by Kallysten
She smiled at him. “Please?”
He waited another few seconds before opening the door again. He stepped aside to allow Lisa inside. He didn’t say anything, but she hesitated before inclining her head once. Virginia had no trouble imagining the fierceness of his expression.
Feeling a little warmer inside, Virginia walked over to the breakfast bar and sat on one of the high stools, inviting Lisa to join her with one hand and hiding a yawn behind the other.
Lisa seemed a little hesitant, but she came over and sat down, looking twice at Anando behind her. He had crossed his arms and was leaning back against the wall, his expression severe. When a minute or so passed without Lisa even opening her mouth to say a word, Virginia sighed.
“Anando? Could you give us a minute please?”
“Are you—”
“Sure, yes.” She softened the interruption with a smile and raised a hand toward him.
He pushed away from the wall and came over to her. He took her hand. They shared a gentle kiss, and Virginia closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she caught the warning glare he was giving Lisa.
She squeezed his hand and held on to it as long as she could while he walked across the room to the French windows, opened them, and slipped outside. He didn’t close the window behind him, she noticed. No doubt he would be listening in.
But Lisa still wasn’t saying anything. She wasn’t even looking at Virginia, her head turned instead to the kitchen behind the bar as though it were the most fascinating room she had ever seen.
“It’s late and I’m tired,” Virginia said, starting to get annoyed now. “If you’re not going to talk, I’m going back to bed.”
She could see Lisa’s jaw tighten as she lowered her head and dropped her gaze to the marble counter. Just as Virginia was about to climb off the stool and follow through with her threat, Lisa murmured, “I love him.”
Virginia stilled, taken aback. Her mind immediately went to Anando, because there was only one ‘him’ for her. After a second, she realized that of course that wasn’t who Lisa meant. She had two men in her life. In this context, Virginia guessed Lisa meant Brett.
“Of course you do,” Virginia said, almost proud of herself when she sounded sympathetic rather than annoyed.
Had they been friends, she would have patted Lisa’s shoulder, but she wasn’t sure how the gesture would be received now and she didn’t want to risk it.
“And I don’t. I’m not suddenly going to fall in love with him. And he’s not suddenly going to stop loving you.”
At last, Lisa looked toward her. Her eyes, always so bright, now seemed a little dull. She observed Virginia for a long moment, then took a deep breath and let it out in a quiet, “Okay.”
“Okay?”
After everything, this was a rather anticlimactic answer. That was all Lisa offered, though, that and an equally as quiet “Thank you” before she left without another word.
Virginia watched her go, confused. “Okay what?” she asked the empty room.
But even though there was no response, when Anando joined her seconds later she felt calmer. Less stressed. Definitely less annoyed. And her stomach didn’t feel like it was doing somersaults anymore.
* * * *
The harder Brett tried to calm down, the faster his thoughts swirled in his head, and the more he paced through the loft.
Where was Lisa?
When would she come back?
Would she come back at all?
What if she didn’t? What would he do then? What would he and Leo do?
“Stop fretting,” Leo said. He intercepted Brett’s path and wrapped his arms around Brett’s torso. “You’re exhausted. You should try to get some sleep.”
Brett pulled free and gave Leo an incredulous look. “Sleep? How am I supposed to sleep when she’s out there and—”
Leo grabbed the back of Brett’s neck and drew him forward for a harsh kiss that stole his breath. When Leo pulled back, his hand remained on Brett’s neck, tight and somehow comforting. He rested his forehead against Brett’s and spoke slowly.
“She’ll come back. You know she will.”
“I hope she will,” Brett corrected. “But what if she doesn’t?” He stepped back, freeing himself from Leo’s hold and turning away. He’d tried not to berate Leo about the way he had talked to Lisa, but the truth was, Brett was upset with him. “You shouldn’t have confronted her like that.”
From the corner of his eye, Brett saw Leo cross his arms.
“You’re right,” Leo said in a cool, calm voice. “It wasn’t my place. It was yours. But you wouldn’t do it, so I had to.”
Anger ripped through Brett, and he whirled on Leo, angry words on his tongue. He met Leo’s eyes, and his recriminations melted away.
Leo was right. Brett should have confronted Lisa himself. Leo hadn’t said anything that wasn’t true: yes, Brett was terrified Lisa would leave him. And he had let that fear still his tongue rather than tell Lisa how much she was hurting him.
“I…”
He didn’t know what to say. Part of him wanted to thank Leo for speaking when Brett had been unable to, but he couldn’t, not yet—not until he knew for sure that Lisa would come back. At a loss for words, he held his hand out to Leo, who took it and linked their fingers together.
Tugging gently, Leo drew Brett after him into the bedroom, and they undressed each other. Most nights, they all slept in the nude, reserving sleepwear for lounging around the loft. Tonight, though, when Brett put on pajama pants, Leo didn’t tease him as he often did. He himself tugged on a pair of Brett’s boxers.
They lay down together without another word. The bed felt too big. It wasn’t the first time they had lain here together, just the two of them, but Brett had always known Lisa would join them at some point. This time, he didn’t know that for a fact.
Try as he might, he couldn’t find true sleep. He’d doze off for a while before waking with a start with the feeling he’d been falling from a great height. Every time he did, Leo’s arm tightened around him, assuring him he wasn’t alone.
Hours dragged on, and morning wasn’t far anymore when a soft click in the entryway announced Lisa’s return. Brett jumped out of bed at once, wide awake and his heart pounding in his chest. With Leo on his heels, he went to meet her, but stopped right outside the bedroom, watching Lisa with his heart in his throat.
He wanted to go to her more than anything, but he was also scared, terrified that she had come home to escape the sun and would leave for good when it was safe to do so again.
She took off her shoes, then her jacket, and only after hanging it in the closet did she turn to them. Leo’s hand settled on Brett’s shoulder and squeezed, and Brett wondered if Leo knew something already. She came over to them, her expression tired.
“Okay,” she said.
Brett’s heart stuttered. “Okay?” he repeated. “Okay what?”
Lisa took in a deep breath. “You can see her. And the child when it comes. You can be in their lives if you want to.”
Had Brett needed to answer, he didn’t know what he would have said. Thankfully, she stepped into his arms right as she finished, and all he had to do was hold her. That, he could do.
He never wanted to let go of her again, in fact, and when after a few moments she pulled away, he had a hard time not clinging to her. He didn’t have time to be scared his silence had been the wrong answer: he understood why she had ended their embrace when she looked at Leo.
He stepped aside so they could share a hug, too, but remained close enough that, when Lisa whispered “Thank you” right against Leo’s neck, Brett still heard it. The two of them kissed, and something inside Brett ached at the tenderness he could see in both of them. Unable to remain to the side any longer, he joined in, pressing his mouth to the corners of theirs, and they opened their embrace and kiss to him.
Whenever the three of them shared a kiss, heat always reverberated between them until they tumbled into bed and l
ost themselves, body and mind, in each other. Not this time, though.
This time, by some unvoiced agreement, they kept things slow and gentle. When they moved to the bedroom and Brett and Leo helped Lisa undress, there were no stolen caresses or attempts to arouse. Lisa slipped into the pajama top Brett had left on the dresser, and the three of them went to bed, curled around each other, seeking nothing more than rest and closeness.
As Brett drifted toward sleep, thoughts flickered through his mind. He was lucky, so very lucky, to have them in his life. He’d have to find a way to thank them, both of them. And while he was at it, he’d need to apologize to Virginia. Maybe he’d start with flowers.
CHAPTER 15
With a long jacket that fell past his knees, heavy shoes covered by jeans, and leather gloves on his hands, Anando was ready to go out, even though the sun was high in the sky.
A thick, black umbrella made by a company that catered to vampires would protect his head and face from the house to the car. The car windows were treated to protect vampires from sunlight. The hospital had an underground parking. He’d be safe—or as safe as he could be when out during the day. He wasn’t fond of taking risks, but he was also old enough not to fear sunlight as newly turned vampires often did.
Besides, nothing in the world could have stopped him from going out today.
Nothing, that was, except for Virginia still not being ready.
“We’re going to be late,” he called out to the bedroom as he paced in front of the door, car keys already in hand, umbrella within reach.
“We’ve got plenty of time,” she called back. “I’m beginning to think you’re more nervous than I am.”
Anando smiled to himself. He wasn’t nervous, but definitely impatient. He’d lived a long time, he’d done many things, but this would be a first.
He started to take a step toward the bedroom, but a knock on the door stopped him. He turned back on his heel and opened the door—immediately wishing he hadn’t. On the doorstep, Brett stood a little hunched. Anando was aware of the flowers in Brett’s hand, but he kept his eyes on his face and glared for all he was worth. His hands fisted at his sides.
“Give me one reason,” he growled, “just one reason not to punch you in the teeth right now.”
Brett shifted a little, but he didn’t step back. “Honestly, I can’t think of one.”
A beat passed. Anando didn’t move, however much he wanted to. Brett finally said, “Can you do it, and then we can get past this?”
Anando’s fists tightened a little more. Did Brett think it would be that easy? Anando’s right hand twitched, and he didn’t know if it was to punch Brett or slam the door in his face. Before he could do either, Virginia said behind him, “Who are you talking to?”
Anando wished he had closed the door when he had the chance. It was too late now. He stepped aside, half turning toward Virginia. Her soft smile dimmed when she saw Brett standing there.
“I came to apologize,” Brett said, and from the corner of his eye, Anando could see him raise the bouquet toward Virginia.
When seconds passed and she neither answered nor made any effort to take the flowers, Anando swallowed a sigh and took them himself. He handed them to her, and she took them, looking down at the assortment of carnations and lilies before returning her gaze to Brett. Now she was frowning.
“I didn’t have to tell you about this child,” she said, her voice wavering with each word. “I didn’t do it because I wanted anything from you. I told you because it was the right thing to do. The decent thing to do. If I expected anything, it was to be treated decently, too.”
Slipping an arm around her, Anando drew her close and stroked her back, hoping to soothe her. She seemed to relax for a second, but when Brett’s answer was a quiet and insufficient “I know,” she tensed again.
“If I hadn’t said a word, you’d never have known any different,” she insisted.
Anando wasn’t sure what she wanted from the man. Did she even know herself? Brett seemed to wonder the same thing, because this time, after an equally as quiet “I know,” he added, “But I’m glad you did tell me.”
“Are you?” Anando couldn’t keep quiet anymore, not when he had seen how upset Virginia was when Brett and Lisa first acted like they didn’t want to have anything to do with her. “How do we know you’re not going to vanish the next time Lisa freaks out?”
Brett flinched and dropped his gaze, but only for a moment. He soon looked up again and met Anando’s eyes with an uncomfortable though honest-sounding statement. “You can’t know that. Anything I say right now is suspect. But if you give me another chance, I will do my best not to disappoint you.”
More than anything, Anando would have liked Virginia to say this wasn’t enough for her—not because he didn’t believe Brett but because he was still angry at him and Lisa for hurting Virginia. Maybe he should have punched Brett when he first had the chance. Brett didn’t say anything more, though, nor did he show what he thought, and waited for Virginia to decide for herself.
When she said, “We need to go, we’re going to be late,” she was talking to Anando, but he could guess what she wasn’t quite saying; what she wanted to suggest if Anando was okay with it.
The truth was, he wasn’t sure he was okay with this. But if Virginia was willing to give Brett a chance, he felt obligated to do the same.
“We’re going to the hospital for the first ultrasound,” he told Brett gruffly. “Do you want to come?”
Part of him hoped that Brett would decline, but half an hour later they were both standing beside Virginia as her doctor applied goo to her belly while very obviously trying not to ask what Anando’s and Brett’s relationship to her was.
Anando had seen blurry ultrasound pictures in movies before, but he caught himself staring at the screen and searching. It helped when the doctor pointed out what there was to see, but more than anything what touched Anando was the way Virginia’s fingers tightened over his when she first heard the heartbeat he himself listened to at night when she slept in his arms.
He tried his best to ignore Brett’s presence or reactions, and was successful for the most part. When it was over, however, and Virginia excused herself to the restroom, Anando could not ignore anymore Brett’s awed expression as he stared at the ultrasound printout in his hands.
“It’s mine,” Anando blurted out before he could stop himself.
Brett’s eyes flicked to the picture in Anando’s hands, identical to his, then up to his face. “What?”
“This child.” Too late now to play coy. Anando might as well make things clear for Brett. “It’s mine. More so than yours. Just so we’re clear.”
Brett seemed taken aback. “I’d never try to insinuate myself… I don’t want to insinuate myself. I swear.”
Anando nodded, then tilted his head toward the exit, raising an eyebrow. Brett caught on.
“Say goodbye to her for me?”
He left. Moments later, when Virginia came out, she appeared to look for him, but she accepted Anando’s explanation that Brett had needed to go back to work. They went home together. Anando never let go of her hand for more than a couple of seconds at a time.
* * * *
Brett returned home close to two hours after he had left. Leo and Lisa had spent the time playing chess. Leo couldn’t remember when he had last beaten Lisa twice in a row, and their current game, although it was still in its early stages, already looked promising for him.
He had no trouble understanding why she was unsettled, but he didn’t comment on his wins nor on the jumbled mess that was her scent. If she wanted to talk, he was right there for her. He hoped she knew that.
She jumped off the sofa when Brett walked in, causing several chess pieces to fall, and Leo was reminded of the day Brett had come up to first tell them about Virginia’s news. He hoped today would end better.
Brett came to them with a sheepish smile and a bouquet of red roses for Lisa. For the first time that da
y she seemed to relax and accepted the roses with an exclamation of how beautiful they were, along with a small kiss to Brett’s lips. She took the flowers to the kitchen, leaving Leo to grin at Brett.
“What about me?” Leo asked. “Do I get a prezzie?”
Brett had not brought anything home for him, but he did join Leo on the sofa, straddling his lap, resting both hands on his shoulders and kissing him long, deep, and slow.
That was a perfectly acceptable present as far as Leo was concerned… at least for now. Maybe later, when they were in bed, Brett would have more to offer. Judging by the bulge in his pants—a dead match for Leo’s—it was more than a possibility.
“You were gone for a long time,” Leo said when the kiss ended. He ran a finger along Brett’s bottom lip and hesitated, throwing a quick look to where Lisa was arranging the flowers in a vase in the kitchen. His voice was a little lower when he asked, “Did you accompany them to the appointment?”
Brett blinked, and he, too, glanced toward Lisa. There was no doubt in Leo’s mind that she would hear every word, and maybe that was a good thing.
“How did you know?” Brett asked, subdued.
“They said last night it was this afternoon. So I figured, either you missed them and waited for them to come back, or you went with them.”
Brett’s hands tightened on Leo’s shoulders then let go as he reached for something in the inside pocket of his jacket.
“They asked if I wanted to come,” he said as he pulled out a small black-and-white print and showed it to Leo.
Leo took it curiously and grinned when Brett pointed out he was holding the sonogram upside down. Not that there was much to see yet. Or maybe Leo wasn’t good at deciphering the image. After all, it was the first time he’d ever seen one of these in person.
A small, uncomfortable shift on Brett’s part alerted Leo that Lisa was close. She was standing still a couple of feet from the sofa, the vase of roses in her hands. When their gazes met, she appeared to push herself back into motion. She came around the sofa to set the flowers in the middle of the coffee table.