Retribution (Secrets & Lies #3)(7)
“In town, doing a little bit of New Year's paperwork for MCS and some shopping.”
“Okay. I'll call them. Jackson and I have already contacted our assistants at the dojo, we're going to pack up our stuff in the van and head out there.”
“You bringing your heavy artillery?” I ask, and Katrina chuckles. It's not a kind laugh either, she knows I'm not joking. The woman packs heat that even I don't carry most of the time.
“Damn right. See you in an hour and a half?”
“An hour and a half. We will be waiting.”
Katrina hangs up, and I go inside. Melissa looks up, her eyes full of worry. “What is it?”
I sigh and go over, wrapping her in a hug. It's not romantic even though I wish it was, but rather a way to support and comfort her as I say what comes next.
“Peter is coming.”
Chapter Three
Melissa
Carson and Andrea get home first. When they pull up in Carson's pickup, I see they've both got worried expressions on their faces. They're trying to be casual about things though when they get out, greeting me on the porch. “Hey, 'Lissa. How was your work this morning?”
“I think Ascension is finished, you can call the movers,” I tell Carson, trying to be brave. It's hard though, and my heart is galloping in my chest. It's been racing nonstop since Nathan told me about Peter, even though Nathan's done everything he could to try and reassure me. We sat down to have tea together, and he even held me close and whispered in my ear that everything would be okay. He doesn't touch me often, he’s always in control of his emotions, but he did today. “Think they can pick it up soon?”
“Depending on Katrina's news, I can have them out here this evening,” Carson says, turning his head to look at the barn. “We've got some news of our own.”
“Really?” I ask, curious. “What happened in town?”
“Come in, let's get Nathan too, he should hear this,” Andrea says, and I see that her smile is genuine, although she's still worried about something. “Where is he?”
“I'm here,” Nathan says behind us, his voice deep and reassuring. Some of the rest of my family says his voice is rough or gravelly, but to me he just sounds grounded and calm. Like he's not going to let himself be taken advantage of by the chaos surrounding him. Even the few times he's had to raise his voice, it's always a calm yell. “I'm glad you came back so quickly.”
“We were just wrapping up our appointment when you called,” Carson explains, taking Andrea's hand. “I'm sorry guys, we kind of told you a bit of a lie this morning.”
“Why? What did you say?” I ask, my curiosity temporarily winning out over my anxiety.
“Well, we said we were going into MCS, and we did, but only for a half hour,” Andrea says, a smile coming to her face. “The rest of the time, we went by the clinic.”
“Why?” I ask again, wishing they'd just cut to the chase. I hate this, I can feel my anxiety coming back, and my chest is starting to hurt “Guys?”
“I'm sorry, 'Lissa, I'm not trying to drag it out for you,” Andrea says. “It's just that a few days ago, I started feeling weird. And well...”
“You're pregnant,” Nathan says, and I stop, realizing what Andrea's been saying.
“You... Andrea, you're pregnant?” I ask in wonder. “Like, really?”
“Really pregnant,” Andrea says, smiling. “I know this seems to be a bad time, but we wanted to tell you two before Katrina and Jackson get here. 'Lissa, I know it's a shock, but we were hoping... well, we're hoping you might be willing to help us out?”
“How can I help?” I ask, still in total wonder. I smile, joy coming in to replace my fear at least for a while. “I mean, what can I do to help you guys?”
“We need a godmother, first of all,” Carson says, “and second of all, we were hoping once we find out if we're having a boy or a girl, you could help put an artist's touch on the name. Think you can lend us a hand?”
I blink and nod, only to be jostled out of my paralysis when Andrea and Carson come around and make what they call a 'Lissa Sandwich. It's the warmest, most reassuring position in my entire life, and it helps. When I open my eyes I see Nathan watching us, and I swear that maybe part of him wants to be a part of it, until Andrea moves to hug him, patting him on the back. “And you... we need you now more than ever.”
“I will see what I can do,” Nathan says softly, looking down on Andrea in wonder. “I’m happy for you.”
“Thank you, Nathan,” Andrea says.
Carson leans down and whispers in my ear. “We need you just as much, 'Lissa. If our baby is going to be anything like us, we're going to need at least three parents. Think you can be strong enough?”
“I'll try,” I promise him, our conversation cut short when we hear the honk of a horn as Jackson, Katrina and Baby Andrea arrive. “Let's go tell them the happy news.”
“Then the hard part begins,” Carson reminds me, “but we'll be here for you.”
After the joyful breaking of Andrea's good news, we sit down at the kitchen table. BA sits on her blanket in the middle of the kitchen, everything carefully moved out of her reach as she's started crawling, and can pull herself up to a standing position. She seems content though with her teddy bear and a floppy thing that I realize is actually a book that's made out of cloth. Right now, she's chewing on the letter E and the elephant printed on the cloth, turning it a darker shade of white than it was before.