In Rapture (Destined)
Page 23
“What?” Malinda closed her eyes and blinked. “A girl? I thought it was a boy.” She felt a sharp pain in her side, and started to cry.
“Ah, that there would be the boy. Ready for round two, Mama?”
“Twins?” Grant looked over at his wife, a look of awe on his face. To be blessed with one baby was more than he could have hoped for, a sibling for their daughter, but two was an amazing event. He held his wife’s hand and hoped to give her whatever strength he had to get through it. The second child came much faster than the first, almost as if he had already missed his womb mate. His cries left his tiny body the moment he entered the world and a calm started to ease the fear in the room.
“Do all of you have multiple children?” Grant eyed the women in the room and chuckled.
“Only the lucky ones.” April swaddled the second child, then placed him on Malinda’s chest. Lysandra brought the girl over and placed her right next to him.
“What shall we call them?” Grant’s eyes misted over as he looked at the precious lives before him.
“I would like to call the girl Ada Maria.” Malinda looked over at Grant for his approval. The woman that had come before her was no longer a ghost that haunted them. Instead, she was the catalyst that had paved their destiny.
“And the boy?”
“Madigan.” Malinda looked away from him before he could see the tears in her eyes. She had realized, at that very moment, that she did, indeed, have need of a father in her life.
“Aye, a fine name. Marshal will be pleased. I’ve already sent someone to fetch him.” A knowing look lit his golden eyes.
“How did you know?”
“I’ll never tell.” He leaned over and kissed his wife on the cheek. “I love you, Malinda.”
“You’d better.” An impish smile flashed across her face, and he chuckled against her. Their lives were now complete. “Grant?”
“Yes, my love?”
“About that wedding.” Malinda saw a beautiful day surrounded with love and laughter in their future. She kissed the tops of her children’s heads and said a prayer to the divine ones who had paved this path for her many moons ago.
Lysandra decided to stay to help with the wedding preparations, but April had the urge to travel back home. When the day of her departure arrived a strange man came to the doorway. His hair was balding and his eyes sparkled with mystery. He offered to ride along with her, and for some reason, she had felt comfort with his presence. She had heard of this man before, and knew that this Bradford Marcus would soon be showing her a world filled with intrigue. She was quite ready for the adventure.
About the Author
Ever since childhood, Elissa Daye has enjoyed reading stories as an escape from life. When she was a teenager she started to write her own stories that kept her entertained when she ran out of books to read. When she was accepted into Illinois Summer School for the Arts in her Junior year of High School, she knew she wanted to become a writer. Elissa graduated from Illinois State University in December 1999 with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and began her teaching career, hoping to find moments to write in her free time.
After seven years of teaching, Elissa decided to focus on her writing and made the decision to put her teaching years behind her so that she could create the stories she had always dreamed of. She is now happily married and a stay at home mom, who writes in every spare moment she can find, doing her best to master the art of multitasking to get everything accomplished.