Chapter Eighteen He woke up smiling. Even though they'd yet to go forth with their new agreement, waking up with his arms wrapped around Lindy--his fiancée--was enough to put a grin on his face for hours. They'd fallen asleep making wedding plans. The notebook full of ideas still lay at the foot of the bed. They were both dressed in t-shirts and shorts, and she had her feet tucked between his calves for warmth. Still lightly snoozing, she didn't feel him slip his hand under her shirt to light graze the soft skin of her stomach. She obviously didn't feel the waking erection pressed against her ass. And she had no idea just what he had planned for her...but she'd find out soon enough. Teasing the lower slopes of her breasts with every brush of his fingers over her stomach, he leaned closer and kissed her neck. Grinning even more when she moaned and scooted back against him. He felt her stretch, cat-like against him. Nathaniel continued to kiss her neck, lightly nipping at where her neck met her shoulder. When he felt her tense and give a tiny gasp, he knew she was awake. She always seemed to wake up startled and afraid, a legacy from her childhood abuse, but she was slowly becoming better about it. He hoped by the time they were married, she wouldn't wake up frightened any longer. "Evening, gorgeous." Lindy held still for a moment before snuggling back to where she was before. "Evening, Nate." He continued to rub his hand over her stomach, moving his lips up to her ear. "Sleep well?" "Much better than the day before." She turned slightly, but still lay pressed against him. "I think we need to agree to never go to bed upset again. Even if it takes all day to work out the problem." He nibbled at her earlobe, grinning when she squirmed. "I think I can agree to that plan. Sleeping on the couch sucks." He put a bit of pressure on her waist, moving her tighter against him. "This is much better." She smiled, turning her head to meet his lips. He kissed her slowly, deeply, his thumb moving up to lightly trace the curve just below her nipple. She made a soft mewling sound, and tangled her fingers in his hair. When he released her mouth, she brushed her lips against his as she said, "Much better, indeed." He lightly kissed her cheek, still teasing her breast. "But you know what would be much, much better?" "No, but I have a feeling you're going to tell me." "Oh, I'm going to do more than tell you, gorgeous. I'm going to show you." The thumb teasing her was briefly joined by several fingers before shifting up to cup her breast. "Mmmm... I've wanted to do this since the night on the rooftop in Baltimore." He resumed placing feather light kisses on the back of her neck. She shuddered lightly as his palm rubbed over her nipple, pressing in a slow circle. He moved up to nip at her earlobe, pulling the soft skin into his mouth and sucking lightly. She could feel his erection pressing against her from behind, and she couldn't help rubbing back against him. He groaned, making her grin. Her heart seemed to be pounding a mile a minute. As much time as she'd spent with him, and as much as she loved him, this was still a very new experience. She wanted him, wanted him to touch her, and yet...there was still a lingering trace of fear. It wasn't Nate she feared, not really. In way, she feared her own panic. Nathaniel continued to caress her. "Remember, Lindy, I'll only do what you can handle. If you say no, I'll back off, but I need you to tell me." He kissed her ear. "I know that you're not used to this, and that you have a lot of bad memories. I want to create some good ones with you. I don't ever want to hurt you, even unintentionally." She turned her head to look at him over her shoulder. "I know. I love you, Nate." His answering smile was one of the most beautiful things she'd ever seen. "I love you, too, gorgeous." Reaching for his hand, she pressed him tighter against her. "Don't stop now." "Yes, ma'am." He gently turned her in his arms, meeting her mouth for a deep kiss. She arched against his hand, moaning softly. When he pulled away, they were both breathing heavily. "What do you want me to do to you, Lindy?" She just lay there, breathing heavily and looking him in the eye. She wasn't even certain what to ask him for. Nathaniel stroked her hair back from her face. "How about I take off your shirt, and we let things develop from there?" "Yeah," she said. They both sat up and Lindy lifted her arms above her head. Nate shifted around to kneel in front of her, grabbing the hem of her shirt. As he pulled it upwards, Nathaniel kissed the exposed skin up the center of the torso, between her breasts, along the line of her neck, to stop at her mouth. Dropping the shirt, his arms came back around her to crush her against his chest. He attacked her lips, sucking at them, plundering, tangling his tongue with hers. And as she felt him lightly thrusting his hips against her stomach, she realized stopping was going to be a lot harder than she'd thought. She didn't want him to stay dressed. She could feel the length of him pressing against her, and she wanted to feel more. Much more. Reaching around to grab his ass, she pulled his lower body tight against her and moaned in his mouth. He smiled against her mouth. Leaning heavily against her, he lowered her back to the bed. Gently lapping at her skin, Nate slowly licked down her neck to nuzzle her collarbones before tracing over the swell of her breast. He smirked when he heard her gasp, and sucked the tight nipple into his mouth. She arched beneath him, squirming against his mouth. And when his other hand slid down her side, slipping beneath the waistband of her shorts, he thought she might stop him...but she didn't make a move. Tossing her head against the pillow, she tangled her fingers in his hair. "Mmm...Nate, that feels so good." "Yeah? How 'bout this?" He lightly ran his fingers over her crotch, on the outside of her panties, being careful to watch her reaction. His movements were slow and careful, but still tantalizing enough to make her hips jerk against his touch. She gasped, spreading her legs a little wider, and closed her eyes to concentrate on the sensations. Still sucking at her nipple, he withdrew his hand, smiling when she whimpered in protest. Softly, he peeled down her shorts over her hips before sliding his hand underneath her panties. Lightly he combed his fingers through her curls. Lindy let out another whimper, her hips twisting against his hand. "Oh God, Nate..." "Shhh..." He lapped at her breast, sliding his fingers back and forth over the damp folds of her sex. He teased her with his light touch, denying her the feeling of deeper contact. She moved her hips against him, trying to urge him further. At the lightest brush of his thumb past her clit, she shrieked. "You're so hot and wet...you have no idea how hard you've gotten me." "I want to know. Oh, God, Nate, I want to know." Frustrated with his light touches, she squirmed around, trying to keep in contact with his lips and fingers, until she was able to slip her hand beneath his shorts to grasp his cock. "Whoa! Easy, Lindy. What are you doing?" Lindy was panting, stroking the solid length of him. "You said one of us... had to be dressed. Nothing about... not touching..." He groaned through clenched teeth, trying his damnedest to keep from thrusting into her hand. Her touch felt incredible, better even, and he was more than a little worried that it wouldn't be long before he came in his pants. He shuddered, concentrating more on his own hand, teasingly slipping one finger between the folds of her sex. He circled around the tight opening, coating his finger with moisture, before gently pushing inside. She jerked against him, squeezing his cock, and he nearly went cross-eyed with the need to start thrusting. "Oh, fuck, baby...you're gonna make me cum..." "I thought that was supposed to be the idea." She pushed against the invading finger, welcoming the sensations. Growing a bit bolder, she ran her thumb over the head of his cock, spreading the liquid gathered there. She moaned when she felt the additional pressure of a second finger slipping inside of her, pressing against her walls. He was breathing heavily against her ear, little moans leaving his mouth as he lightly shifted against her grip. He wasn't quite thrusting, yet, but he knew he couldn't hold out for long. He moved his thumb to hover above her clit, just barely grazing it as he gently began moving his fingers in and out of her. He could feel her muscles caressing his fingers, squeezing lightly and making his movements even slicker. Groaning, he finally allowed himself to thrust against Lindy's grip, kissing her face, and simultaneously pressed his thumb down hard on her clit. If he was going to come, he was gonna make damned sure she came right along with him. Lindy moaned, arching against his fingers. She could feel Nate moving against the rhythm of her hand. She shrieked, quaking as he shifted his thumb against her clit. Her hand tightened on his cock as her orgasm rolled over her, and she felt it swell in her hand. Nathaniel yelled when he felt a surge he couldn't even begin to control. "Lindy!" he screamed, cumming in her hand. He collapsed against her panting, limp body. She gathered up enough energy to nuzzle his cheek. "Nate?" "Yeah, gorgeous?" "I don't think I'm going to be able to wait until December." "Me neither," he laughed quietly. "Vegas next week?" "Nope. Too cheesy." "How about Hawaii in two weeks? Think you can keep your hands off me that long?" She grinned. "Not really but as long as it's just my hands, what's the problem?" He snickered and she turned a bit to kiss his mouth. "Hawaii sounds beautiful. Would you be able to do a flight that long?" "It's less than five hours, so it should be fine. As long as we leave here closer to morning, we'll arrive there while it's still dark. On the way back it will be even easier." He pressed kisses along her neck, still lightly stroking her with the hand in her panties. "Do you think your family would object to me flying them out for a little vacation? We can't have a wedding without them." She smiled, both from the stimulation and from him including her family. "I'm sure they can be convinced." She frowned. "What about Bryn and Anton?" "What about 'em?" She sighed. "You know he's not going to accept this." He nodded, his eyes downcast. "I know they're your friends, and if you want to have a second ceremony later on to include everyone, that's fine with me. But for now I'd suggest that we keep this just family. You're right--he's not going to accept this, which is exactly why I'd rather he didn't know about it until afterwards. This isn't Anton's wedding, it's ours...and we'll do it our way. And if that means being a little evasive with the truth where he's concerned, so be it." Lindy nodded. He had summed up her feelings perfectly. "I just wish it didn't have to be that way," she said, snuggling her head on his chest. "Me too, gorgeous. Me too." She opened her eyes and looked at the clock, noticing immediately that her head was no longer pounding. Unlike the day before, when her heart had seemed to be working double-time just to feed her body, she could feel a calmer and more even rhythm in her chest. Her arm didn't even hurt anymore, although it itched from the band-aid she'd worn all night. Ripping it off, she tossed it into the waste basket next to the bed and turned over to face Anton. He was sleeping soundly, lying on his back, and she almost thought about leaving him be...until she noticed the tenting of the blankets around his groin. Grinning to herself, she slipped her hand under the covers and lightly ran her fingers over his chest. He made a contented sound but didn't move. Leaning a little closer, she draped her thigh over his and ran her tongue in a circle around his nearest nipple. She smiled when his eyelids popped open. "Sleep well, sugar?" "Ummm hummm." Anton pulled her closer, his hand sliding down to cup her ass. "You obviously feel better." He rolled onto his side to kiss her. "How's your arm?" She flexed it, showing off for him. "Fine. Just a little itchy from the bandage." Anton nodded, running his fingers over her shoulder. "You know, my dear, I happen to have an itch of my own..." "So I noticed." She pulled back the covers, exposing them both, paying particular attention to his erect cock. "You wouldn't, perhaps, want me to do something about that, would you?" "That'd be nice." "I bet it would be." She pressed her mouth to his chest, lapping at him, placing open-mouth kisses every few inches until she reached his neck. Rubbing her thumbs over his nipples, she teased his Adam's apple with light nips from her teeth. "And what are you going to do for me, in return? Can I have anything I ask for?" His hands slid back up to her shoulders. "Anything in my power, my dear." Bryn's tongue found the sensitive spot just behind his chin. "Anything?" she repeated, sliding a hand down his torso. "Anything," Anton moaned. "Propose to me, Anton." "Propose? We're already engaged." "I know." She ducked her head a bit. "That doesn't mean I wouldn't like to hear it. I never thought I would propose to anyone. I always imagined it the other way around, something romantic that I'd never forget. I just...never mind, this is stupid." He shook his head. "You just what?" "I just...would like to know what you would've said, if I hadn't said it first." "Okay." He sat up on one elbow so he could look down into her eyes. "Bryn, my dear, I have loved you since the moment I first saw you on the beach in Santa Cruz. Do you know what you were doing then?" He waited for her to shake her head. "You were listening to the Garbage concert, eating a sucker, cherry I think. You were so beautiful, and all I could think about was being with you. And when we went our separate ways, Bryn, I was absolutely miserable, the closest to suicide ever since Ivan was murdered. But when you accepted me back into your life, you made me the happiest I've ever been." He reached down and took her hand, interlacing his fingers with hers. "My dear, I'm not willing to risk being parted from you again. Sabryn Jaegar, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" She covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes glistening. She pulled him down to her, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. "Oh, God, Anton...I never knew that. I could've lost you. I'm so sorry." She was shaking against him, and it took him a second or two to realize what she was talking about. "That was a long time ago." "No, it wasn't." He frowned, realizing she was crying. "I meant to ask you to marry me, not to put a guilt trip on you." She pulled back slightly, pressing kisses all over his face. "I'm so sorry..." "Shhh...you still haven't answered me." She nodded frantically. "Yes, absolutely, definitely yes!" He smiled. "You have just made me the happiest man, my dear." He raised her hand to his lips. He pulled her a little closer. "Now I believe we had a mutual itch that needed some scratching..." Anton rolled her onto her back. "Is there anything else you want from me, my dear?" "Just the rest of your life," she said, smirking. "I think I can handle that." She lifted her hands and tangled her fingers in his hair, pulling his head down so she could kiss his forehead. "I love you so much. The thought of anything happening to you scares me to death." She let out a shaky sigh, blinking away the last remaining tears. "I swear I'll never hurt you that badly again. Ever." He slid his lips down to kiss her cheek. "And I swear I will never hurt you, Bryn." His hand wandered down to caress her stomach. "I'm not going to be going anywhere anytime soon, my dear. You, and our child, will be stuck with me for a long time." He gently traced the tips of his fingers along her jaw. "I love you so much, Bryn." He leaned down and kissed her deeply, fingers tightening slightly on her belly. Her breath escaped her in a sob against his mouth, and she curled herself tight against him. Her hands slid down his back, lightly tracing his muscles, sliding over the globes of his ass. At his answering groan, she squeezed him tighter, rubbing her pelvis against him. She continued kissing him, sucking on his lower lip, until he pulled away to catch his breath. "How do you want me this time, Anton? It's your choice. I'll do whatever you want." "Mmmm. So many possibilities," he mused. He reached down and kissed her forehead and caressed her nipples. "Let's just go for tried and true this time." He repositioned himself between her spread legs, most of his weight resting on his elbows and knees. "Now tell me, my dear. What would you like me to do?" "I want you inside me. Now." He gave her a little knowing grin, and with very little warning thrust himself deep inside of her. As he slid in completely, they both let out a sigh, making each other grin. Moving her hands up to his shoulders, she squeezed him with her thighs. She whimpered as he settled more firmly against her, pressing his pelvis tighter between her legs. As he started thrusting, she quivered below him, her fingers tightening on his shoulders, a moan escaping her mouth. "Oh, sugar...I missed this last night." "So did I, my dear." He planted kisses all over her face. "Don't ever scare me like that again." His hands stroked everywhere at once, caressing and urging her towards an orgasm. He started rotating his hips, trying to hit that one spot that always made her scream in delight. She bit her lip, her eyelids fluttering at the sensation. Tightening her grip on his shoulders, she lifted her hips against his thrusts, her thighs quivering. "Ohhh, yes...right there..." She opened her eyes, meeting his gaze as she started to shudder around him. She clenched down hard on him as he thrust into her once more, letting out a low groan as his own orgasm swept over him. Panting, she pulled him down until he lay boneless on top of her. She slid her hands over his back, waiting for his breathing to return to normal. "Anton...I scared you yesterday?" "Yes," he whispered. "When you called, I was afraid that I was going to lose you or our baby." He pushed up slightly so he could look in her eyes. "I was ready to do whatever it took to get to your side, sun up or down. And when I found out you were at Nathaniel's..." He frowned. "Anton, it wasn't his fault." "You would have been at home if he hadn't asked you to paint his house," he grumbled. "I didn't have to agree to do it. It was my decision. I just get restless...I probably wouldn't have stayed home anyway." She traced her fingers over his cheek. "I was the one who messed up, Anton. I should've stopped the minute I felt too hot. But I tend to forget that it's not just me I have to worry about now. I'm so used to doing whatever I want and not thinking about anyone else. But now that I have you, and the baby...I promise I'll be more careful. I didn't mean to scare you. I won't finish painting his house until I'm sure I'm completely healthy, okay?" "Okay." He knew that was the best he'd get out of her. If he had his way, she'd be home until well after the birth of their child. "Speaking of healthy, Dr. Leahs want us to stop by her office tonight so she can check you over. And after that, I'll need to feed." Bryn made a face. "Ugh. She's just going to want to draw blood." He smiled gently. "You do realize you've chosen the wrong person to be squeamish about blood around, my dear?" "What you do and what she does are entirely different things. I don't mind blood too much...when it's not spurting out of my body like a geyser." He laughed a bit, crawling off of the bed. "I doubt you're going to be 'spurting' anytime soon, Bryn." He reached for her hand. "Come on. We should get ready to go." "Can we get some Chinese food on the way home? And some ice cream?" She grinned at the look on his face. "That sounds really good." They'd already been in Dr. Anne's office for quite a while before she hopped up onto the examining table. She'd had her blood pressure taken, a very small amount of her blood drawn, and a general physical to make sure she was doing well. Then the doctor told her to get on the table, and Bryn almost did a little dance of joy since she didn't have to wear a hospital gown. She pulled her shirt up, and tucked a paper towel over her unzipped jeans. She gasped when the doctor squeezed blue gel onto her stomach. "Sorry, it's a little cold." Applying the sonogram device to Bryn's stomach, she moved it around in the gel a bit to get it plenty slippery. Directing it down into her abdomen, she turned up the volume so they could listen for a heartbeat. After a few seconds, one heartbeat loudly made its presence known. Seeing the excited looks on Bryn's and Anton's faces, Dr. Anne shook her head. "That's your heartbeat, Bryn. The one we're looking for should be a bit faster." "Oh." She almost laughed when they both said the same syllable in the same tone. She moved the sonogram wand lower down her abdomen, pausing here and there, listening. One spot the doctor passed over, then quickly returned to. Again they all heard a heartbeat, this one more rapid than Sabryn's. Dr. Anne nodded. "There's a heartbeat." Anton swallowed, trying hard not to cry. The reality that this was his child came crashing down on him. Before, it had been nothing more than a concept. But listening to that heartbeat, he realized a living, unique being that he helped create was tucked inside his fiancée. A child that should not have been possible. He reached for Bryn's hand, awed not only by his love for her, but for this spark of life within her. Blinking rapidly, Bryn stared at the poster on the ceiling and squeezed Anton's hand. She wouldn't have imagined, a few months ago, that she could possibly be anywhere near ready to have a child. There was such a huge responsibility, financially and morally, and she usually felt like such a child herself. But listening to that heartbeat made everything else secondary. The worries didn't seem to matter as much...especially as she looked at the expression on Anton's face. She might have taken the ability to have a baby for granted, but he never had. He'd been living for nearly a millennium with the knowledge that he'd never have children of his own. Now, thanks to God, fate, or whatever else--she didn't even want to think about aliens now--they were being handed an impossible gift. She brought his hand to her lips, kissing his knuckles and smiling at him. For weeks she'd wanted to give him something unique, something no one else had ever come close to. This time she finally had. Anne smiled and began moving the wand back and forth, listening carefully. "Looks like Lindy was wrong. I'm only hearing one heartbeat." Bryn let out a sigh, torn between relief and disappointment. Two babies would've been quite a handful and a harder labor. But it would've been a blessing as well. Still, they had a heartbeat. There was still precious life growing inside of her and she smiled again as Anne moved the listening device back into place. God, they needed to decide on a name...they couldn't call him or her "the baby" for much longer. Anton squeezed her hand again, not quite certain what he was feeling. He had a hard enough time picturing himself being a father to one child, and two was almost incomprehensible to him. But still, there was something appealing about having both a boy and a girl. He looked at Bryn thoughtfully. [Is it too much to hope for this miracle to be repeatable?] After Dr. Anne helped to clean up the gel from Bryn's stomach and she zipped her jeans up, they made a follow-up appointment. Reminded to watch her health carefully, Bryn thanked the doctor and followed Anton out to the car. They didn't speak about the twins, or lack thereof, as if by silent agreement. It was simpler to enjoy what they had than to worry about what they didn't. Instead, on the freeway back to San Francisco, they talked about a more important topic--baby names. "Unless we're going to find out ahead of time what sex the baby is, we might want to pick a unisex name...that way we won't be referring to a boy as Samantha or something like that," Bryn said, her hand resting on his thigh as he drove. "Did you want to find out?" "I don't know. It might be nice, so we could decorate the room and everything...but it would also be fun to have a surprise. I can't decide." "What sort of unisex name did you have in mind? I keep picturing that Pat character from Saturday Night Live." She giggled. "Well, certainly not Pat...more like Casey or Danny or Max." "Max," Anton repeated. "I like that. Maxim if it's a boy, and Maximina if it's a girl?" He reached down and patted the hand that was resting on his thigh. "What do you think, my dear?" "Well, it sounds like we have our first agreement...but I'm not ruling out other possibilities. Like A.J., perhaps?" "A.J.?" She grinned. "Anton Jr.?" He smiled. "I was trying to not be so vain, my dear, but the thought had crossed my mind. How about Antonia for a girl?" "You? Trying not be vain?" She laughed as he glared at her. "Antonia. Hmm...maybe. Then again, she'd probably get the nickname Toni, and I don't really like that name for a girl. Maybe Antonina. Then she could go by Nina if she wanted to." "Sounds like a good name. I guess the big question now is which will it be, a boy or a girl?" Bryn nodded. "It will be a few weeks before we know that, unless we get the amniocentesis done right away." "Might not be a bad idea. I think it would put both our minds at ease." He took a deep breath, knowing she may not like his next question. "Were you planning on going back to Nathaniel's to finish the painting?" "Yes. I don't like leaving a job unfinished, and it will only take a couple of days." She turned her hand under his and squeezed. "But if you want me to stay home after that, I will. I can find something else to do. I could always paint the baby's room instead." "I'd feel better if you did stay closer to home. Or at least wait for cooler weather before you start painting his place again." He frowned. "Exactly what were you painting there, anyway?" "It's supposed to be a surprise for Lindy." She frowned at his slight snort of disgust. "Anton, you said..." "I know, I know, that I would try to let go of the hate. And I'm trying, Bryn. I'm really trying. It's just not easy, knowing him like I do." "Well, I'll agree to wait for cooler weather and to stay home after the job is done, if you can keep your agreement as well. You don't know him anymore, Anton. You only know who he used to be. You certainly aren't the same person you were nine hundred years ago, so you can't expect him to be, either." He nodded. "I know." "Now...where's the best place to stop for some Chinese food? I'm starving!" Lindy had slipped into the warehouse while the sun was still high. She was hoping she'd be able to get caught up with her work, or at least make a sizable dent in it, especially since she'd be gone for another week soon. She stopped typing her notes on a grandfather clock, distracted by the glint of the setting sun off her engagement ring. She couldn't believe Nathaniel had actually proposed. It all seemed like a dream to her. Despite her mother's assurances that she'd find someone eventually, she hadn't really believed Jess. Nor had she expected to find a lover in a 930 year old vampire. She looked up as she heard voices approach her office. Bryn poked her head in the door. "Hey George, call security! There's a stranger in the office." "Ha ha, Bryn." Lindy saved her file and then turned her attention Sabryn. "What are you doing up so early?" "Couldn't sleep, and George was kind enough to volunteer to help me pick up my car." Bryn stepped in the office and took a seat in one of the chairs on the other side of the desk. "So what's going on Lindy? Things better between you and Nate?" "Nate? Oh, we, uh...we worked things out." She tried to move her hand out of Bryn's eye line, but wasn't fast enough. Before she'd barely moved an inch, Bryn's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. She stared at the ring, with a huge grin on her face. "He finally did it!" "Wait--you knew about this?" She nodded. "I went with him the day he picked it out. He got your engagement ring, and I got a ring for Anton." She turned Lindy's hand this way and that, letting the light catch it. "It's still gorgeous. I thought the blue might fade in sunlight, but it doesn't." "No." Lindy shook her head, pulling her hand back. "Please don't say anything to Anton. Not yet." Bryn swallowed. "I won't mention it. Just be careful. If he sees it, he will ask." "Yeah, I know," she mumbled. "So, any plans for setting a date?" "Uh...we're still discussing things." That much was true...they were discussing *things*. Such as how many layers they wanted on the cake, what waterfall to have the ceremony next to, and just what hotel they wanted to stay at while in Hawaii. "But I'll be sure to let you know." [After the fact,] she thought, a little guiltily. "Well, I'm very excited for you. Congratulations." "Thanks, Bryn. I've never been so happy in my life..." "Why do I sense a rather large unspoken 'but' in that sentence?" Lindy smiled, shaking her head a bit sadly. "I just have no idea how to tell Anton about it. I don't want to lose him as a friend, but if it comes down to a choice between him and Nate, well, there is no choice." Bryn nodded sympathetically. "The sun will be down soon. You might want to take that off before he gets down here." Lindy looked down and reluctantly slipped off the ring, not without a slight pang. [Great, even more guilt.] "So what are you and Anton doing tonight?" "We'll be heading down to visit Anton's friend, Michael. I'm a little nervous about it. It's kind of like going to meet his family." She smiled. "Have you ever met him?" "Once, but it was quite a while ago. He's a nice guy. Jokes around a lot, so try not to take him too seriously, but I think you'll like him." "Good. I'm more concerned about him liking me, though." She stood up. "I don't think you'll have to worry about choosing between Nate and Anton, Lindy. It may take a while for the hostility to calm down to comfortable level, but I'm working on him." She grinned. "I doubt they'll ever be best buddies, but they might just tolerate each other one day. And if not, you can always kick their butts back into line." "And that will be a full time job." "What will be a full time job?" Anton stepped into the office. "Good to see you back, Lindy. How are things going?" "It's good to be getting my life back to something that passes for normal," she said, not quite meeting him in the eye. "But I'm afraid I'm going to need some more time off soon." "Oh? When?" "In two weeks, for about a week. There's a family gathering that I want to attend." "You'll be back in time for the wedding, right?" Bryn asked. "Yeah," Lindy said. "I'll definitely be back." Anton frowned. There was something not quite right in the way Lindy was acting, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. "You've got more than enough time saved up, Lindy. I think this will be the most you haven't worked in the three years I've known you." He wanted so badly to ask if Nathaniel would be going with her, but he thought he already knew the answer, and didn't want to upset any of them. "Thanks. I'll try to get as much as I can done before I go." He nodded, still watching her. She was fidgeting, looking more towards Bryn than at him. Maybe Sabryn had been right. Maybe his open hostility towards Nathaniel was pushing Lindy away. He frowned at the thought, silently wishing there was some way to get the kid out of their lives once and for all. But he knew that would crush Lindy...and this was the happiest he'd seen her in a very long time. "Oh!" Bryn said, interrupting his train of thought. "I forgot to tell you, Lindy. We found out it's not twins...but we did get to listen to the heartbeat. It was really cool." "That's great." Lindy cocked her head. "Not twins, huh? If the doctor were anyone but my aunt, I'd say get a second opinion. Everything's okay with the baby, right?" "Yes," Anton said, putting his arm around Bryn. "The doctor said that everything looks normal so far, Bryn's fainting spell aside." "Hmm. I swore I saw a boy and a girl." She shook her head. "Well, I'm no Nostradamus, am I? But maybe in the future..." "In the future?" Bryn asked. "Well, there's no saying a miracle can't happen twice, right?" Bryn closed her mouth, a little dumbstruck. The possibility had never even occurred to her. "I--guess you're right. I didn't really want to push my luck by even thinking about it." Lindy shrugged. "Pretty much anything is possible." Feeling a little restless, Bryn ran her hand over Anton's back. "Are you ready to go?" "Yes. We should get going. Talk to you later, Lindy?" "Sure. Have a good time." She watched the couple walk down the hall, and sighed. It was hard to not tell them about her upcoming marriage. She felt bad enough asking Bryn to keep her engagement from Anton, and wouldn't even consider asking her to keep her wedding. She looked at the pile of paperwork and sighed. Coming to a decision, she shut down the computer and picked up her purse, sliding the ring back on her finger. [Time for me to go home.] On the drive south to Morgan Hill, Bryn sat fidgeting in the passenger's seat. Torn between nervousness for meeting Anton's best friend for the first time, and also thinking about what Lindy had said about another possible child. As much as she liked the idea, she was worried she wouldn't be able to. There was no guarantee she could get pregnant again, let alone survive another nine months of transfusions and God-knows what else. She hadn't really been paying much attention to the road until Anton pulled the car into a long paved driveway. The white-fenced pastures on either side of the drive were sparsely dotted with grazing horses. Only one or two seemed to be of racing quality. A few of the mares had their babies with them. As they got closer to the big blue house and the barn at the end of the drive, she could see dozens of dogs milling around, wagging their tails, barking excitedly at the visitors. As he parked the car, the dogs paced outside. None of them looked mean, but they were still intimidating nonetheless. There were so many of them. "Do they breed dogs or something?" "No," Anton said, pulling the keys out of the ignition. "Most of these were strays. Chandra adopts just about every stray dog she sees. Sometimes they're adopted, but most of them stay here." He got out of the car, and she did the same. The snuffling of so many wet noses made her giggle. Most of the dogs trotted off after their initial greeting, but one or two remained. The largest, a fat golden retriever, lifted its front paws and pinned Sabryn against the car, licking her face. "Honey! Get down!" Sabryn blinked out of her shock and turned her head to see a petite blond woman running out of the barn. The dog saw her, too, and immediately dropped to its feet. "I'm so sorry, she doesn't normally do that." She shooed the dog away, looking back at Bryn. "If you let her, she'll probably follow you around all night. She loves babies." Anton smiled and stepped over to Chandra to hug her. "How are you doing?" "I'm fine, and you'd know that if you came around more often," she said, returning the hug. "Hey! I've been busy," he protested. "So Mack says." Anton rolled his eyes and put an arm around Bryn. "Chandra Bailey, I'd like to introduce you to Sabryn Jaegar, my fiancée." She reached out her hand, and Bryn shook it. "Did Anton tell you...I'm pregnant?" "No, Honey did." At Bryn's quirked eyebrow, Chandra smiled and Anton laughed. "Uh, Chandra is something of a Dr. Doolittle." Chandra gasped, smacking him on the arm. "I am not. And I'm not a horse whisperer either. I just have a unique relationship with animals." "I bet you'd get along great with Lindy," Bryn said. "Actually, we did get along pretty well when I met her. Sweet girl. What's she up to?" "Uh, she's working." Bryn thought of the diamond on Lindy's hand, but didn't say a word. "She has a family reunion coming up soon." "Where's Mack?" Anton asked. "In the barn. Come on, I'll show you our new baby." "You have a baby?" Bryn asked. "A new foal." "Ohh, I want to see!" "Well, let's go." Chandra linked her arm with Bryn's, leading her forward, smirking at Anton as he was left to follow them. From the outside, the barn didn't look much different than the one Bryn had grown up playing in. But once inside, she could see it was vastly more modern. Neat stalls with wrought iron grating at the top of each wall; a tack room; a well furnished office; a medical bay with state-of-the-art equipment and plenty of recovery room for injured horses; and at the other end, the doors of the barn opened to reveal a gigantic track for racing and training the horses they raised. Chandra led Bryn towards one of the middle stalls, which had its back door open to the field beyond. The mare was probably out grazing, leaving only a bay- colored foal and a large brown-haired man who was squatting on the floor. He looked like he was nearly as tall as Anton, but appeared older--or at least older than Anton appeared to be. He was probably in his late thirties or early forties, and he had an inherent gentleness as he bottle-fed the eager colt. Looking up as they entered, he grinned. "Bryn, would you like to help me feed him?" Blushing slightly, she nodded, and Chandra opened the door to the stall so she could go inside. She petted the colt for a moment, before Mack handed over the bottle and showed her what to do. Nervously taking his place, she continued to feed the horse as Mack walked out of the stall to greet Anton. Anton pulled Mack into a friendly hug. "It's been too long since I've last seen you, Mack." "Not my fault, Anton." Anton shrugged. "Like I said, I was distracted." "Can't say that I blame you," Mack said, looking over the stall door. Chandra turned and whacked Mack in the stomach. "Watch it, buster." "What? I didn't say a word." "Yeah, you forget I can read minds." "Of animals!" "Don't tempt me, you big ape." "Do you see what I have to put up with?" Mack complained to Anton. "She never lets up on me." "And I'm sure you're just hating every minute of it," Anton replied. Leaning on the door to the stall, he nodded towards the colt. "Who's this one going to?" "He's ours. Although not quite willingly." Mack grinned, rubbing his jaw. "We were keeping the stallion for a couple of weeks, in a separate field. But he was a little more resourceful that I thought he'd be. And the owners don't want a half- breed." "What is the mare?" "She's an Arab." He nodded thoughtfully. "Too bad for the owners. Sounds like it's gonna be a nice horse." Standing up from the floor, wincing at her aching thighs, Bryn handed over the empty bottle to Chandra and giggled as the colt kept nuzzling at her for more. "I think he's still hungry." "He'll get plenty more when his mother is done eating," Mack said. "Shall we head in the house?" "Yeah, what'd you bring for dessert, Anton?" Chandra asked, smiling. Anton made a face as Bryn stepped out of the stall. "I knew we forgot something." Bryn rolled her eyes. "We did not. He's full of it. There are canolis in the car." They made a detour to the car before heading inside the house. "So tell me, Bryn, since Anton's been keeping it a secret, how did you two meet?" Mack asked. "We met about a 14 months ago in Santa Cruz," Bryn said. "It just took us a little while to realize that it was meant to be." "It took *you* that long, you mean," Anton amended. Mack gave a knowing laugh. "He does take a lot of getting used to, doesn't he?" Anton raised an eyebrow. "And you wonder why I don't come around so often." Sabryn grinned. "Actually, I was just a big chicken. Unlike some people, I only plan to get married once, so I was making sure I found the right man." "It wasn't my fault you only decided to show up in my life now, my dear. I could've married only once, too." Chandra and Mack looked at each other and rolled their eyes. "You two sound like a Disney movie." Passing out the canolis on plates, Chandra sat down in the empty seat and nudged her boyfriend. "You know, we might have sounded like that once, too." "You won't catch me talking about marriage, that's for damned sure." At Bryn's curious glance, Mack explained, "I was divorced about four years ago. She robbed me blind, and gol-ly what a bitch. That woman was what divorces were made for." Bryn shifted a little uncomfortably. "But you loved her when you married her, right?" Casting a glance at Anton, Mack carefully said, "Yeah, but some people change. A lot. And other people, like me, refuse to see what's right in front of their eyes. Anton met Joanne once, after she and I were already split. Damned near turned all of his hair gray." He leaned over, looking more closely at Anton's hair. "Almost." "And if she could do that to a vampire, just think of what she could do to a mere mortal." Anton decided to let the jibe about his hair pass for the moment. He'd get back at Mack soon enough. Bryn laughed along with everyone else, but more out of nervousness. She couldn't tell if Mack and Chandra genuinely liked her, or were just humoring Anton. "So how did you and Anton meet?" Mack raised an eyebrow in Anton's direction. "You haven't told her?" Anton shifted a tad uncomfortably. "The subject hadn't come up until now." Bryn looked at Anton, now concerned. "Told me what?" He suddenly became a little obsessed with staring at the pattern on the place mat in front of him. "Uh, my sixth wife, Alexandra, was Mack's maternal grandmother." He met her gaze, to see her watching him curiously. "She was one of the ones that left. She never said who was the father of Mack's mother, Janine, so he came to me to find out. He thought maybe I might know his grandfather. Actually, he thought I might *be* his grandfather, until he saw me for the first time. After explaining who I was, and that I couldn't...have children, we kept in touch until we tracked down the family Janine's father belonged to." Chandra tilted her head, a bite of canoli hovering on her fork in front of her. "See, I don't get that...you said you can't have children. So how did this," she nodded towards Bryn, "come about?" "Long story," Bryn said, softly, not really feeling like reliving the whole experience. "But the gist of it is we don't know how it happened. But this is Anton's child. There's no way it couldn't be." "Wow. That's kind of spooky." Chandra munched on her bite of dessert before saying, "I like that." Fiddling with the napkin on her lap, Bryn started a bit as the golden retriever, Honey, walked over and sat down, laying her head in Bryn's lap. Seeing that the dog didn't have any sort of judgment against her, she began petting its soft head. She still couldn't quite meet Mack's gaze. Every time she looked up, he seemed to be studying her like a jigsaw puzzle. Unlike Chandra, who seemed to be waiting for her boyfriend's opinion before making up her own mind, Bryn had a feeling that Mack was waiting for her to mess up. Maybe it was just paranoia, but she couldn't help but feel that he thought she wasn't good enough for his friend. "See, I told you Honey would follow you around for the rest of the night." Chandra stood up. "Bryn, would you like to help me get the dogs settled for the night?" Sabryn cast a glance in Anton's direction. "Go on, my dear," he said reassuringly. "Okay." Bryn also stood up and followed Chandra out the door, Honey trailing behind. Anton waited until she was out of earshot. "Well?" "Well what?" "You know damn well 'well what,' Mack. What do you think of her?" "She's nice." "Nice? Next you're going to tell me she has a great personality." Mack chuckled, leaning his forearms on the table. "What do you want me to say, Anton? She's gorgeous. And I can't get to know much about her in the half-hour or so I've spoken to her, but she seems like a sweet girl. A little young, but I guess anyone is young where you're concerned." He laughed as Anton glared at him. "You sure-as-shit look a hell of a lot better than you did the last time I saw you. Does she have something to do with that?" "She has everything to do with that." He nodded, as if he suspected as much. "And how much of that is due to the baby?" "It's definitely a factor. Why?" "Because any woman can have a baby...that doesn't mean you want to marry her." "The baby came afterwards, Mack. We were already engaged." "Good." He rubbed his eyes. "I certainly can't give you any advice when it comes to marriage, Anton. You have me outnumbered six-to-one. But if she's the one--and I do mean *the one*--then go for it." "Trust me, I've done a lot of soul searching on this. There's no question in my mind that she's the one." He leaned forward in his chair. "So will you be my best man or not?" "Of course, Anton. I just wanted to make sure you're certain." "If I wasn't, I wouldn't be considering Transforming her, let alone marrying her." The women came back in the room a few minutes later, both giggling and covered in dusty paw prints. Once they stepped foot in the kitchen however, they sobered up pretty quickly and resumed their seats. "What was so funny?" Mack asked. Chandra grinned. "Nothing." "That wasn't nothing, Chan Bailey." "Just musing over the mating habits of animals and men." She glanced at Anton. "Oh, and you definitely have nothing to be embarrassed about." As Anton turned his gaze to Bryn, she turned bright red. "Chandra!" They both giggled again, although a little more nervously, as Anton and Mack exchanged confused glances. "On that note," Mack said, standing up, "I'd better get this woman to bed...she gets damned loopy when she stays up too late." Anton and Bryn stood up as well. "We should be heading on our way as well. It's a long drive home." They all headed back out to the car. Chandra hugged Anton. "Don't be such a stranger, ok?" "I won't," Anton promised. He then reached over and hugged Mack. "Even if it means putting up with him." As he stepped away, he watched out of the corner of his eye as Bryn shyly offered Mack her hand. Mack used her hand to pull her forward, giving her a somewhat awkward hug. She froze for a second before wrapping her arms around him and returning the gesture. "It was good to meet you, Bryn." "You too, Michael." She smiled at Chandra, before meeting the other woman's hug as well. "Both of you, please, come visit anytime. I'll make dinner or...something." They nodded and smiled, watching as she went around to the other side of the car and got in. Returning Anton and Bryn's waves as they drove away. End Chapter Eighteen <- Previous Chapter | Home | Next Chapter ->