Pat and Suzie were met with hugs and tipsy kisses, barraged with well-wishes, given drinks, and dragged into the main room, where the tree glowed, the candles were lit, and the presents waited.
The children were allowed to go first; Charlie got a rattle and teethy rings, which he chewed and shook while Lilah tore open a lovely selection of gifts, including a doll, jewelry, a framed picture of Veronica and Simon, a rhinestone collar for General (who sat on the heat vent, squinting at them), an artist’s kit, and a fur muff. Lilah thanked everyone graciously, but Simon could tell she was confused. All these had cost money; her father had told her that the best one had been free. He took pity on her, finally, and handed her a small, flat package.
“Is this it, Daddy?” she asked, looking rather unimpressed.
“That’s it, Angel. Open it up.” The whole room watched, silent, as Lilah peeled back the paper, and stared at the strange sheet of paper in her hand. “What is it, Daddy?”
Simon grinned. Juliana gasped, and Suzie looked sharply toward her elder daughter. “That’s called an ultrasound, honey. It’s a picture of your baby brother or sister. We don’t know which.”
Lilah’s eyes widened, and she stared from Simon to Veronica and back again. “A baby sister? Or brother? Oh, DADDY!” She stood up and ran to him, bestowing the greatest hug she’d ever given him. “It’s what I wanted the MOST! When will it get here? How long will it take?” she asked, causing much laughter in the room. She continued to pepper Simon with questions, and over her shoulder Simon saw Suzie and Juliana hugging his wife, who was shedding tears of happiness.
Charlie, in the meantime, had half rolled, half crawled to Lilah, and had begun to nibble on her toe.
Pat saw it, smiled and pointed. “He may not be a Lassiter, but he knows the Lassiter Response! Lilah, girl, watch out!”
Lilah laughed with everyone else, Charlie grinned at her with his four teeth, and then proceeded to gum her foot again. He didn’t stop until his mother picked him up and carried him out of the room, bound for snuggly pajamas and bed.
Lilah looked after him and sighed. “I hope a man does fall in love with me someday,” she said to her father.
Simon nodded, holding Veronica’s hand. “I’m sure he will, and before I’m ready. But I fell in love with you the moment I saw you, Lilah Rose Fairchild Lassiter. So you were my first love, and Veronica is my second.”
Lilah liked the sound of that.
The End
Love, Lust, and The Lassiters Page 18
