These were all things I knew and could easily convince myself with. And if things were going slow and naturally between us I wouldn’t have had to worry about them anyway, but since I planned to marry this girl and do it soon I had to hope she was tracking right along with me.
Gabriel, who had been a silent observer grunted something unintelligible and moved to sit in the front seat of Eden’s car. Yes, even though I was not only King but the brother of the driver, Gabriel had surreptitiously called shotgun. Bastard.
It wouldn’t have mattered at all, especially since I actually preferred to sit with Amelia in the backseat, but truth be told my legs were way too long for the backseat. Hell, I was way too big for the backseat.
Guess Amelia and I were going to have to cuddle.
The rest of us followed suit and climbed in Eden’s banana colored SUV. Titus, Xander and Xavier had driven off already in Syl’s convertible that Kiran drove down to the mid-sized airport.
The ride back to Sylvia’s house was filled with a recap of the battle for Eden. Gabriel said his piece now since he would be bunking at Amory’s old house with the rest of the guys.
Amelia gripped my hands tightly in hers while I retold Eden with excruciating detail what happened. Eden visibly paled when I talked about the human prisoners and the suicides and I worried about the health of her baby under this much stress.
She shook me off in our mental shared consciousness though, promising that even though her emotions were unavoidable the baby wouldn’t suffer because of her despair. And even though I believed what she said, her health became another important reason to wrap this Terletov thing up.
“You’re with child,” Gabriel grunted with surprising tones of reverence in his voice when our conversation had died down. He had somehow known and I had to wonder for just four seconds if he read our minds, but then shook that notion off. He was incredibly perceptive.
And possibly he could read our minds too.
But probably not.
Eden looked stunned for just a moment before she was able to recover, “I am.”
“Incredible,” Gabriel murmured, looking at Eden like he had never seen anything like her before. “Avalon didn’t say anything.”
I wanted to defend myself, but Eden beat me to it, “We just found out. We’re waiting to tell the Kingdom until the engagement party for Talbott and Lilly that Avalon’s planning.”
I hadn’t known they were going to make the announcement that soon, nor did I know she realized the engagement party would be so soon. It shouldn’t have surprised me, but for some reason Eden using her magic to use our connection for information did. Especially after her shocking bouts with morning sickness, I really believed my sister had to have Kiran remind her constantly to use her magic.
She was adorably oblivious.
“This means everything to your people,” Gabriel all but whispered. “Your grandfather would have been….” Gabriel’s voice broke just a fraction and while my jaw dropped in surprise from his show of emotions, Eden’s instantly filled with huge tears that slipped from the corners of her eyes and trailed helplessly down her cheeks. She swiped at them with the back of her hands and the car swerved destructively across three lanes of interstate. “Amory would have been amazed.”
I wanted to roll my eyes at my sister’s dramatic emotions until Gabriel’s last words. I expected him to say “proud” or “pleased” or anything but “amazed.” His word choice filled the car with the same tone as his reverent awe and for the first time I sat back and admired what an incredible miracle Eden was carrying. After the sordid past of our people and the impossibility of the baby inside of her I had to agree. It was amazing. Eden was amazing.
If Eden and I carried a new kind of magic in our blood, what wonders did this tiny infant possess?
Beyond what this would mean for my people I had to admit the whole thing was exactly like Gabriel said, amazing.
Amelia’s hands gripped mine tighter and I realized she was as emotional as my sister. That snapped me back to reality and I put a comforting arm around her and drew her close to me. A feeling stuttered and started inside my chest and then flamed out, growing rapidly through every pore and blood vessel inside of me.
Jealousy.
Not the kind that would keep me from being happy for my sister and her husband, but the soft kind that blossomed hope. For the first time in my entire life I thought about what it would be like for my wife to be pregnant with that same miracle. I wanted that. I wanted what Eden and Kiran had. And not because of what it would do for my people, for the first time in maybe forever, I wanted my wife and me to have a baby because of what it would do for me…. for my wife…. for us.
Yes, I definitely wanted that.
And I had the undeniable feeling that I was already holding part of that in my arms.
----
“Hey there,” Sylvia called as she came into the kitchen from the living room. She was rumpled from sleep, her blonde hair sticking up wildly and her mascara smudged and black beneath her eyes.
“Hey there,” I echoed in a huge smile. I stood up and swept her into a big hug. “It’s been awhile.”
“No kidding,” she laughed when I set her back down. She immediately turned her back on me to give her undivided attention to the coffee pot that was gurgling with activity on the counter.
We were the only ones up so far. After a long night of talking things out with Kiran, planning an informational meeting and then the subsequent task of calling the Regents, most of the house was still asleep. I wasn’t a very good sleeper to begin with, but since I had given my bedroom up to Amelia, the couch was in no way convincing for a late morning.
“When did you get in last night?” I asked Sylvia who had been at the hospital the majority of yesterday.
“I’m not sure,” she grunted and then pulled the pot midstream to fill up her large cup. “Sometime after midnight but before now.”
I laughed at her candidness. “You didn’t want to sleep in?”
“I can’t. I have to go back to the hospital in an hour,” she explained and then took a sip of her coffee. I watched as the caffeine immediately went to work in her system and she relaxed against the counter. “It’s good to have everyone back here,” she mused suddenly.
“It’s good to be back here,” I agreed. While Omaha didn’t feel like home necessarily, it was still comfortable and familiar. Part of me couldn’t wait to hold a meeting at the club. After having been on the other side of the Monarchy the last time I was here, I was a little bit excited to take over the reins and test out my authority on this turf. “I’m glad I have you alone, Sylvia, I have a few things I need your help with.”
“Mmm? What’s that?” she asked, her eyes lighting up from behind her cup. She kept inhaling the aroma of the coffee like a serious addict. It was adorable.
“First, I’m sure you heard that Lilly and Talbott are engaged?” I asked.
“Yes, and how exciting!” she squealed. “Finally, right? You must be so excited for their wedding!”
“I am,” I admitted in a more subdued tone. Even though Eden looked up to Sylvia like a mother, she was only in her late-thirties and I had a very hard time taking her seriously as an adult, even with her prestigious surgeon status. She was just too cute. “I’m so excited in fact that I’ve decided to throw them an engagement party.”
I bit back laughter as I watched Sylvia’s eyes narrow in suspicion. “You decided to throw them an engagement party? Like of your own free will?”
“Yes, why? Is it hard to believe?” I scoffed defensively.
“No, it’s impossible to believe. You don’t like parties first of all, and I have a really hard time believing that you would willingly throw one,” she laughed.
“It wasn’t my original idea,” I conceded, “but it is important that I put my support behind their marriage. And not just in a business-standpoint kind of way. They are my friends. I do care about them. And I do want to celebrate this with
them.”
“Gabriel?” Syl asked and I shook my head negatively. “Angelica?”
“It wasn’t one of my advisors,” I grumbled, realizing the reason Sylvia was determined to get to the bottom of this.
“Your sister?” Sylvia all but squeaked, her smile growing wide over the lip of her cup.
I shook my head and bit back more laughter.
“Put me out of my misery Avalon, just tell me,” she groaned sounding completely exasperated.
“What is the big deal?” I sighed, staring at the ceiling as if it was the most interesting thing in the room although I was kind of dying to tell Syl.
“The big deal is that I have never even seen you look twice at a girl since I’ve known you,”
“What? You make me sound like a celibate monk. I’ve looked at girls,” I assured her. “Plenty of girls.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Syl shook her head enthusiastically, sending her tussled blonde hair whipping around her. “Of course you’ve looked at girls, but you’ve never really looked at them. I’m not explaining myself well…. Um, let’s see. You’ve always been duty and honor and destiny. I don’t think you’ve ever considered a relationship seriously with anyone. So this, Avalon, is a very big deal!”
“Whatever, it’s just a party,” I sighed.
“Exactly.”
I rolled my eyes and then gave in to girl talk. “Amelia…. it’s Amelia.”
Sylvia squealed in delight and set her cup down to give me a huge hug. And then she slowed down her enthusiasm, looked me in the eye with a pissed off expression and slapped my bicep angrily.
“What?” I grunted, rubbing the barely there sore spot on my arm.
“You’re really serious about this girl,” she accused, staring up at me with her big blue eyes.
I towered over her and she was tall for a girl, or er… woman. “I am.”
“Like marriage serious?” she pressed and when I raised my eyebrows at her she explained. “I know how your kind works. You’re like penguins when you fall in love.”
“Penguins?” I laughed.
“Ugh,” she grunted without explaining her animal metaphor further. “That’s so annoying.” She marched back over to her coffee cup and took a sip like it was a much needed hit.
“So… you’re not happy for me?” I pretended to pout, finding her way more entertaining than offensive.
“No, I’m happy for you,” she sighed sounding anything but. “Why wouldn’t I be happy for you? You’re only half my age and in love and going to get married and have lots of little royal babies and live happily ever after and blah blah blah….”
“Syl?” I whispered, concerned for the first time.
“Oh gosh, Avalon I’m sorry,” Sylvia grumbled, her cheeks heating with embarrassment. “I swear I’m having a midlife crisis. Or like a uh, my-life-is-going-nowhere-I’m-so-alone kind of crisis.”
“Oh, Syl,” I sighed and pulled her back into a hug. I wrapped my arms around her and squished her to me, coffee cup and all. “You know you’re seriously hot, right?” She giggled against my chest. “Not even lying. You say I never looked at girls, but I was half in love with you for like two full years of my life.”
“You were not in love with me! Love and lust are two very different things,” she screeched and then finally hugged me back. “Stop trying to make me feel better. Ok, I know I’m a catch. I just haven’t found the right net yet.”
“Net?” I barked out a laugh. “Is that what the kids are calling it these days?”
She laughed at me and then moved back to lean against the counter. “Ok, so you need my help planning this engagement party for kids that are way too young to be getting married?”
I smiled at her playful lack of enthusiasm. “Yes, please.”
“You said a couple things, what else is there?”
Movement on the stairs alerted the fact that we were about to have company. I really did need her help and with both of our busy schedules I wasn’t sure when I’d get her alone to ask her again. So I lifted my ring finger and pointed to the spot where a wedding band would one day be.
She mouthed her disbelief, her eyes growing big but this time they filled with utterly happy emotions.
I smiled and nodded proudly.
She quietly spun around in a crazy little happy dance and then leaned casually back against the counter just in time to greet Eden and Kiran.
We gave each other knowing looks over breakfast and I was so thrilled with our little conspiracy I was practically buzzing with excess energy.
Although that could have also had something to do with my plan finally being put into motion.
And I definitely ignored the part of my brain that rolled its eyes at my use of the word “finally” since I decided this all of three days ago.
Chapter Thirty-Two
“Kiran are you coming with us today?” Sylvia asked my brother in law over eggs and toast.
“Yes,” Kiran answered decidedly.
“Ok, but then Amelia and I are going shopping,” Eden warned Kiran. “My brother somehow managed to bring her into this country without any clothes of her own.
“Well played, Avalon,” Kiran smirked at us from over his cup of coffee. Amelia blushed deep red beside me and I chuckled while silently wishing it were more like that. “Eden, Love, you’re not going to get rid of me. I am desperate to know you’re Ok and that our baby is as well.” Kiran was so firm, so determined that the rest of us fell silent under the intensity blanketing the room.
“I’m fine,” Eden all but whispered. She was already tearing up and I regretfully felt the press of her emotions against my own. “And our baby is fine.”
“I want to see it,” Kiran said softly but with the subtle command of a king.
“Ok,” Eden whispered her consent, a lone tear drop slipping from the corner of her eye.
“Eden, I swear, if I cry because of your crazy pregnancy hormones I will never forgive you,” I growled. I did my best to separate her emotions from my own, which was not easy with her so close and overwhelmingly sensitive.
She giggled through a sob and Kiran brought her against his chest, wrapping both arms around her back. She hiccupped another sob and buried her face against him, letting her unruly hair fall around her face to hide some of her embarrassment. Being connected to Eden right now was like the worst, most unsatisfying roller-coaster ride of my life. I was possibly the first man in the history of mankind that had to endure the terrifying and volatile journey that was pregnancy.
It was awful.
Women everywhere deserved medals just for being able to survive the hormones.
And I deserved the freaking Nobel Peace Prize.
Although enduring morning sickness and being constantly on the verge of tears were definitely not things I ever planned on bragging about.
Ever.
“Is everything Ok with the pregnancy?” Amelia asked from beside me, her own voice trembling slightly with nerves.
“Everything is fine,” Sylvia explained with somewhat strained patience, which made me doubt her. I leveled my eyes with her and she raised her eyebrows defensively. “We are a little concerned with the strength of Eden’s morning sickness, only because you all don’t get sick. And from all of the other Immortal women we’ve talked to morning sickness is completely unheard of. So although that might be a bit concerning, it’s not a bad sign. It is a symptom; therefore we are not looking at something like miscarriage since it seems to be fairly consistent. We also cannot do any blood tests, for obvious reasons. At least not here, in Omaha.” Sylvia concluded sounding very much like the doctor she was.
“I didn’t know you were still feeling nauseous,” I accused Eden, turning my serious stare to her.
“I have been trying to keep it from you,” she admitted sheepishly.
“Thank you,” I returned, realizing I was happy I didn’t’ know about it.
“And you’re sure there is nothing to worry about?” Amelia press
ed, her face a bit whiter after the news.
“We’re going to do our first ultrasound this morning. We were a bit early to hear the heartbeat last time, so I’m hoping the ultrasound will tell us more today,” Syl finished up her breakfast and took her dishes to the sink.
“You’ll call as soon as you find out anything? Or even nothing?” I asked Eden gently.
“Yes, I’ll call,” she confirmed from still inside Kiran’s arms. “And then I’ll pick you up to go shopping, yeah?” she turned her gaze to Amelia.
“Sounds great,” Amelia replied. “Thanks again for the outfit Sylvia.”
“Oh please,” Eden answered for her. “I used to go shopping in there all the time. Aunt Syl doesn’t keep very good inventory on the glorious stash she hoards.”
“I don’t hoard,” Sylvia huffed.
“Oh really?” Eden laughed, snapping out of her crying funk. “Then what do you call a shopping addiction when you spend eighty percent of your time in scrubs?”
“Stockpiling with style?” Sylvia grinned smugly and we all burst out laughing.
“I’m calling an intervention,” Eden announced light-heartedly.
“Speaking of scrubs, I better go get dressed so we can go,” Sylvia moved to the doorway. “Avalon, I can take off for a couple hours this afternoon. Do you want to meet while the girls are off shopping this afternoon? We could check out some venues?” Sylvia’s eyes twinkled when she said “venue” and I knew she was actually talking about ring shopping, but I was all on board with that agenda.
“Yes, that sounds like a great idea,” I nodded and then sent her a look that told her to cool it with the enthusiasm. She didn’t cool it, but winked at me before padding through the living room and up the stairs to her bedroom.
“Venues?” Kiran asked carefully as if he hadn’t heard us right.
“Yeah, for Talbott’s engagement party,” I explained simply.
“You’re not going to use the club?” he asked and I kind of wish I shared the stupid mind meld with him so I could tell him to shut up.
“I haven’t decided yet,” I replied cryptically. It was the truth; the Club was the obvious solution to our space problem. I mean with the number of Immortals we would have gathered in the same space our magic was bound to ripple through downtown Omaha and I wanted it contained and as underground as I could get it. But I also didn’t want to give into something the Kendrick family set up and was still associated so strongly with their rule and monarchial ties.
The Reluctant King (The Star-Crossed Series) Page 26
