapped in a low voice, my eyes darting around to make sure nobody overheard. "I know two people who can control plants. I have a pack here in Fayoak. Ana and I would be just fine if anything bad happened."
"Aly—"