I moved to his side and took the baby from him. She immediately stopped crying and stared up at me with an intense set of lavender eyes.
“That’s better.” Braden exhaled heavily, relieved. “Why doesn’t she like me any longer? I’m her favorite uncle.”
“I’m her favorite uncle,” Redmond fired back.
“Jerry is going to be her favorite uncle and everyone knows it,” I offered, watching the baby’s lips curve. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought she was smiling. It was far too early for that. “I have an idea.”
I abandoned the ghost discussion — at least for now — and carried Lily nearer to Redmond. He was quiet when I leaned close. Lily didn’t let loose a peep. Of course, neither did Redmond. “How many extra hours did you work to cover Braden’s shift?” I asked.
Redmond’s scowl immediately returned. “Two. You owe me, Braden. I had big plans to hit on the girl with the bellybutton ring at that coffee shop and I missed her because I was doing your job.”
Lily whimpered and started squirming.
I immediately headed over to Cillian, who was quietly reading on the couch. The second Lily was close to her quiet uncle, she stopped fretting.
“What are you doing?” Cormack asked.
“Conducting an experiment,” I replied, moving Lily closer to Redmond, who was still grousing like a child who had lost a candy bar.
“You know how hot that chick is, Braden,” he continued. “I think she might be the one for me. I hate it when I miss her.”
“The one?” Braden rolled his eyes. “You’ve barely talked to her. You get all tongue-tied when you’re in the same room with her.”
“I do not. I am all charm, and she is putty in my hands.”
Lily wailed, and when I turned to take her back to Cormack I found Griffin hovering in the doorway. He looked concerned ... and intrigued.
“What are you doing?” he asked as I bypassed him and handed the baby back to a calm Cormack. He was used to his children arguing about shifts, so he didn’t say anything to quiet them. Instead, he accepted the baby and watched me for a reaction.
“Huh.” I dragged a hand through my hair. “Do you have any psychics in your family?”
The question clearly caught the Grimlocks off guard.
“No,” Braden answered first.
“Uncle Milton thought he was psychic, but it turned out he was just psycho,” Redmond offered.
“I’m pretty sure there are no psychic reapers,” Cillian replied.
“Not that I’m aware of,” Cormack supplied. “Why do you ask?”
“The baby is picking up on emotions,” I explained. “She gets upset when the person holding her is upset. I thought at first she was picking up on Aisling’s nervousness, but it’s more than that. She picked up on Cormack’s agitation when we mentioned the ghosts and she picked up on Redmond’s annoyance about having to cover Braden’s shift.”
“That’s because it’s pretty much the worst thing that happened all day,” Redmond said.
I ignored him. “She was fine with me because I was calm. Braden was still agitated from the ghosts, so she was squirming. Cillian was calm, so she was fine with him. Cormack is used to you guys arguing so he didn’t pay any attention to it and was calm again.”
“What are you saying?” Cormack asked. “Is there something wrong with Lily?”
I shook my head. “No. I think she might be a touch sensitive. I mean ... she’s far too young to test if she’s psychic. That phenomenon doesn’t usually become measurable until a child is at least five, sometimes older. I think she’s just sensitive and picks up on people’s emotions. It’s ... interesting.”
“I had an aunt like that,” Griffin offered, taking everyone by surprise. “She claimed that she could feel the emotions of trees and animals as well as people. Everyone in the family called her a loon and ignored it, but ... she was serious.”
“Well, maybe she’s getting it from your side of the family,” I mused. The thought hadn’t occurred to me, but it made as much sense as anything else. “It’s not the end of the word, but it is something to watch. If the entire family is upset, Lily is bound to be upset. As long as someone is calm and serene, the baby most likely will be.”
“But she spent two weeks complaining,” Cillian pointed out. “Someone had to be serene in her presence during that time.”
“Not necessarily,” I challenged. “Aisling was nervous about being a new mother. Griffin was anxious about Aisling. They were isolated for most of that time.”
“And you think Lily picked up on that.” Griffin moved to stand behind his father-in-law and grinned at his daughter. “Are you already doing amazing things? I knew you were going to be awesome. I mean ... how could you not be absolutely amazing?”
I could feel the love flowing from him from seven feet away.
“Of course she’s amazing,” Cormack said. “She’s my granddaughter. She had no choice but to be amazing.”
“I’m pretty sure I’m responsible for the amazing things she’s doing this time,” Griffin argued.
“You don’t know that. Just because you had a crazy aunt doesn’t mean you’re responsible. I’m responsible.”
Lily started whining again, causing me to arch an eyebrow. Cormack and Griffin immediately adjusted their tones.
“It doesn’t matter who made her amazing,” Cormack said, beaming at the tiny girl resting in his arms. “She’s going to be loved beyond reason ... and spoiled rotten.”
“Yeah, she’s going to be a total monster,” Griffin agreed, matching Cormack’s smile. “She reminds me so much of her mother sometimes it makes my heart sing.”
Cormack sighed. “Me, too.”
“Oh, geez.” Redmond rolled his eyes. “Does no one care about my pain?”
“Shut up,” everyone barked in unison.
“We’re sick of hearing it, dude,” Braden said. “I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”
“You’d better.”
“We should talk about the ghosts,” Cormack suggested, shuffling Lily to her father’s arms. “And, I believe that means Lily should go someplace else so she doesn’t read the temperature of the room.”
“I think you should start testing that practice on a lot of things,” I offered. “It will make handling the baby much easier.”
Griffin smiled as he gave me a grateful nod. “Thank you. You have no idea how helpful this is.”
“She’s all kinds of helpful.” Braden shot me a wink. “But back to the ghosts. We have to do something. This can’t continue.”
“Do you have any suggestions?” Cormack asked.
“No.”
“Then we need to work together to come up with a plan because I have no idea what to do either.”
And there was the conundrum.
Twenty-Four
It didn’t take long to deduce that the Grimlocks enjoyed theme meals. The fact that they had a Chinese bar — complete with the best spring rolls I’d ever eaten — was the final straw that made me realize their world revolved around food. All of them were good eaters, and Cormack often rewarded his children with specific desserts.
“You like red velvet cake,” I said to Braden as we sat on the floor in the nursery with Lily later that evening. He’d volunteered to get her ready for bed, which included changing her diaper and dressing her in a lavender jumper. He then proceeded to talk to her in the most ridiculous voice I’d ever heard, asking her moronic questions she couldn’t possibly answer ... and melting my heart in the process.
“What?” He cast me a sidelong look. “Did you say something?”
“Red velvet cake,” I repeated, lightly smoothing the baby’s hair. The night nurse had already given her a bath and she smelled like baby powder. “That’s your favorite.”
He stilled. “How did you know that?”
“Because your father had five different types of cake for dinner. You all went for a different choice. Maya, Jerry, Griffin and I grabbed what
ever we gravitated toward from the offerings and your father took a small sliver of each cake.”
“I ... are you sure?” He looked flummoxed. “I guess I never noticed it before, but you’re right. My father samples multiple slices on cake night.”
I couldn’t stop myself from laughing at his befuddled expression. “He goes out of his way for each one of you. I don’t think you realize how lucky you are to have him.”
“Oh, we realize. We definitely realize.” Braden wrapped Lily in a blanket and cradled her. “When my mother died, he almost killed himself trying to be everything each of us needed. He realized after weeks of exhaustion that it wasn’t possible, but we all gave him credit for the attempt.”
“He’s a really good father.”
“He is.” Braden made a cooing sound. “Look! She just smiled at me. I told you I was going to be her favorite uncle. Hah!”
I didn’t have the heart to tell him that was most likely gas. He could bicker with his brothers in the morning, which I was certain would be a lovely conversation, what with all the ‘no, I’m going to be her favorite uncle’ boasting flying around the room.
“Can I hold her for a second?”
Braden readily handed over Lily, who had heavy eyelids and looked to be ready for sleep. “She’s cute. You can’t keep yourself from holding her.”
“She’s cute,” I agreed. “She looks like you.”
“I don’t think Aisling will agree.”
“She looks like all of you,” I corrected. “Poor Griffin didn’t have a chance against your genes. They’re obviously dominant.”
“I think Griffin is fine with it. He loves my sister ... and the way she looks.”
“Yeah.” I swaddled the baby tightly and then lifted her so she rested her head against my shoulder. “At this age, a baby should be an open book. I’ve been around quite a few of them in the French Quarter. A lot of the voodoo women bring their children to market, so I learned about reading babies back then.”
He furrowed his brow. “You read babies? I don’t understand.”
“For money. We never seemed to have enough of it. When my grandfather realized I could read minds – at least to some extent – he started hiring out my services.”
“How old were you?”
“Ten.”
“Geez. At ten, my father used to give us a hundred bucks to rake the leaves. I’m starting to think we had it easy.”
I arched an eyebrow. “Starting? You live in a freaking castle.”
“You need to let that go. It’s a mansion, not a castle.”
“It looks like a castle.”
“Yeah, well ... continue with your story.” He patted my knee before moving his hand to the baby’s back. “Is she sleeping?”
“Soon. As for my story, there’s not much to it. A woman came in one day. I could read a lot of happiness even though she was mourning the loss of her dog. I realized the happiness was coming from her toddler, who hated the dog, and it kind of grew from there.”
“So ... you’re saying you can read babies. What does Lily have to say?”
“Lily is so new she doesn’t yet have a complicated thought process. She’s basically happy and sad. Her emotions will grow quickly, so be prepared for that.”
“Because she’s picking up on our emotions?”
“Yeah. She’s definitely picking up on your emotions.”
“Even more than other babies, right?”
“Definitely.” I rocked Lily and closed my eyes. “Give me a second.”
The little girl was warm, content, and on the verge of falling asleep. That meant her mind was open to invasion, which was exactly what I wanted to attempt. When I stepped inside, I found a much smaller room than when I visited Granger’s mind, and it was completely open.
In one corner, her parents sat on a couch. They boasted those wide smiles parents use when trying to make their children laugh. I had to bite back a chuckle when I saw them because I very much doubted Aisling would enjoy the way her daughter saw her.
I moved to my right and found Cormack sitting at his desk, although the office was much smaller in Lily’s mind. That was to be expected. Her ability to measure space and distance was severely limited. Also in Cormack’s office was Cillian, who was reading a book. They both boasted wide smiles.
A few feet away, Braden and Redmond argued with one another. I realized it was a memory from earlier in the day, though they tossed nonsense words at each other now. Lily couldn’t grasp language, so her uncles were forced to yell at each other in gibberish. They weren’t too loud, and I couldn’t help but wonder if Lily was processing their argument, perhaps realizing that the fighting wasn’t necessarily true animosity.
In another corner, Aidan and Jerry sat looking at a magazine. I figured it was supposed to be a bridal magazine, but in Lily’s mind it was simply a bunch of pages that they flipped through while pointing at various items. Occasionally they lifted their heads and waved, but then they immediately went back to the magazine.
I circled twice more to make sure I’d seen everything and then retreated from the infant’s brain. Braden was staring at me when I opened my eyes.
“Anything?” he asked, reaching forward to take Lily so he could put her in her bassinet.
“She’s kind of funny,” I admitted after a beat. “I mean ... really funny. She sees the world in a very limited way. In her mind Aisling and Griffin simply adore her, the same as Cormack. She sees Cillian with a book, which is his nature. She sees Aidan and Jerry as distracted with their wedding.”
“What about me?”
“I don’t know about normally, but tonight she saw you and Redmond arguing.” I saw no reason to lie. “You might not want to make that the regular way she sees you.”
Braden’s expression darkened. “Did she say who she liked most?”
I chuckled. “No. She can’t pick and choose that way yet. One day she will. By then, she’ll have better defenses so it won’t be so easy to just hop in her brain and look around.”
“Can I ask why you did that tonight? I mean .... what did you expect to find?”
“I wanted to get an idea of what was supposed to be there when a ghost wasn’t in control.”
“Ah.” Realization dawned on Braden’s face. “You’re worried about Granger.”
“I think he’s the key.”
“So ... what do we do?”
“I don’t know.” That was the simple truth, and it was causing me anxiety I didn’t want to share with Lily. Slowly, I stood and took a step away from her. She was down and out, dead to the world for at least a few hours. “We should let her sleep.”
“Okay.” Braden was agreeable. He flicked off the light, leaving the cutesy nightlight Cormack bought to cast dancing shadows on the walls. He linked his fingers with mine as we moved toward his bedroom. “Do you have any idea where to look?”
“No, and I find that frustrating.”
“I bet. You like being in control.”
“Is that your way of saying I’m a control freak?”
“Nope.” He shook his head, his lips forming a charming smile. “I’m not an idiot. That’s my way of saying there’s nothing more you can do tonight so you should focus on something else.”
I understood what he was getting at. “Do you have any ideas about what I should focus on?”
“I have one.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yup.” He wrapped his arms around my waist and swept me into his room. “Let me tell you about it.”
“I’m guessing it’s a fascinating subject.”
“Oh, you have no idea.”
BRADEN WAS A SNORER.
I thought for sure I would never be able to deal with someone who sounded as if he was cutting down trees with a power tool while I was trying to tune out the world, but for some reason I managed to sleep regardless. When I woke the next morning, he was still snoring – directly in my ear.
“Wow.” I rubbed my forehead as I pulled back,
causing him to shift. “That is loud.”
He tossed an arm over his head. I didn’t want to wake him — he clearly needed rest if that snore was any indication — so I carefully slid out of bed.
The urge to flee momentarily reared its ugly head again, but I pushed it aside quickly. The worst was behind us. Braden’s siblings had a go at us the previous day. It was probably out of their systems. Even if it wasn’t, I didn’t want him to think that I’d simply abandoned him. That didn’t seem a good way to build trust, and Braden was clearly the sort of guy who needed trust in a relationship. I needed trust, too, so we were a good fit.
I showered in his suite bathroom, changed into the clothes I’d packed, and found him still sleeping when I exited the bathroom. At a loss for what else to do, I took a sheet of paper from the notepad on his dresser, wrote “I’m downstairs” in big, loopy letters, and signed it with a heart. Once I finished, I frowned at the heart. It seemed a little too cutesy. Of course, writing multiple notes was worse.
I put the note on my pillow and then quietly exited the bedroom. I heard him snoring as I made my way down the hallway.
It was still early when I hit the main floor. It wasn’t even eight yet. Braden had made it clear the previous day that he considered anything before eight to be an ungodly hour. If his siblings were the same, that meant they were probably still asleep. Cormack was another story.
I found him alone in his office, his head bent over his computer as he read a report. I felt out of place, slightly doltish, but I knocked on his doorframe all the same. “Um ... are you busy?”
His smile was warm and engaging. “Come in.” He waved for me to join him. “I’m surprised you’re up. The people in this house sleep in unless we’re mired in a catastrophe.”
“I noticed. All the bedroom doors are still shut.”
“Yes, well, my children are spoiled, in case you haven’t noticed.”
“Oh, I’ve noticed.”
“Jerry sleeps in like the rest of them. Griffin would usually be up and headed to work by now, but because he’s off he’s taken to getting sleep where he can. Maya is already at work, but I can’t take credit for her. She’s simply a go-getter.”
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