How he’d taken care of her, and that his family wanted her to stay with one of them so that she’d be safe until she was back to one hundred percent. She told him that she was in love with Laif, but it would work only if he accepted Callan.
“Well, maybe if we talk to him together, he’ll still want to stay with us,” Callan said when she’d finished.
Memphis couldn’t believe how accepting he was about everything. She’d never brought men around, didn’t date, and she’d worried that Callan would not appreciate her bringing another man into their lives. “You’d be okay with him being around sometimes?” she asked.
Callan looked sober for a moment, then smiled. “I know I didn’t see him for very long, but I just got a feeling that he was supposed to be here. Besides, you’ve never liked a guy before. You never date or anything, so I figure he has to be pretty special for you to bring him here. So, yeah, I guess I’m okay with him coming around.”
He patted her hand like she was the child and said, “You should have told him as soon as you knew he was trustworthy. I think you might have hurt his feelings by not trusting him about me. So, maybe you should call him and apologize.”
Memphis laughed. “When did you grow up to be so smart?”
“Probably when I was about five. You’re just kinda slow.” He laughed and dodged her when she grabbed at him to ruffle his beautiful, black hair. “Besides, Mom, he looks like me. I mean, I could be his kid.”
Memphis saw the hope and desire in his eyes. Heard it in his voice. She hadn’t realized that Callan had wanted a father so badly. Although the way he’d loved Shane almost instantly should have clued her in.
She studied her son; saw the dark, ocean blue eyes, the black wavy hair, and the light olive skin. He was right; Callan could be Laif’s son. He looked more like Laif than he did Jacob. Jacob’s hair had been dark brown, and his eyes were a soft brown. She’d decided Callan had taken on features of his grandparents, or other long-gone ancestors. It was interesting; Callan looked more like Laif than he did her.
“I think maybe I should give him a little time to think or calm down, or whatever he needs. I’ll call him tomorrow.”
Callan shook his head. “I think you’re being a chicken again. You don’t want to lose this guy because you’re scared, do you?”
When did this boy of mine come to know so much?
“No. I don’t want to lose him, even though I think he’s moving too fast.”
“Well, he’s moving fast in the other direction right now.” Callan snatched up the cordless phone and tossed it to her. “I’m going back over to Joan’s and giving you twenty minutes. Invite him back to meet me and then you can tell him everything.” With that, her wise son walked out the door, leaving her all alone.
She shook her head and just stared at the phone. I can do this. Push a handful of buttons and when he answers, apologize. Yep, I can do this.
Only Laif didn’t answer. He was probably screening his calls. She left a message, asking him to please talk to her, that she would explain everything, and that she was so sorry she hadn’t told him about Callan, but that she’d planned on doing it this morning. She hung up and decided to take her hand-held phone across the hall and find out all about Disneyland.
Laif couldn’t believe it. His mind wanted to simply reject the fact that Memphis had a son she hadn’t told him about. She had a son. He was going to throw up. He raced to the bathroom and barely made it before he lost his lunch. A lunch he’d shared a couple of hours before with Memphis.
He wiped his mouth on a hand towel from off the sink and stood. When the phone rang, he ignored it. At that moment, nothing was important.
He didn’t know how long he sat on the bathroom floor, but when Bryson looked in at him, he figured it had been a while. He stared up at his brother and whispered, “Memphis has a son.”
There, he’d said it out loud. Admitted it to himself and his brother. The whole way home from Memphis’s apartment, he’d struggled against pain so deep he’d actually shed tears.
How’s that for a kick. Laif hadn’t cried since he was twelve and his grandpa Mason, his mother’s father, had passed away. Laif had loved that man with a vengeance, and it had leveled him when he’d dropped dead from a heart attack. That pain didn’t hold a candle to the hurt he suffered now.
“What do you mean, she has a son?” Bryson asked, settling on the bathroom floor next to his brother. He was still wearing his work get-up, as he called a suit and tie, so he’d just gotten home.
“I took her to her apartment this afternoon when she was released. She said she needed to tell me some things. We had barely walked through the door and this kid, looked about twelve, came shooting through the door hollering, ‘Mom’. Memphis hugged him and told him that I was a friend of hers. Oh, man, I wanted to hurl something across the room. I just left. She barely lets me touch her. Me. Her soulmate. And she’s let some creep have sex with her.”
Laif stared at his hands. His whole body ached as if he’d been beaten with a two-by-four. In his mind’s eye, he saw Memphis, her skin soft and creamy white, with large hands that didn’t belong to him running all over her. He shot up and dry-heaved over the toilet again.
“You’ve got to calm down,” Bryson suggested, rubbing Laif’s back. “I know this is hard, but a lot of people aren’t virgins when they get married. Right or wrong, you can’t judge her because of her past. You know I’m not and you’ve always said you understood. I know you’ve always had such great control, but it doesn’t mean that just because she’s not a virgin, or because she has a son, that there’s something wrong with her.”
Laif slumped back to the floor, wiping his face with the towel, cringing when he accidentally touched his sore, almost healed eye. The thought that something was wrong with her never crossed his mind.
He’d wanted to share himself with her as he’d never been with anyone else, and he had wanted the experience to be with a woman who had waited for him as well. He’d never thought it too much to ask. He still didn’t. But fate seemed to have other plans for him.
Not once did he think that he wouldn’t end up with her, wouldn’t marry her. Even after looking into the eyes of her son. But it made him sick with pain at the thought of her making love to another man. Because he had to believe that she never would have been with a man unless she’d loved him.
Had she been married? No, that didn’t make sense. She couldn’t be more than twenty-five, twenty-six, and that kid was close to half her age. She’d been young. Too young. Had she been raped and then kept the baby? That didn’t make him feel any better. The thought of someone hurting her was worse than the thought of her willingly making love to someone. “This hurts.”
“I know,” Bryson said. “But this isn’t the end of the world. You need to talk to her. Listen to her.” Bryson squeezed his shoulder. “Then you need to forgive her.”
Laif leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. Forgive her? For a mistake she’d made years ago? A lifetime ago? If she had even made a mistake.
Logically, he knew there was nothing to forgive. Not really. If she could fight the Oíche Scáthanna, then she’d been forgiven by God, if indeed she’d done anything wrong in the first place. And God’s forgiveness was what was important. But with his eyes closed, he still saw her with that faceless man.
Callan. Her son? She’d been talking to her son and didn’t trust him enough to tell him about the boy.
“She doesn’t trust me, Bry. That hurts worse than anything.”
Bryson shook his head. “Dude, she’s known you for two days. Remember? She was unconscious most of the time. The whole time you were falling in love and fantasizing the perfect life with her, she was unconscious. You have to give her time to catch up. Plus, just because you think she’s your soulmate, doesn’t mean she’s had the same revelation.”
Bryson took a breath, and added, “Not to mention, if she’s a single mom, she probably has some major trust issues anywa
y.”
Well, crap. That was a good point.
“I’ll talk to her. But not now. I need some time.”
Bryson nodded. “Take a shower. Rest. But don’t wait too long. If she’s important, you need to let her know. Not walk away at the first sign of trouble.”
Again, Bryson made perfect sense. He had bolted at the first sign of trouble. But he’d make this up to her. He’d sit her down and tell her that she was his and that he’d find a way to get over all this. No. He’d get over it before he told her how he felt about her again. Mentioning his feelings before he could look her in the eye and not picture her with another man wouldn’t be fair to either of them.
Bryson started out of the hall bath, but then said, “Alannah and I are getting married in a little over a week. We’re having a family get-together tonight at eight out at Mom and Dad’s to announce it. Why don’t you see if Memphis would like to come?”
Laif shook his head. What was happening to them? Why would Bryson and Laif meet their soulmates at practically the same time and both feel the need to rush into marriage? And despite his certainty where Memphis was concerned, it was rushing.
As an afterthought, Laif replied, “Congratulations. I think she’ll make you a great wife.”
Bryson nodded and left Laif alone with his thoughts.
Paulina Winthrop was livid. She’d called Laif dozens of times in the last few days and he hadn’t bothered to return any of her calls. They had a charity ball in two days and no way would she let him out of it. He’d agreed to accompany her before she’d left for Europe and nothing would stop her from attending it with him. Besides, she really wanted him in her bed.
The endless string of men during the summer had bored her. None of them were as handsome as Laif. Some had more money, but that wasn’t truly important for a bedmate.
Money was only important for a husband, and even though she had told Laif she wanted to marry him, she had zero intentions of going through with it. She just knew Laif wouldn’t make love to her without at least the promise of marriage. And Paulina very much wanted Laif. Had for years.
Well, if he wouldn’t answer her calls, she’d just go to his house and see him. One way, or another, she was going to have Laif by the end of the week.
Alannah looked beautiful. Bryson, beyond happy. Maybe Laif should have called Memphis and invited her, but he wasn’t ready for that yet. And he didn’t want to ruin Bryson and Alannah’s night. His family acted like Alannah hung the moon.
Kambry and Mikia both came over to Laif, smiling tentatively.
“Bryson told us about Memphis’s son,” Mikia said. “Don’t let this ruin things with her. You’ve done a lot of really stupid things over the years. One of those stupid things being Paulina Winthrop. So even though I’ve only seen her asleep in her hospital bed, I have to say, I already like her better than the bleached-blond Barbie doll with the IQ of twelve and the morals of a rutting pig.”
“Mikia Alexandria Craig!” Lydia said from behind her.
Mikia turned, after scowling at Laif. It’s not as if he’d seen their mother’s approach, he’d been staring dumbfounded at his baby sister. The one who had always taken his side and seemingly worshiped his every step.
“What?” she asked innocently. “Am I lying?”
Lydia bit her lip, in what Laif knew was an effort not to smile. “It doesn’t matter if it’s the truth or not, you don’t say things like that. Now,” she picked imaginary lint of Mikia’s pale-blue dress and continued, “The two of you go over to Alannah and offer to show her the family albums, that way Bryson can’t argue with me about it.”
Laif laughed. His mother was good at keeping herself out of the line of fire with her children by pitting them against each other. In completely harmless ways, of course. He and his sisters laughed.
Kambry kissed his cheek, whispering, “You’ll do the right thing. I’m not worried. Too much.”
When they’d gone, his mom took his hand and led him toward the study. Which was actually a small library, full of his mother’s books. “Tell me what you know about my future grandson.”
Callan. The boy would be his if he married Memphis. Not if. When. He knew nothing about the boy. Except that he looked so much like himself at that age that he could be his own flesh and blood. “I don’t know anything. Yet.”
“Are you still hurting?” Lydia asked, taking a seat on the big leather sofa, tugging him down next to her.
He shrugged. “A little. But it’ll be okay.”
“Laif,” his beautiful, wonderful mother patted his hand. “I haven’t told you much about Spain. I’ve talked more to the girls, but when I was raped, your father went into a depression that almost did me in.” She took a deep breath, obviously remembering that night. “As much as I hated what happened to me, I hated what it did to your dad even more.
“Some men let rape ruin their marriages, but not your dad. He did what he had to do to get over it. I believe a lot of prayer was involved. This may or may not be the same thing, but you know taking your problems to the Lord will help you overcome whatever it is you’re dealing with.”
Lydia rubbed her hand down his arm. “I won’t say I know what you’re going through, because I don’t. But I can imagine how I would’ve felt if your dad had gotten another woman pregnant before me. I just want you to know that we love you and believe in you. I believe in Memphis, and I think that you do too. Even if it’s hard right now, don’t let her go. Don’t give up on her.”
She patted his hand again and kissed his cheek. “I love you, little man.”
Laif grinned. “I love you too, old woman.”
Lydia laughed. “Don’t let your dad hear you say that. You know it’s always driven him crazy when you kids call me that.”
Yeah, Laif knew.
He’d give what his mom said a great deal of thought. But not tonight. Tonight, he was going to get to know his future sister-in-law.
Chapter 16
Saturday morning, Laif rolled out of bed, knowing that he had to come to terms with Memphis and Callan. He loved her. Wanted to marry her. So, he’d better get over how Callan came about.
Now rather than later.
As he dressed, he thought of all the stuff he’d learned about the Oíche Scáthanna and the fae over the last few days. Things he hadn’t shared with his family because he’d been too caught up in Memphis and her son. And then he hadn’t wanted to spoil Bryson and Alannah’s dinner party the night before.
He had taken his mom’s advice and prayed about what to do, but as of yet, still didn’t have an answer. So, he’d go for a drive and clear his head. That usually helped.
Born Elk. The name whispered through him like a gentle breeze. That was it. He needed to talk to Born Elk about Memphis.
With a plan in mind, Laif hopped in his car and headed south. As he drove the Mopac Expressway toward Bear Creek, he wondered what Born Elk knew about Memphis. Surely, he knew something, being the Spiritual Guide of the Guardians and all, how could he not. Not to mention, Alannah, was his granddaughter.
Yeah, he knew something. So why hadn’t Laif known that women had this gift? Or curse as he sometimes thought of it. Did Born Elk know that the slimy demons could be seen during the day?
After Laif pulled into Born Elk’s driveway, he sat in his car, trying to temper the frustration he’d built up on the drive. If Born Elk knew about Memphis, why wouldn’t he tell them about her? And if he didn’t, well, then he didn’t. But he did know about Alannah.
What about Night Shadows? Had he simply not told them what he knew or did he not know what Memphis did? Deciding there was no sense in putting the confrontation off any longer, Laif exited his car and headed for the porch.
He knocked, maybe a little too forcefully.
“It’s open,” a familiar female voice called. He pushed open the door and hesitantly stepped inside.
Alannah stood next to Born Elk, who sat in his brown, leather recliner. He looked gruff, angry. Alanna
h, on the other hand, smiled sweetly. “Hey, Laif. What brings you out?”
He was wondering the same thing. “I needed to talk to Born Elk.”
“No problem. I’m just visiting dear ol’ Pop-pop. Even if he is acting like a stubborn, ornery, old cuss today.”
Laif sighed. He knew Alannah was busy and was probably telling him about her and Bryson, but what he needed to know was vital. If for nothing else than his mental health. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but it’s kind of important.”
“That’s because you’re selfish.” Born Elk said in a grizzly voice.
“Pop-pop!” Alannah lightly slapped his arm.
Born Elk snorted. “What do you want, boy?”
Laif was taken aback by Born Elk’s show of temper. He’d always been a kind, calm man. To find him so angry, and at Laif, was something he never would have expected.
Even though his first reaction was to leave, he needed answers. Laif sank to the couch and stared at the floor. He felt as if the weight of the world had landed squarely on his shoulders. Obviously, the older man was having a bad day as well. He should’ve asked how Born Elk was, find out what was troubling him.
As he started to ask, Born Elk said, “Just say what’s on your mind, son. I have things to do today.”
So instead of Laif enquiring after him, he asked, “Did you know about Memphis McLoughlin? Did you know that there was another Guardian here?”
Born Elk sighed heavily. “I knew about the girl and her son.”
Laif looked up, stared into his mentor’s eyes. “Why didn’t you tell us about her? Why didn’t you tell us females could be Guardians? She’s been here for who knows how long, alone, and we could have been helping her this whole time. I could have protected her. Kept her from getting shot.”
Born Elk shook his head. “No. You couldn’t have. Sometimes, there is an order to the way things happen. You met her when you were supposed to.”
He pushed against the arms of the recliner as if to get up, but before he got far, Alannah gently sent him back down. He shot her a look of frustration and growled, “I have things to do today other than listening to him pout.”
In The Dark (The Guardianship Trilogy Book 1) Page 17
