Soulsearch (Teen Paranormal Romance Series) (The Soulmate Series: Teen Paranormal Romance Book 2) (18 page)

“I want to hear all about it, from all of you,” Jessica declared, leading her passel into the kitchen.
 
“But first, is anyone hungry?”

chapter twelve

The teens were chattering like chipmunks as they left Jessica Reynolds’ house and headed for Paige’s.
 
They still didn’t have the answers they were looking for, but they believed without a doubt that Michael Andrews did.
 
He was the father of both of Jessica’s children, he was mysterious and secretive and obviously lived a double life, and they knew he had to be the key to understanding everything.
 
Now, if only they could find him.

None of them could believe that Jessica didn’t even know where Michael lived.
 
Last she knew, he had a place somewhere in New York, but she had never been there and didn’t know anything about it.
 
They didn’t really understand her complicated relationship with him, why she didn’t either kick him out for good or try to make him stay.
 
They seriously doubted the integrity of a guy who showed up only every few years, looking for a booty call, but Jessica seemed infatuated with him — so much so, she had never given herself a chance to find someone better.

They planned to do some internet snooping that evening, but other than driving to New York and visiting every Michael Andrews listed in the phone book, there was little they could do but wait for him to respond to their call, which hadn’t happened during the two hours they had spent at Jessica’s house, telling her all about their lives and learning what little she could tell them about the man who was Cody and Rider’s biological father.
 

When they arrived at Paige’s house, the four lined up on Paige’s bed with her laptop between them and started googling Michael Andrews, but all they found was a famous musician, a tailor, and a whole bunch of nobodies they had no way of sorting through.
 
They knew what he looked like based on the photos Jessica had shown them, but even an image search came up empty.
 
They were about to give up their search and head to Sundae’s for some creamy consolation when Zach’s phone buzzed.

“Hi, Mom,” he answered, and within seconds the smile on his face dissolved into a look of concern.

“What’s wrong, Zach?” Paige asked as soon as he ended the call.

“It’s my uncle Marco; he had a heart attack and he’s in the hospital.”

“Oh my God, Zach!
 
Is he gonna be okay?”

“I don’t know; I hope so.
 
I have to go see him, Paige,” Zach decided, scooting himself off the bed.

“I’ll go with you,” Paige offered, jumping up and grabbing her bag.
 

Zach gave her a curious look.
 
“You’d do that?”

“Unless you don’t want me…” Paige dropped her head, feeling rude for assuming the role of his comforter.

“No, of course I want you!
 
I just didn’t think you’d want to interrupt your time with your friends to go see my family in the hospital,” Zach explained, impressed with her concern.

“You guys don’t mind, do you?” Paige asked, glancing at Rachel and Rider.

“Not at all,” Rachel assured, and Rider nodded in agreement.

“We won’t stay long.
 
I just have to see him, you know?” Zach replied, nervous lines etched across his face.

A few minutes later, Zach and Paige were racing towards the hospital, interlocked hands and a terse silence between them.
 
“So tell me about your family,” Paige asked, trying to take Zach’s mind off his anxiety.
 

“My parents and my aunt and uncle have always been really close, since they’re twins and all,” Zach explained.
 
“We spent a lot of time at their house when I was growing up.
 
Still do, actually.”

“Do you have any cousins?”

“Almost too many to count!” Zach chuckled, his eyes lighting up at the memory of them.
 
“And they all think it’s the coolest thing in the world that their dad owns an ice cream shop.
 
I think they eat ice cream every single day.
 
They run around that shop like monkeys sometimes, their faces covered in hot fudge and sprinkles.
 
I’m always chasing after them, trying to keep them from rubbing their sticky hands on every surface!”

Paige laughed at the image he described and she had a sudden vision of him as a grown man, chasing their own children around.
 
It shocked her, but she liked it.
 
Could she see herself spending the rest of her life with Zach and Cody?
 
It wasn’t that hard to imagine.
 
“They sound like fun.
 
I can’t wait to meet them.
 
Did your aunt and uncle always want to have a lot of kids?”

“I think so.
 
When my mom had me, my aunt was practically a second mother to me.
 
She and my mom are so close, she spent practically all her time over at our house, hanging out with us.
 
I think my uncle realized he better give her some kids of her own if he ever wanted her to stay at home, but once she started having them, she never wanted to stop!”

“Your uncle didn’t want that many kids?”

“Oh, no, he didn’t mind.
 
He’s great with them.”

What about you?” She asked, suddenly desperate to know.
 
“Do you want to have a lot of kids someday?”

Caught off guard by the change in her tone of voice, Zach gulped as he realized the seriousness of her question.
 
This wasn’t just another random bit of small talk, meant to distract him from his worries.
 
This was a girl thinking about her future.
 
Did Paige really care enough about him to be contemplating a life together?
 
Overwhelmed by the implications, Zach stumbled over his answer.
 
“I….I guess, I’ve never really thought about it.
 
What about you?”

“I wouldn’t mind having a few kids,” Paige replied, thoughtfully, “but I think I’d like to travel a little bit first — explore, see the world, you know?”

“That sounds fun,” Zach smiled as he imagined traveling the world with Paige at his side.
 
Even a motorhome tour of the Upper Peninsula — the only vacation his family ever took — would be exciting if Paige were included.
 
He could imagine her dragging him and a slew of kids to visit places like the world’s biggest ball of yarn and making it seem like an exotic adventure.
 
He laughed as he pictured it, but inside he could feel Cody’s displeasure.

Cody burned with envy as he listened to Zach and Paige joke about a future together.
 
How could they be so nonchalant about something he longed for every day?
 
Sure, having Paige around had changed everything for the better for him and Zach, but he was still just an outsider, a spectator in their relationship, a third wheel so useless it couldn’t even touch the ground.
 
As Paige gazed lovingly into Zach’s eyes, Cody desperately tried to make her see through them to him, but her attention was focused solely on Zach, and Cody realized that’s the way it would always be, unless he found a way to change it.

When they arrived at the hospital, Paige wrapped her arms around Zach’s waist as they made their way from the parking lot to the front desk, her small, soft body a surprising source of strength as Zach contemplated the trial he was about to face.
 
Would there be anything left of the man he once knew, or had the crisis sucked all the life from his once vibrant uncle?
 
He dreaded the answer and he leaned on Paige for support as they roamed the halls looking for his uncle’s room.

The steady beeping of the heart monitor was a welcoming assurance as Zach and Paige peeked around the oversize door into Marco Pasquetti’s hospital room.
 
The small space was already crowded with friends and family trying hard to keep their voices low, but their exuberant Italian personalities made it seem more like a party than a death watch.
 
The jabbering halted as Zach and Paige entered the room, and a friendly, collective greeting welcomed them into the gathering.
 
A few small children ran up to Zach and tugged on his legs before a plump woman with big hair and bright pink lipstick shooed them away.

“Zach, I’m so glad you came,” Carla Pasquetti cooed as she grabbed Zach by the head and kissed each of his cheeks before ruffling his sleek hair into disarray.
 
“And who is this lovely young lady you’ve brought for us to meet?” she continued, turning her attention towards Paige with a kind smile.

“This is my….girlfriend….Paige,” Zach stumbled, not sure if he had the right to call her that yet but figuring it was probably the best explanation.
 
His cheeks flamed as he worried he was overstepping their relationship, but a glance at Paige’s sly smile assured him she didn’t mind.

A huge grin lit up Carla’s face as she took in the embarrassed blush on her nephew’s face and the happy glow on Paige’s and she grabbed them both in an awkward but ecstatic hug.

“Oh, I’m so glad to meet the angel that’s making my little Zachie so happy.
 
My sister tells me you went to prom together and everything!
 
I saw the pictures and you two looked so beautiful.
 
You’re dress was just stunning,” Carla raved.

“Thank you,” Paige replied shyly.

“Too bad you had to ruin it by getting into that fight, you big lug,” Carla complained, smacking Zach playfully on the arm and shaking her head.
 
“How you managed to keep the girl after that one, I’ll never know.
 
It must be cuz you’re so handsome.”
 
She pinched his cheeks and a chuckle burbled out of Paige.

“How’s he doing, Aunt Carla?” Zach asked, hoping to change the subject before his inappropriate behavior became the highlight of the conversation.

“Oh, I think he’s going to be all right, he just needs to rest and recuperate for a while, quit working so many hours at the store and let the employees handle a few things, for once.”

“I can work more hours — I’m sorry I haven't been there as much lately,” Zach apologized, feeling guilty.

“Well, you’ve had a girl to woo, so who wants to make money when you can be making love instead?” Carla goaded and Zach just about shriveled into a raisin of humiliation.

“Actually, I was thinking maybe Paige could help us out some at the store this summer,” Zach suggested, desperately trying to ignore his aunt’s insinuation.

“I think that would be just wonderful, sweetheart, as long as you two can avoid smooching in front of the customers,” Carla mocked with a straight face that eventually crumbled into a smirk.

“Zach smooches me in front of the customers!” a little voice squeaked from behind her mother’s legs.

“That’s cuz you’re so irresistible!” Zach exclaimed, scooping up his cousin and raining kisses on her head.
 
Her bouncing black ringlets reminded him of Paige and he wondered briefly if their children would take after her or him.
 
He shook his head when he realized how easily his thoughts turned to picturing a family with Paige.
 
“Paige, this is my cousin, McKenzie, the youngest of the tribe of monkeys I was telling you about,” he explained, turning the little munchkin towards Paige.

“I’m four!” McKenzie exclaimed, holding up four predictably sticky fingers.

Paige smiled at the garrulous toddler squirming in Zach’s arms. “Hi, McKenzie.”

“Paige, this is my aunt, Carla, and that’s my mom and dad, Cara and Antonio, my grandma and grandpa Pasquetti, and my cousins Katie, Evan, Alex, Sadie, and Aiden,” Zach introduced, pointing at each family member who waved in turn.
 
The room was too crowded for everyone to get up to greet her, but they all nodded and smiled as if they were thrilled to make her acquaintance.
 
Paige’s head swam a little bit at all the names, but she returned their friendly smiles.

“It’s nice to meet you all,” Paige offered genuinely.

Zach’s mom finally managed to extricate herself from the maze of chairs and offered Paige a friendly hug.
 
She looked almost exactly like her sister Carla, only a few pounds lighter and slightly less war-torn.
 

“Thank you for putting up with my Zachary,” Cara said, holding Paige at arm’s length to get a good look at her.
 
“I think you’re good for him,” she declared.
 
Paige chuckled, unsure how to respond.
 
His fight at the prom had been because of her after all.

“I must not be dead yet, cuz there surely wouldn’t be this much racket in heaven,” a hoarse voice croaked above the chatter.
 
All eyes turned to Marco Pasquetti, suddenly awake and pulling himself upright on the bed.

“Careful, darling.
 
You’re held together with tubes and wires,” Carla said, rushing to her husband’s side to help him sit up.

“What on earth is going on here?” he exclaimed, taking in the horde of relatives crowding the tiny room.