Competent, smooth, graceful. Alex was still everything he’d been back in high school. She may have spent most of her time buried in books, working to excel in her classes, but she’d had more than enough time to notice him.
He’d been no slouch either. Often, she’d found the top grade she competed for was held by him. It hadn’t seemed fair. Handsome, graceful, athletic, smart. He’d been everything her young heart had wanted. Needed.
He caught her staring and she jerked her gaze away quickly, but not before she saw his lips curve, laugh lines now marking the corners of them. Her face was hot, but inside she shook like a leaf in the wind. Guys who could smile had always been the most attractive to her. A darkly handsome brooder had never been her type, not after seeing Alex’s easy laughter and humor. Besides, she brooded enough for anyone. She’d been that way even in high school.
She’d wanted to die back then. She’d cried and thought about it and even planned it, then she’d come up with something better. A blueprint for her life that included graduating, going to college on whatever scholarships she qualified for and getting a job with a hefty paycheck. It was a plan that would take her far from Spokane and everyone in it.
Unfortunately, the plan hadn’t included developing a relationship at the tail-end of her senior year. A relationship that could become so important she’d throw away everything she’d worked for. Because she’d known, even then, Alex could’ve been worth it.
But it didn’t matter. It had never been about his worth. It had been about hers.
Alex’s voice rescued her from her thoughts. “I thought you’d be married by now. You know, the two-car garage, three kids bit. What have you been doing?”
Amazingly, he sounded genuinely interested. Elizabeth lifted her chin and a certain amount of pride entered her voice. “Designing and beta-testing software applications for Simogen Software. I was in Seattle.”
His eyebrows rose and his lips curved into a light smile. “I can picture you doing that. You must have loved it. What made you come back?”
For the barest moment, she basked in his simple belief in her. No argument, no clichéd jokes about a blonde actually thinking, just acceptance. Then, remembering his question, her smile tightened. “I didn’t really have a choice. What do you do?”
“Kalyss and I are partners in a martial arts studio.”
“Oh.” She blinked, her smile pasted so firmly on her face she probably looked like she’d just had a Botox injection. “That’s perfect for you. You were always a natural athlete.”
Her stomach plummeted. Kalyss. Of course. They’d been so close all through school, it only made sense they’d be partners. Were they partners in life as well? She felt sick at the thought. “Do you two have any kids?”
The light changed and the truck stopped rather abruptly. Elizabeth put her hand on the dash for balance. Alex apologized and carefully put the truck in neutral. “She’s pregnant with her first right now, which she’s thrilled about. She thought for years that she wouldn’t be able to have children.”
Elizabeth’s conscience ripped at her. How could she feel jealous? She’d turned Alex down and left, never looking back. She’d gotten exactly what she wanted. “That’s wonderful. Congratulations.”
He chuckled. “I’ll pass that on next time I see her. Which might be sooner rather than later, if her husband refuses to let her teach classes.”
“Her husband?” She could breathe again. “So, you … don’t teach classes?”
He glanced over, his sparkling eyes focusing on her. His gaze was warm, almost knowing. Her lungs seized for a painful beat and she stared at him, heat rising in her face.
A slow smile stretched his lips, as if he could read her mind. Then again, it was more likely she was just that transparent. The light changed and Alex shifted into gear. “I do. But I’m on vacation right now.”
With his attention focused on the road again, she could breathe. Unbelievable, the way he could still make her feel. Elizabeth clenched her hand at her side. “Oh, that’s great. Are you planning any trips?”
“Not at the moment. Just relaxing for a while.” he said, sounding strangely grim.
She looked at the hand in her lap, barely noticing his tone. She’d had a vacation just last year, to Cancun. Hot sun, cool water, sandy beaches, and a sexy boyfriend, the trip had been enjoyable, but now it felt like forever ago. “Relaxing. Right.”
The truck slid to a smooth stop along the curb in front of her house. Knowing what he’d see and hating it, Elizabeth braced herself.
“Is this it?”
The shock in his voice made her cringe.
* * *
Alex slowly slid from behind the wheel and stared at the house in front of him. It wasn’t the cracked and peeling red paint, the dirty white trim, or the gutters hanging partially off the roof that horrified him. Or even the uneven concrete front steps hugged by broken handrails. It wasn’t the sagging wooden fence around the front yard, or the gate that hung, listing at an odd angle.
Beth Ann left the cab, shutting the door firmly, her eyes closed and humiliation burning across her face, as though she thought he was judging her. But he wasn’t. He was actually completely speechless with a mind-numbing terror that he couldn’t even begin to explain to her, though he would have to soon.
The bright blue sky brightened the air around them, the sun shooting yellow rays through dark evergreens to the bare and patchy grass, and a small turtle-shaped sandbox where three little girls with plastic shovels built lopsided castles. In his dream, they’d been tied together, their eyes wide with fat tears.
From the side rails of the porch, a blond boy hung like he was climbing a ladder, his blue eyes sparkling with mischief. In the dream, they’d been slightly darker and his chin had been stubbornly angled, determination gleaming like a promise in his eyes.
Between two large pine trees, swinging gently in a hammock with a book perched on his chest was another blond boy. In Alex’s dream, his face had been a study in concentration, matching the look he wore now.
Alex almost expected dark clouds to begin to roil and pitch over the house, but no. Maeve didn’t have them, wasn’t here. They were simply a family enjoying the front yard, as kids were wont to do. There was no danger here. Yet.
Bags rustled behind him and he turned to see Beth Ann reaching for her groceries, a tight, closed look on her face. Alex took a few bags himself, swinging them over the side.
A teen version of Beth Ann, from her bouncing ponytail to the frown lines between her eyes, stomped up and declared, “Here, you take her. I can’t get her to shut up for the world.”
Elizabeth turned in time to wrap her arms around a squirmy baby girl, the bags in her hands banging together before the girl took them. “Is she changed and fed?”
The teen rolled her eyes. “Duh.” She swung around and headed toward the house, yelling for the others to help with the groceries.
The baby quieted almost instantly, grabbing Elizabeth’s ponytail and stuffing it in her mouth. Then she squirmed, looking around and seeing Alex, and she nearly jumped from Elizabeth’s arms toward him. Elizabeth tightened her hold and faced Alex with a hesitant expression on her face.
Alex couldn’t breathe. A baby. He didn’t want to think about where she’d been in his dream. He only knew a keen sense of disappointment. He’d hoped, somewhere deep in his mind, that the baby’s presence had meant two things. One, that she was his and Beth Ann’s, a symbol of their love and unity. The second was time. Time to love Beth Ann, conceive and birth a child before Maeve came to him. But this baby was only a bit smaller than the one in his dream, not very noticeably different at all.
Which meant Maeve was coming very soon. If he stayed, they would be at her mercy. If he left, he could kiss any chance between Beth Ann and himself good-bye. But maybe being here and then leaving them led to their capture. Or it was destiny and his choice made no difference.
Alex watched Beth Ann adjust her grip on the baby a
nd reach into the back of the truck. Which risky choice could he live with the best? Alex smiled at the baby, who giggled and pulled Beth Ann’s hair again.
Maybe there was still a chance to prevent the tragedy. He’d ask Beth Ann a few questions, get a sense of what was happening to her family and if anything seemed like Maeve’s influence. If all was good, he’d leave. Try to spare them. Dredging up a light tone he feared wouldn’t ring entirely true, he said, “You’ve been busy.”
Elizabeth glared at Alex and pulled up a few more bags. She just wanted to get the groceries and say good-bye, survive the night and hopefully have a better day tomorrow. But his statement irritated her. Maybe she could stand to lose a few pounds, but there was no way in hell her body looked like she’d given birth six months ago, let alone to ten kids over twelve years. “They’re not mine.”
“Who do they belong to?” His eyes were gently curious, empty of the judgment she’d feared.
Elizabeth hiked the baby up on her hip, deciding to answer him. What was the worst he could think? “Five of them are my older sister Dallas’s. Three are my younger sister Felicia’s. Two are my brother Bobby’s.”
Alex’s brows raised high. “I see. One hell of a babysitter you’ve become.”
If babysitters never left their charges. She rolled her eyes. “You have no idea.”
“So Dallas has five kids? Wow.” His tone was amazed, but not quite shocked.
But why would he be? Her sister had always had a reputation. She removed Veronica’s tight grip from her breast and resettled her on her hip. “Yeah.”
Alex reached for the child’s newly freed hand and tugged at her fingers. Veronica grinned at him, then dove for him, taking Elizabeth’s hair with her. She yelped, he laughed, and the baby chuckled.
“Which bags are ours?” Elizabeth looked down at the blond, blue-eyed imp smiling at her.
She put a gentle hand on his head and looked at Alex. “This is Tommy.”
Tommy shrugged her away and grabbed the bags Alex handed him. “Don’t bother confusin’ him with all of us. He won’t be around long enough to remember.”
He turned and walked away, swinging the bags and nearly spilling what was inside. Thank God it was only bread.
Her mouth hung open, shocked at his rudeness. Part of her choked up at the matter-of-fact way he dealt with the appearance and disappearance of various men in his life. The other part reddened in embarrassment.
“He’s right, you know.” She glanced at Teddy as he adjusted his glasses and reached for more bags from Alex. “If we’re all introduced at once, they just leave faster. Grandma had most of us hide in our rooms for the first few visits.”
Teddy carefully looped one hand through the handles and wrapped the other around the bags. Turning, he slowly walked up the sidewalk with the eggs. Knowing who to hand what was a skill Elizabeth had been forced to learn the hard way.
Alex’s thoughts were closed to her, but he seemed to be trying to decide if he was going to stay for a visit or run screaming. She couldn’t blame him. He’d only signed up to get her home. Not for a lifelong career in babysitting. Of course, she hadn’t signed up for that either, but she wasn’t one to shirk her duties. Especially not for a guy.
Her mom had never lacked for men, and up to four months ago, they’d come and gone with stunning regularity. But having the kids hide in their rooms? Like they were something to be ashamed of? Elizabeth might want to run and hide from all the responsibility, the overwhelming difficulty of it all, but she was not ashamed of these kids.
She firmed her mouth and resettled the baby on her hip. Then she faced Alex, not quite knowing what to say. The last of the bags came out of the truck and he handed them to Teddy and Tommy.
“Aunt Lizzie! The toilet is overflowing again,” the older set of twins sung in unison as she turned to see them hanging over the upstairs balcony, balanced on their stomachs with their hands waving wildly.
“Lizzie?” Alex queried.
“Get off the edge of the balcony!” she yelled, hating the sound of her strident voice. The demonic duo disappeared into the house, giggling. No doubt they were the ones who’d clogged the toilet. Elizabeth closed her eyes until she caught her breath and stilled her shaking knees, then opened them and answered Alex.
“Everyone likes to think of their own nickname for me, it seems. I’ve learned to answer to just about anything, but I prefer Elizabeth.”
“Good to know.” He laughed at the outrageous faces the kids were making as they pushed her to hurry. “I could fix the toilet for you, if you’d like.”
“No!” He looked startled and she realized the word had come out a little too emphatic, but she really didn’t want him to see inside the house. The outside was bad enough. Elizabeth smiled shakily and tried again. “You wouldn’t want to start fixing things. Once you do, it never stops. You’d be trapped.”
“Okay.” He hesitated, his eyes holding hers for a few moments. He looked at his nearly empty truck—almost reluctantly, though she couldn’t imagine why—then back to her. “Well, it was nice seeing you again.”
She smiled back politely, forcing away a sudden urge to beg him to stay. “Enjoy your vacation.”
“Lizzie! It’s filling up the bathroom!” David leaned over the edge of the balcony again, the smile on his face showing his desire to make her scream again.
“I’m coming. Get down from there!” she yelled, suddenly understanding the ugly tone that had so often filled her mother’s voice. She grimaced at Alex. “I need to …” She nodded toward the house.
“And I need to …” He nodded toward his shiny blue truck. “See you around.”
“She said she’s coming, Shelly. She just needs to flirt a little more.”
Her face was officially on fire. “Bye.”
The cracking sound of splitting wood rent the air and David screamed.
Breath froze in Elizabeth’s lungs. A strip of wood was loose, one end still nailed to the balcony, the other hanging over the edge, David held on to the very end by one hand, his free arm trying to grab hold of something. His legs flailed as he yelled for help. A flash of nausea froze her in place as she watched in wide-eyed, speechless horror.
But Alex wasn’t frozen. He vaulted the low front fence and reached the porch just as David’s hold on the broken balcony gave way and he fell into Alex’s arms. Safe.
Her shaking arms tight around the baby, Elizabeth entered the yard through the gate and walked to the porch. She blinked away tears and cleared her throat, but her thoughts were stuck in an endless loop. David had fallen. He could have died. The guilt would have been hers to bear. This was her watch. The kids were her responsibility. She swallowed, but her mouth was dry.
Alex set David on his feet as the kid stared at him in awe. Obviously, the little terror was none the worse for his stunt, but Elizabeth wanted to huddle in a corner until her panic went away.
She looked up at the broken edge of the balcony. The whole thing hadn’t fallen, but it was dangerous. A wild fury filled her mind. Fury with David for not listening.
Fury with her mother for letting the house fall apart. Fury with all three of her siblings for leaving their children’s lives in someone else’s hands. But most of all, Elizabeth was furious with herself for not doing a better job of making their home safe.
Everyone stood quiet, the children staring at her face as if they could see the anger building within her. Exercising extreme control over her voice, Elizabeth spoke in a tone not to be disobeyed. “All of you, in the living room. Nowhere else, just the living room. Now.”
Shelly reached for the baby and Elizabeth handed her over. The kids filed into the house and the door shut behind them. Alex was staring at the balcony when Elizabeth turned to him, the frozen fury slowly giving way to quivering muscles that trembled with relief. “Thank—”
Alex abruptly faced her, his tone grim and his eyes hard. “I’m not leaving.”
Chapter Three
“Tell m
e you didn’t cause his fall,” Silas demanded, his face nearly as white as his knuckles.
Draven shrugged. “Luckily, I didn’t have to.”
“Luckily?” Silas’s voice rose in horror. “Draven, he’s a kid. Innocent.”
With a smoky voice as thick as the black steam that emanated from the all-encompassing cloak, Draven said, “Need I remind you we’ve lost Dugan every attempt to follow him to Maeve? Or that, according to the prophecy shown to Alex, this same innocent child, along with all his cousins, will be killed because of our failure? We don’t have time to pussyfoot around, Silas!”
“Neither will we succeed in any of our endeavors if we become the very thing we’re fighting to escape!”
Draven’s gloved hands clenched with frustration. “Sometimes being nice and gentle is not the right choice.”
Silas shook his head. “The end does not justify the means.”
“There are exceptions,” Draven insisted.
“I disagree.” Silas crossed his arms, his tone and stance saying his position was final.
Draven stayed silent, breathing heavily. After a moment had passed, Draven reasserted. “I did not cause the child’s fall.”
Silas didn’t appear convinced.
I’m not leaving.
Elizabeth stared at Alex, speechless. He passed her and went through the front door like it was his own home. He was the least of her worries at the moment, though, so she followed him into the house and closed the door quietly behind her.
“Teddy, would you please show Alex upstairs?” Teddy rose from the couch and led Alex away, his steps soft and quiet and Alex’s determined, purposeful. Elizabeth faced the remaining children, seeing the little ones playing with their dolls as Danielle sat close to her twin on the love seat, both eight-year-olds knowing they were in trouble. Tommy and Kevin stared at her from the couch.
“I don’t suppose any of you know anything about a pickle jar sticking into the side of one of my tires?”
Cursed Page 3