by Emma Knox
Even with the chuckling…and the thank you…and my sleeping time gone, he still ended up charging me the same price. “That’s a nice place you got there?”
“It’s my mates.”
“Ah. Listen, I hate to be charging you so much after the sat-nav faltered. So, I promise to give you a discount the next time you have to leave and visit an airport. I can give you my card.” He dug it out his pocket and presented it to me: Andy’s cabs. The contact number was above the name of the service. “Call me. Do you think you’ll be staying in Juneau long?”
“What makes you ask me that?”
“You have that wayward spirit when you talk. I can’t see you hanging around here for too long.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Andy. I plan to make Juneau my permanent place of residence. So, you’ll be seeing my face a whole lot more.”
And the next who got to see my face was…
“You’re early.” I had no idea who she was. “I’m Liza. And Robbie wasn’t expecting you back so soon.”
“Have I missed something? Should I go back to the airport and come again?”
Liza beamed with her beige cargos that came to her knees. And those knees were door knobs that connected her legs like the meeting point of a sand clock. Her elbows were the same hitting her waist. She wasn’t unbearably skinny, but she could use more than just greens in her diet. And her upper body gave the appearance of a gecko lizard with the cranium tilting off the neck.
I spotted that she had dark eyes which were just as probing as Robbie’s if you didn’t want access to intensity. No older than twenty, and pretty…but in her own way. “Robbie said I have to keep you in the doggy pool. Seriously, those were his words. So I can’t let you in yet, so we might as well go for a walk before he gets back.”
“Robbie’s not here?”
“He went to get something. Not sure. Robbie never gives me all the details. He just phones me up and hurls out instructions for me to grab onto.”
“You did pretty well. I know Robbie can be brief.”
“Too brief.”
We agreed on that, and Liza locked the door and off we walked.
Liza was a computer technician and came to Fairbanks when she had gotten a job offer. “The only reason I came to Juneau is because, at the time, Terry wanted me to be close by. He was big on family.”
I had no issue with hearing about Terry. Even if it was Robbie’s former husband.
“He said he could get me work easily so I came over and boom he wasn’t fibbing. And that’s like…way early when he was…you don’t mind me speaking about Terry, do you?”
“Not at all. It’s actually quite interesting to get to know Robbie’s past,” I gave her an earnest answer.
And she was happy to continue. “Cool. So, yeah, that’s when I met Robbie way-way back. And, we sort of just got along like we were actual blood. I find him very secretive, but he has no care in sharing his mind.”
“How did you deal with Terry’s passing when it happened?”
“I have to be honest, and say, it was more Robbie who I was worried for. Yeah it hurt, but, to lose a husband and a child at once… I was over here all the time though when the funeral happened for Lucas and Terry.”
“There were no bodies, right?”
“Yeah. It was weird to bury clothes alone. But we had to do something for them. And Robbie needed closure. It was only me and him that attended the funeral. He wanted it private. We did invite Paul, but he couldn’t attend because he was out the country. The nice thing about that day was the stonemason didn’t charge Robbie much because he heard the news and wanted to be the first to say that it was tragic to not know what happened to a child and Alpha.”
Me and Liza got lost together in that tragedy. But it wasn’t sadness. I knew that I would provide Robbie with a fresh beginning and so did Liza. We walked further than we wanted to, even though it was a straight walking path and then onto an offbeat track from the main road.
We took it, and it led me and Liza into the direction where I had stopped with Robbie on my cruiser. I felt like I was traipsing on ice that had melted by the snow, and a few times I almost slipped. We had to help each other out, and I had to stop near a tree to tie my laces for fear of falling on my glutes.
“I now understand why nobody takes this route to the creek.” The start of purple bushes that looked like jasmines were visible against the vast colour of snow-white. “We don’t have to go all the way up there, Sean. We can head back.”
“It’s quite cold, but, is Robbie back yet?”
Liza checked her phone and her mouth opened to say, “I got a text! Robbie said he’ll be back in ten minutes. He doesn’t know you are here. Should I tell him you couldn’t come again?”
“Strange that he didn’t text me. My phone is working fine.”
Liza was just as secretive as her cousin. But as we were so close by to Robbie’s house we continued to the start of the creek and the faint running of the water.
“I keep telling myself to stay here in Juneau and leave Fairbanks behind. But there’s so much memories that I can’t get rid of when I come out.”
“I never used to stay out here long enough. It was Mark that kept bringing me back.”
“Who’s Mark?”
“My cousin—”
“Oh!”
I sniggered at her reaction. “You don’t know him, do you?”
“No. I had the feeling you were unattached…family-wise.”
“Ha!” That took the chill out my spine. “I have family I visit in Anchorage. My dad has a brother and that’s how me and Mark are connected. We grew up together and he’s always felt responsible for my behaviour in life.”
“Robbie gave me an outline on what that was.”
“And your opinion?”
“I like it. I love to roam and move around when I can. If I had the option and finance, I’d never settle for more than a few months in various destinations.”
“I think, Liza, that you and I are going to be two steaks on a grill cooking evenly.”
She nodded with her well-kept teeth revealed. “What’s your thoughts on being a father?”
“I sort of see it like a new motorcycle: I’m going to take the very best care of it.”
“I know you will.” Liza checked her mobile again. “Let’s head back. Robbie’s panicking and wants to know why he can’t get through to your phone.”
“Surprise!”
When Liza and I entered into Robbie’s living room, I was met with an Omega that I didn’t know — who came over to shake my hand. There was a small banner that swooped like a horseshoe with the text: Welcome to your new home! And then Robbie and me, at the same time, embraced like we hadn’t seen each other for centuries. And the closed mouth kiss was unbreakable between us.
We both forgot about the guests! But they started to speak with each other as me and Robbie kissed…and kissed… and found that we had to kiss some more. When Robbie pulled away first, he opened up his palm that I noticed was clenched in a fist the whole time and revealed a key.
“I think this belongs to you? I found it in a shop.”
I took the key; walked to the front door and closed it; and then locked it before reopening it again with the three of them amused at me doing that. “I just had to make sure it wasn’t a dud.”
“You think I’d trick you so badly like that?”
“It’s a joke I would’ve pulled on you.”
Liza and Paul scoff lightly and then went back inside. But Robbie came out because I had to go and check on my cruiser. “I’ll be in soon Robbie, I just want to check on my lady.”
“I think it’s all good. I made sure I cleaned it.”
I looked to his stomach. “All I wanted you to do was rest. That was a joke that you didn’t get.”
His stomach had grown large. But Robbie remained slender in his back and still well dressed in his noir shirt — that was three sizes bigger — and midnight blue joggers that had ex
panded.
“You need to listen to me more often.”
“I’m wholesome, and still able to beat a duck. So, stop worrying about me.”
“Our little one in there needs you to be in the best shape ever!”
“And I am! It won’t be long now until you’ll see the results of how well I’ve taken care of things. And plus, you forget I have experience.”
“I know.” I rubbed his cheeks with a brief touch. “I’m still waiting for my home in California to sell.”
“Wow. That’s been over two months now. What’s holding off the offers?”
“Location, maybe? Who knows? It’s been mainly single Alphas bidding and they want a special bargain from me.”
“Is it a bachelor’s pad? Why single Alphas?”
“I have to scratch my head on that one, Robbie. No idea. It just has that calling to it. I hardly have anything in there in terms of furniture and personal belongings. When I found those blacks bags and stuffed my clothes into them, I was shocked at how little I have.”
“An Alpha that doesn’t come with baggage is a great start for me.”
“I’m just nervous about it selling. I wanted to have that all cleaned up. And then visit my parents before coming back here. But…nothing’s gone to plan. And you aren’t far-off now. Is it two more months?”
“It could be sooner the doctor said. If you need to see your dad, then go. I don’t want you sulking on me.”
“I need to see him. So, he can—”
The thing with Robbie, was Liza was right: he really could be secretive to the point of giving you a heart attack when he revealed a hidden motive. A cab pulled up…and he walked over to open the door for the passenger who got out. A man who I knew. Who I loved. And who I paced over to greet as my father!
We sat in the kitchen as Robbie, Liza, and Paul, conversed on the sofas about the Beta movement who had made a tremendous change in the output of that last meeting a few months ago. But I tuned them out and focused on my dad who looked well. He was my twin: hair sandy and crimped, with some grey running down one strand of hair only. He had to put it in a ponytail because when he let it hang; it would fall over both his eyes.
And he was always a fan of t-shirts that could fit a twelve-year-old…no offence Dad. But they were tight, with him having to tug it down to cover the beginning of his crotch. And they had a message on there like I eat it metal. He wasn’t a heavy metal star, but he could carry an electric guitar and the Omegas would ask if he was single.
His gut and chest were thickly developing because muscle used to be there, but he got lazy. Lazier than me who needed to hit the bench press. “We both need to start push-ups again, Dad.”
“I got no time for that anymore. All I do is find myself following in the footsteps of my own son.”
“You took on the mechanics yourself then?”
“Yeah. I’ve had to! And I’m starting to love it.”
“You saved money as well. How’s Tia?”
“She’s going to school like she’s supposed to. And keeps asking after you. I told her Sean’s gone and gotten himself a nice-looking Omega. You did well with Robbie. And he’s the type that can certainly keep you coming back for more.”
“That’s not why I’m with him.”
“It’s part of the reason why you’re here though, son.”
“Dad, I’ve changed since we’ve last seen each other.”
“If you say so, Sean. But you can’t tell me that Robbie doesn’t have that effect on you.”
“Robbie has the complete opposite effect on me. I want to run, and that’s why I stay. He makes me feel like my perception of how I am is acceptable. No Omega has been able to walk on my thread and yarn it into a safety net for me. Robbie’s not only done that he’s…he’s shown me that all these years…all I’ve ever needed to find was the right kangaroo pouch.
“You stole that line from me when—”
“I wanted you to feel connected to the situation.”
“Ha. I do. When Robbie contacted me, I wasn’t sure what to make of you moving to Juneau for good.”
“Put that aside for now, Dad, how the hell did he find your number? I’m going to have to ask him.”
“Accountants have ways.”
“I bet it was when I gave him the paperwork for my home in California, so he could give me another quote and estimation of its value. You were a guarantee-er, and I had your contact number and email on there.”
“I like how Robbie operates.”
Robbie came into the kitchen with three empty glasses in his hand. He let me and my dad continue talking, which went on until Liza came in and interrupted us to make a toast to my moving in date with Robbie.
“I’d like for us to drink our non-alcoholic beverage to Sean and Robbie who’ll be expecting a baby in a few months.” She then made another toast, but we used white wine for that one and went out to the front of the home to look out across the landscape which was a honey-rich orange and red.
My dad had put the pieces together on a pregnancy, but when he congratulated me it was like he had only heard the news. “Congratulations, Sean and Robbie.”
I had my own flabbergast up my sleeves and I knew that this would get Robbie back for sending my body into a lack of oxygen.
I took him away from everyone and spoke with him. “I want to seal the deal with you.”
“We did that on the first night we met!”
“Who’s the comedian now?”
His corneas became glossy and soft as he peered at me. They were like condensed water. “I love you, Robbie.”
“And I love you. That’s why I want to bite your neck and make it fated. Because this…right here, and right now, is the most perfect opportunity for us to give our kid a signal that we are in this for lifetime. I never thought I would use those words, but here I stand before you wanting to do it.”
Robbie brushed his neck off for me, but there was no need as it was clean. I saved that joke for another time and bit him. We had become one.
Chapter 12
Sean
“The sale of my home in California is finalized!” I had told Robbie this on the phone as I cruised faster than sixty-five miles-per-hour to get there in time. I didn’t want to miss it. And when I reached the hospital I almost forgot my helmet: which I went back for…then found that I hadn’t secured my bike and taken the key.
And usually I threw my grey motorbike cover over just for safety, which I did, and then ran a few yards to the automated doors that opened-sesame for me, but then went back to my bike to check if my gloves were on the seat. I’m a mess! And Robbie…I ran back inside the hospital and spoke to an Asian lady with very oval glasses, who couldn’t hide the oddity of seeing a shifter because her eyes were shaped to not accept anything at face value. She was the non-shifting hater.
“I’m looking for the pregnancy wing?”
Her accent was a strong Canadian. “You can find that on the third level. Take the lift which is down the corridor and a first left.”
I was a wreck clinging onto my mobile phone that Robbie only just hung up on. I high-tailed it down the corridor whilst trying to call him back, but no reply after three tries.
When I reached the lift the same lady who was seriously short had my helmet and gloves in her hand. “I’ve been chasing and calling you. These are your things!”
“Oh, thank you!” I took them from her, just in time to see the number on the elevator reach to zero — with the opened door and a few people who got out. I tabbed at number three and the door closed moments later; with the green arrow going up as my slanted head looked at the quickening number change: one…two…and then three!
I got out; ran past a palm tree with a vase the colour of Jupiter and saw Liza.
“Hey, Liza.”
“Sean, glad you’re here! Robbie’s gone into labour and he’s been calling you useless but laughing at the same time. I think he knew you’d be late.”
We walked and talked r
apidly with Liza in front and twisting her neck like I needed to hear every single detail. “It’s been real smooth. I know you might be a little squeamish at first. What with not being the sort to witness a—”
I stopped her there. Or I stopped in my tracks and Liza turned to see that the space between us was vast.
“Don’t worry about it!” She came trailing back to collect me. “All you have to do is hold Robbie’s hand and pretend that you’re loving every moment of it.”
“That’s all I need to do? No…nothing…”
“Hold his hand, and then let him squeeze the shit out of your blood circulation. He’ll thank you very nicely later for that.”
We got back to pacing and soon I was outside the door; bursting into the labour room and mentioning once again, “The sale of my Californian house is finalized!”
Robbie drowned that all out with his yells that came close to being shot in the groin.
His face was contorted and unrecognizably red as I ran to his bedside and fought the passing-out-symptom from hearing, ‘Push…push…push!’ Then the baby’s head popped out! And my stomach did the thump…thump…eurghhh! And my hand started to go more numb than ice placed on a pink tongue. But Robbie was in need, and my pain was secondary to his which lasted for so long that I started to think I would join him on that bed and share his turmoil.
I got on the bed next to him, but the doctor said to give him as much room as possible. “Won’t me being on that bed help him?”
“Sean, stay off the flipping bed and give me your hand!”
“Which one?”
“Any!”
I glared at what was now two empty gloves instead of hands. “I think they’re both suited for a burial! Robbie, take my sneakers instead?” I literally offered my right leg to him.
“Enough of the jokes and give me your arm!”
I had made him snigger with that one. But my upper arm and body were fighting to stay upright as Robbie had to give the last of his contractions a boot with his sweatiness, cries of pain, and intense groans that filled every room of the hospital ring.
