“Maybe that bundle of joy you’re carrying is making you see things.”
“And hear things, too,” she mumbled. “Maybe you’re right. I have been a little stressed lately.”
Still thinking about the woman, Maia walked to the old blue Jeep and grabbed onto the top roll bar, pulling herself up into the seat. She grunted at the effort. One of these days, she and Gerry would need to get another car instead of this beat up soft-top jungle cruiser. Soon, she thought, as she rubbed her hand over the “precious cargo” inside her womb. Her brow furrowed as she envisioned a huge freighter ship loaded with crates and cartons of God knows what. She glanced at the clock. Good, she still had plenty of time to get the groceries put away before she had to leave for her doctor’s appointment.
Putting the jeep in gear, Maia carefully merged onto the highway. Disquieted by the strange encounter with the woman, an uneasiness tickled the tiny hairs at the nape of her neck. What did that old woman mean by, "You must protect them?"
Chapter 2
A Fuzzy Picture
Picking up a handful of nuts from the bowl on the counter and popping them into his mouth, Gerry walked out of the kitchen and paused at the doorway. Maia stood facing the sofa, holding a basket of clothes. Placing the bulky container on the cushion, she pulled out a small white garment, holding it at arm’s length in front of her. She tilted her head. He could almost feel her smile as she stared at the tiny cotton outfit. Christ, she was beautiful, even wearing his old tattered sweatpants and stretched-out bulky sweater. And … she was his.
“You can’t have too many Onesies,” Maia called over her shoulder, tossing the rest of the pile of tiny clothes onto the sofa.
“What the fuck’s a Onesie, Maia?” Gerry scooted around the rectangular glass table trimmed in mahogany positioned between the two loveseats and walked over to where Maia stood. He grinned at the loveseat now completely covered with tiny clothes mixed in with all the multicolored pillows of red, sage, tan, blue and even a little purple that adorned each one. The gray and tan stone fireplace glowed with hot embers from the fire he’d made earlier that evening, warming the cozy two-bedroom cottage with a wonderfully romantic and homey atmosphere.
It never ceased to amaze him how Maia could make his breath stick in his throat, how perfect her body was, with her long shapely legs and firm, sculpted bottom. Her pregnancy only accentuated the radiance of her smooth skin and the sparkle in her bright golden brown eyes. Gerry smiled as his own eyes fell to the small bump below her waist. How the hell had he gotten so lucky? He decided he shouldn’t question fate but simply revel in his good fortune.
Maia sighed, picking up a tiny T-shirt with snaps at the bottom, and turned toward him grinning. “This is a Onesie.”
“Ahhh …this thing’s about as big as my hand. Are babies this small?”
“They can be at first. I’d say these will be out grown within four to six weeks.”
“So … is my daughter going to need a charge card at the tender age of one month?”
“Well … your son might, too.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Gerry, this wouldn’t be such a big surprise if you’d been with me for the sonogram this morning.”
“Sorry, darlin’, I thought you understood I couldn’t get away from the bar. I was a wee bit busy, with Nick being sick and Addie away to—wherever the fuck she’s gone—ahhh … right, to Bora Bora with Cael. I’ve had to train Darcy to bartend and I couldn’t leave her alone, yet. You know I wanted to be there.” The rhythm of his Scottish accent thickened, begging forgiveness.
“I know, but it would have only taken you an hour at the most. You make it sound as if you begrudge Addie being gone. You can’t deny that Cael and Addie deserved this time away.”
Gerry walked to her, reminding himself Maia had barely turned eleven when Addie had been born. They’d grown up together, more like sisters than aunt and niece. And age hadn’t really taken hold of Maia, yet. She still looked almost as young as Addie. Good genes, he mused.
He touched her cheek. “I know it, and I know Addie is the only child of your late brother and you would do anything for her, including putting on some fancy dinner for her and Cael, when I know you’re exhausted.”
“Come on, you’re excited to see them too. I understand it’s been difficult for you to relinquish your protective inclination toward Addie. Ristéard would be proud of the way you’ve kept your promise to him. But I swear, between you and Cael, poor Addie can’t make a move without some sort of dissension from the two of you.”
“Well, I guess it’s been hard for me to let go. I must admit, at first I was a bit skeptical of Cael’s intensions.”
“Yes, and he’s proved himself way beyond any of our expectations. You know he would never let anything happen to Addie.”
In truth, Gerry didn’t think a more suitable man for Addie existed. He loved Addie as if she was his own blood. “She may be your niece, but to me Addie is like a little sister. I can’t help but want to protect her, and yeah, I miss her, damn it. With my star bartender away, I’ve needed to be at the Cliff Hanger more than I’d like.”
“After tonight, you’ll have your star bartender back and you can spend more time here at home.”
Gerry may not have had a fondness for Cael at first, but he had to admit that Addie, a very capable and talented woman, and Cael, trained by Addie’s father to protect and guide her, together had powers unparalleled to any Gerry had ever witnessed. As much as it hurt, he was resigned to letting go. Besides, he had a new little one coming to worry about. He took Maia in his arms, held her close, and brushed a wild golden-brown curl behind her ear with his finger.
“So … it’s a boy then,” Gerry said, unsure if he was relieved or disappointed.
A boy would mean the baby would not inherit Gerry’s gift of compulsion, mind altering or his telekinetic abilities, considering supernatural gifts were only passed down to a child of the opposite sex; Maia, of course, had no powers to pass on. Her brother, Ristéard received the powers in that family and he had passed his abilities down to Addie.
Lowering his hand, Gerry splayed his fingers protectively over her swelling abdomen.
“Are you disappointed?” Maia asked.
“No,” his voice softened. “No. I think I’m more relieved than anything.” The thought of having a daughter with his kind of abilities had seemed exciting but made him a bit nervous when he thought about helping her control them and hide them from unsuspecting “normal” humans. He remembered his own childhood and how it had been for him and his father, a single dad without any abilities of his own. He’d never told Gerry about any of the powers. His pop hadn’t even seemed to know anything about them. Without his mother around, Gerry had discovered his abilities on his own when he was a teenager. What a shock that had been! He smiled, remembering his friend Aiden, and how they acquired their powers at almost the same time. A surprise to each of them, considering they’d both been kept in the dark when it came to something as bizarre as supernatural abilities. Aiden had been adopted and had no idea. A coincidence that they were friends? Maybe. But thanks to Maia, Gerry believed that fate always played its part.
“Well, don’t get too comfortable with that relief, because I told the doctor I didn’t want to know the sex of the babies.”
“Oh, okay. I can wait to find out.” He tilted her chin up and brushed his lips over hers, then pulled back slowly and stared at her.
“Babies?”
“Babies.” Maia’s eyes gleamed with brilliant sparkles.
“Maia, don’t kid around.”
“I’m not kidding, Gerry, we’re having twins.”
Gerry took a step back and blinked. “Fucking A?”
Maia laughed. “You’re going to have to stop swearing around our children, you know.”
“Sorry, baby. You’re sure? No mistake?”
Maia reached in her pocket and held up a picture of something resembling a blurry tornado
around two little blobs. “See? Two babies.”
Gerry squinted, rubbed his fingers over the bristly stubbles on his chin, trying to make out the smudgy image. “Hmmm … there are two … somethings.”
He dragged his hand through his short crop of dark curls, wishing he’d gone with her to the appointment. Shaking his head to clear the guilt, he wrapped his arms around her waist, realizing it wasn’t quite as slender as it was yesterday, or was that just his imagination? Sliding his hands up to her face, he caressed her cheeks and sighed. “You know, Maia, I never thought anything would make me happier than the day you accepted me, in spite of the secrets, but when you told me I was going to be a father, well, that took the cake.”
“And now, as cliché as it sounds, you get the icing too.”
“Aye, now that’s the truth. Well, I guess we’ll have to add on another bedroom to the cottage.”
“So you’re okay with it? I mean the one had been a shocker, but now…”
“I’m more than okay. I’m the proudest man alive.” He lowered his head and his lips met hers. The kiss deepened and she leaned into him, her arms wrapped around his neck. He groaned as his arousal stiffened against her leg.
Maia placed her hand on Gerry’s chest, stopping his pursuit of some well-deserved sexual activity.
“Hold on, ace. We have company coming in a bit.”
“Kill-joy,” he whispered between kisses below her ear.
“Maybe you should take a shower.”
“Anything for you.” He’d enjoy a warm shower with her right now, rubbing soap all over her body.
She laughed. “Make it a cold one.”
He smiled and brushed his lips lightly over hers again. “Yes, without question … a cold one.”
As he turned toward the stairs, Maia caught his arm.
“Gerry, there’s something else.”
He stared at her, sudden alarm sweeping through him as he saw dread in those brown eyes, the golden speckles so full of doom. “What? Is something wrong? Are they okay? Oh Christ, are you okay?” He came back to her, placed his hands on her shoulders and searched her eyes for some hint, some measure of reassurance, willing those flecks of gold to sparkle again.
“Yes, I’m fine and the babies are fine.”
“What, then?” he asked, his voice growing impatient.
“The babies. They’re fine, now, but … they share the same placenta and amniotic membrane.”
He stepped back, his eyes narrowed. “So? Is that a problem?”
“It means they’re identical,” she said as a slight look of concern furrowed her brow.
He blinked. “Identical?” Gerry grabbed her and swung her around, unsure as to why that would upset her.
“Put me down before I vomit and then we’ll both need a shower,” she said, holding her hand over her mouth.
“Sorry.” He set her on her feet. “Identical twins. How about that? This is a bloody miracle.”
“I know … and it sounds exciting, but it could be dangerous.”
“Dangerous? How?” He tried to stay calm, but to his embarrassment, his voice cracked. What was he, fourteen?
“There could be complications with the cords. I don’t know if I can explain it the way the doctor did, but something about being in the same sac, there’s a possibility of them entangling themselves in one another’s cords. It could cut off their oxygen and food supply. The survival rate for … what’s the term …? She looked up at the ceiling as if to find the answer etched across it. “Oh yeah, monoamniotic. The survival rate for monoamniotic twins is only forty to fifty percent.”
Forty percent didn’t seem good at all. “But you are healthy and the babies … they’re healthy, right? I mean identical twins are born all the time.”
“Not monoamniotic twins, but the doctor seems very positive about the whole thing and said we could monitor them frequently. She also said I shouldn’t have any problem carrying them close to full term.
Christ. “Full term?” And if she didn’t?
“It’s not unusual for twins to be born early …”
“But?”
“But she’ll need to perform a cesarean a few weeks before the actual due date.” She shook her head and shrugged. It dawned on him now. She would be worried. Her brother’s wife died giving birth to Addie’s stillborn twin brother, but that was twenty-six years ago and technology has come a long way. Also, with the possible help of Addie’s healing powers, he didn’t think Maia needed to worry. At least, he hoped she didn’t need to worry.
“I’m sure your doctor will be monitoring them, right? And we’ll have Addie do some of her magic. It’ll be fine.” He pulled her closer and kissed her forehead.
“But what if Addie can’t be there when they’re born, what if they get tangled up in the womb, how would we know? And how will Addison be able to perform any healing, in the delivery room? Everyone would witness her gift.”
“It doesn’t help the babies or you to get all worked up over something that very likely won’t happen. Please try not to worry. Remember, I can alter their memories if need be and we’ll find a way to keep a close eye on them. Hell, I’ll buy one of those sonogram machines and we’ll look at them every day. Okay?”
She smiled then. “Only you would think of that practical, but expensive solution. Do you know how much one of those machines cost?”
“No. But I don’t give a shit.”
She rolled her eyes at him.
“Look, if it eases your mind, I’ll willingly pay whatever it costs. I love you.” He splayed his hand across her stomach. “And I love our babies.”
When she opened her mouth to speak, he brought his finger to her lips and repeated slowly, “I love you.”
***
Gerry popped the cork in the bottle of champagne while Cael and Addie glanced at each other with puzzled looks.
“Champagne? What’s the occasion?” Addie asked. She didn’t think the champagne was because she and Cael were finally home from Tahiti. They had been gone an entire month, but still; it wasn’t like Gerry to celebrate anything that involved Cael. Their trip had gone over the original two weeks they had planned because they’d visited a couple of other islands in the French Polynesia as well, spending a week at the different resorts and then taking a cruise over to Australia and New Zealand. It was like heaven. Addie smiled at the memory, still in awe of the spectacular time she had with Cael. He really knew how to make her feel as if no one else in the world meant more to him. She actually shivered at the thought, then remembered Cael, who sat in the chair beside her, heard her every thought. She grinned at him and he smiled back, a warm and knowing smile that said, “Me, too.”
“Ahhh … Maia has some news to share.” Gerry poured the bubbly liquid into three flutes and filled a fourth with sparkling cider. He handed the cider to Maia then Cael and Addie took up their glasses as Gerry raised his. “To the future,” he said and sipped as everyone else followed suit.
Still a little perplexed, Addie shrugged and smiled at Cael.
Gerry put his arm around Maia. “Go on, darlin’, tell them.”
Maia sipped the golden liquid then swallowed as though the cider contained hard bubbles that stuck in her throat.
“I found out this morning that we’re having twins,” she blurted out with a wide grin.
Addie just about choked on her drink. “What? Are you okay? Oh God … Maia—”
Addie trailed off as her hand went to her mouth, covering the second Oh God, no, statement going through her mind.
Cael instinctively realized Addie’s fear. Don’t, Addison. Don’t ruin her excitement. Don’t bring up your mother and brother. Things have changed. She’ll be okay. You can be there.
Like my father? Like he was supposed to be there for my mother? God, Cael, this is so frightening. Addie tugged at her long brown curls, pulling them up behind her head and letting them fall down her back, a habit she displayed whenever she felt stressed. But you’re right. I won’t say anyth
ing. Sometimes this ability we share, grates on my nerves, but right now, I kind of appreciate it. Thanks. Addie straightened in her seat and tried to compose herself.
“I’m fine, Addie. Please don’t worry,” Maia said, but Addie detected a hint of concern from her aunt. After all, they grew up together. Addie knew Maia almost better than she knew herself.
“It’s just a shock,” Addie said in a more calmed voice.
“I found out this morning when I had the sonogram. Doctor Morris said she had a hunch, but didn’t want to say anything until the sonogram confirmed it.” Maia held out the little picture for Cael and Addie to see. Just as Gerry had, they squinted at the picture, trying to decipher it. “This is one head and body, and …” moving her finger over to another blurry blob, “this is the other.”
“There’s more,” Gerry said, grinning at Maia.
She nodded at him encouragingly.
Gerry looked back at Cael and Addie and grinned. “They’re identical.”
Addie opened her mouth to speak and shut it again.
“That’s fantastic,” Cael said quickly, hoping to mask Addie’s dismay. “Isn’t that fantastic, Addison?”
“It’s a bloody miracle,” Gerry beamed as though he’d never heard of identical twins before.
Cael saw tears well in Addie’s beautiful brown eyes. Those better be tears of joy, Addison.
Yes, they are. I’m good with this.
Addie hugged Maia. “Congratulations. So … are they boys or girls?”
Gerry shrugged. “She doesn’t want to know.”
“Oh. Why not? Do you know how hard it is to buy two of everything when you don’t even know what sex you’re buying for?”
“Well, maybe we’ll find out later. I just didn’t want to know yet. I like the suspense. Besides, if they are girls, Gerry won’t be able to sleep at night worrying about their gifts and if he can’t sleep, then I won’t either.”
“Good point,” Addie agreed, sat back and eased her shoulders a bit as she glanced around at the beautiful place settings and delicious meal Maia had prepared. Each plate, artfully arranged with succulent herbed chicken breasts over an array of asparagus and garlic-mashed potatoes, looked like something out of a magazine. The salad, topped with thin slices of cucumbers with a sprinkling of feta cheese was equally impressive. Addie didn’t know how Maia managed it, being pregnant with twins, no less, and still having the energy to put all this together. She looked at Maia with admiration.
Reflections Page 2