Deadly Expectations (28 page)

Your turn.
I got up and sat in front of her.
 
She started at the ends, working out the sleepy tangles.
 
The tips of the bristles were soft as they moved over my skin.

Uncle Ray said that you’re unique.
 
Nothing like they had ever seen.
 
He told me how you can travel, about the soldier you remember who helped you with what you were meant to do.

Somehow I have my father’s gift … to remember.
 
As strong as his.
 
Uncle Ray helped me understand.
 
But I don’t know if you will keep yours.
 
We’ll find you again but you could just be the way my father remembered you before.
 
I could just be your friend.
 
You may never know me as your daughter.

She sniffled and the brush paused as she wiped her eyes.

This could be the only time we have.

She picked some of the little purple flowers around us and put them in my hair.
 
They were the same colour as her dress.
 
She lay down in the grass then and I lay down to face her.
 
Paul’s green eyes sparkled at me from under my own familiar lids.

You went away for a while, after you and my father were married.
 
To find out what your gifts meant.
 
It was hard on him.
 
Very hard.

Uncle Ray said you went to stop my father-in-law.
 
She paused as my face showed my surprise
.
 
My husband … the man you know as Damian is his biological father.
 
You had to stop him.
 
He had divided the family … caused us so much pain over the long years.

You can’t let my father interfere with the work before you.
 
He will try.
 
He loves you so much,
she said
.
 
You told Ray that’s what cost you your lives before you passed.
 
He’ll forgive whatever you have to do to keep him away.

If you do it alone … we might all see spring here together,
she smiled at me and put her hand on my face, like her father did, running her thumb over my cheek bone
.

I will.
 
I told her.
 
I will.

We fell asleep on the shore of the pond together, warm in the afternoon sun, listening to each other breathe in the sweet air.

Chapter 26

I woke up from my dream alone in Paul’s room, determined to get the help the woman in the mirror told me to get.
 
Paul said I’d found him just by wishing.
 
Maybe I could find the answers I needed the same way.

I showered and dressed.
 
Part way downstairs to fill the big empty space in my stomach I heard a woman’s voice and Paul’s voice saying ‘Mom.’
 
I stopped in my tracks.
 
Paul’s parents were here … they knew nothing about me.
 
I had to talk to Paul before I went down so I crept back upstairs and slammed one of the doors in the hallway.
 
Then I went to sit on the bed to wait for him.
 
It wasn’t long before he came up.

“Welcome back Sugar,” he said.
 
I stood to hug him.

“Hi Paul,” I smiled back.
 
“How long was I asleep?”

“Four days … you got yourself to the bathroom but it was like we weren’t here,” he swayed gently back and forth holding me and kissed my head.
 
“I knew you’d wake up eventually but it was a long wait.
 
I missed you.”

“I missed you too.”

I noticed he had taken his weapons off.
 
“We get the all clear or is there another reason you’re under dressed?”

He sighed.
 
“My parents came up to surprise Josh and me … Ray and I had to stash them behind the sofa.
 
I make excuses if they call ahead … usually doing something I can’t tell them about.
 
Regardless, I had it coming.
 
I’ve gotten used to keeping most of everything I do from them.
 
I don’t always remember when there are things I do need to tell them.”

I looked down at what I was wearing.
 
Plain dark colours.
 
Gun.
 
I hadn’t realized how much I’d been dressing like Paul and his men until I needed to think about meeting his parents.
 
I’d picked up a couple of more feminine things in
Reno
; I wasn’t sure why at the time but I was glad now that I did.
 
I put my gun in a drawer and changed into white pants and a dark pink short sleeved shirt.
 
It had a low neck with a wide ruffled collar and a tie in the back to adjust the size of the front.
 
Then I ran the brush through my hair one last time.

“There,” I said.
 
“Presentable?”

“Beautiful as always,” he said.
 
“I haven’t told them about you and Mom hasn’t noticed my ring.
 
Guess it’s fair to surprise them back.”

His mother and father were speaking with Ray when we got downstairs.
 
They stopped when we came in unsure what to make of me.
 
His mother looked at my face, my stomach, the rings on my hand I hadn’t hidden, at Paul and then back to me.
 
She was quick.
 
But she didn’t say anything.

“This is my Anna,” Paul said.
 
“My parents, Ron and Camille.”

I knew the names from my dream.
 
They might spend the last few years of their lives raising the child that was still inside me.

“
Your
Anna?”
 
She looked at Paul.
 
“Would it have killed you to pick up the phone to tell me you have an Anna?”

“No Mom,” Paul said and I imagined his feet shuffling behind me.
 
His father shook his head behind her, the poorly hidden smile on his face in stark contrast to her well hidden one, if she had one at all.

“Anna,” she said.
 
“I hope my son’s inability to call his parents doesn’t reflect badly on him.
 
He’s a good boy.”

I reached back to hold Paul’s hand.
 
“Yes he is,” I agreed.

“So are you the woman who is going to settle him down?” she asked.
 
Right to the point.
 
I got the impression that as much as she wanted her boys married off she still had final say.
 
“You’ve known each other long?”

“He’s been my competition for the past couple of years.
 
We’ve known each other professionally for a while … and started spending more time together this past spring.”

“I see,” she pursed her lips just I’d seen Paul do as she turned her intimidating stare to him.
 
“Anything else you haven’t told us?”

I squeezed his hand.
 
He looked up at the ceiling and sighed.
 
“We eloped in
Reno
two weeks ago,” he said.
 
“And we’re expecting.”

She squealed, charging with her arms out and hugged me pulling me away from Paul her firm demeanour gone.
 
She was almost as tall as me.
 
His father was almost as tall as his him.
 
I could see where Paul and Joshua got the tall genes from.
 
“We are so happy!
 
I thought my boys would be bachelors for the rest of their lives.
 
Do you have a sister you could introduce to my poor Joshua?”

“I do, but you would never get her away from the hospital she doctors at in
Toronto
.
 
But maybe if Joshua wanted to move I could arrange something …”

“Ah, I’ll get to work on that right away,” she said.
 
“My Ronald is a doctor too.
 
It would be wonderful to have another one in the family.
 
I wish I had a daughter I could marry off to Ray …”

She was going on to Paul’s father now.
 
“Do you think they’d mind if I sneak off to the kitchen?”
 
I whispered to Paul.

“Go ahead if you don’t mind her following you.”

In the kitchen I found plenty to warm up in the fridge.
 
Paul was right.
 
She was right behind me, chatting away.
 

I yawned as she paused for air.
 
“I’d probably sleep better at night if I didn’t sleep half the day too.
 
I guess it will get worse before it gets better.
 
Still have half way to go.”

“Half way … my goodness.
 
You know we still have a bunch of Paul and Joshua’s old toys and things.
 
Are you going to find out what it is?” she asked.

I nodded.
 
My mouth was full.
 

“We have,” I told her.

“What?” she asked and moved to the edge of her seat.

“You’ll have to ask Paul,” I told her.
 
“I’m fine with telling but I don’t know how he feels about it.
 
He might want to surprise everyone.”

“Paul,” she called as she hurried out of the kitchen to get her way and I could hear her exclaiming in the common room.

“A girl!
 
My goodness!
 
She’s the last woman to marry in to the Richards line!”

She went on for the next two hours.
 
All about my family, Paul’s family.
 
She was disappointed that we weren’t moving closer but they could spend a lot more time here in a few years when Ronald retired.

As she went on I became distracted.
 
She would raise my daughter if I couldn’t stop Paul from helping me with whatever I had to do in the next few months.
 
Hurting Paul would be terrible but I had to believe whatever it was I faced was coming whether I got ready for it or not.
 
I planned to go that night.
 
I would jump the four-fifty I’d fixed up and would hopefully find what I needed.

After his parents left I went back to the kitchen for more food.
 
Ray and Paul joined me.
 
Paul had brought up a cold six pack from downstairs and they each had a bottle.
 

“My dad says that’s the first real peace he’s gotten this whole trip,” Paul said.
 
“You’re brave for taking on my mother for that long.”

I shrugged.
 
“If you just let her talk she seems to entertain herself.
 
How did they get past the gate?”

Paul smiled.
 
“Everyone here knows what my parents look like.
 
Gate radios in … everyone hides.”

“I hope Camille doesn’t find out about that,” I told him.

“Me too.”

“Paul,” I asked.
 
“Are you sure I was up there the whole time?
 
I had such a vivid dream and I slept so long, I wonder if I disappeared somewhere for a while … maybe it was just a dream.
 
I don’t feel any bigger.”