21. Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Nineteen
Keir
Three years later…
“No, Papa. My baby. My baby! ”
Our little princess was turning into a shrieking shrew. As much as I wanted to chastise her for her outburst, I had a hard time holding my smile because she’d been obsessed with her little brother since he’d arrived at the end of June.
The shouting was easily heard from outside 313 Misty Lane. Our home. The beautiful home Dash and I were making for our daughter, Grace Josephine, and our new son, David Clegg Dearly.
He was a beautiful blond-haired boy with his father’s gorgeous face and laid-back attitude. His big sister believed he was her baby, and we couldn’t change her mind.
When I opened the front door of our home, I heard Grace shouting at Dash, “ He wants to play with me! ” I immediately knew what kind of day my husband must have endured.
I dropped my messenger bag on the bench by the front door and took off my suit coat, preparing to give my husband a break. It had been an awful day for me, having hosted a funeral for two small children killed in a car accident. Now that I was home, I needed to put it behind me because I had two beautiful children who deserved my undivided attention and a husband who had been through the wringer.
When I entered the living room, I saw Grace trying to wedge herself between Dash and Davy’s bassinet. She was quite insistent, and Dash was doing his best to gently push her away.
“You don’t want to hurt him, do you? Davy will be your best buddy when he’s bigger, Gracie. He’s little now and needs to sleep so he can grow.”
My mind went back to when we donated my sperm to fertilize the eggs Amelie had gifted to us. Dash suggested we not use his sperm because, at the time, he was a half demon, and he was worried our child might pick up those traits more than mine.
When we decided to have another baby, we decided Dash would do the fertilizing this time, and we’d look for a different surrogate because we’d already imposed on Lake to carry Grace, which had nearly cost her life.
The day Lake found me in the mortuary, she showed me how selfless she really was.
“Keir, can I speak to you?”
I glanced up from the stainless table where I’d been working on embalming my guests at the new Dearly Funeral Home, the business we’d purchased from Darren Meyer when he was finally ready to retire. My employees had followed me to the white stucco building outside of Sacramento, and I was grateful to have them there.
I was also grateful not to have conversations with the dead any longer. I had so many memories of those days before the Human Realm War, but I was thankful the burden had been lifted from me.
I still had the desire to make certain my guests were given the most honorable sendoff I could offer, but I no longer had to immerse myself in their business or help solve their problems so they could go to the light.
I turned to see Lake standing at the doorway of the embalming suite with a tense smile on her beautiful face. The setup at Dearly Funeral Home was different than it had been at Dearly & Son, but I didn’t hate the change.
It was invigorating and had refreshed my desire to support the families in their losses. Caring for the dead would forever remind me of what Dash and I had been through to get where we were today.
“Sure, Lake. I still have work to do on Mr. Crandall before he’s ready for you, but we can talk while I finish.”
I was embalming the sixty-five-year-old man who’d been hit by a car while riding his bike down Main Street in Reardon. Lake wouldn’t need to prepare him for his viewing until morning.
“Are you guys gearing up to have another baby?”
We’d approached Amelie about donating the other two fertilized eggs from Grace’s conception to a fertility bank for someone who wanted to have a child but lacked the resources we’d been blessed with. Amelie had been more than happy to give her consent.
After we’d finished the paperwork, she’d been kind enough to offer to donate more eggs for Dash to fertilize for our second child. We were both speechless.
While Dash remembered none of what had happened when we were trying for Grace, he did remember Lake had carried and given birth to our girl. Most of the pregnancy was a blur to him because Jo had Lake in hiding during that time, but he remembered the story I’d told him about Lake going into labor when the funeral home caught fire, and he was grateful they’d made it out alive.
I tiptoed around details of what happened back then, but I remembered what he’d said before the war. “This won’t be a permanent thing, Keir. No way am I going to remain a vampire.”
I vowed to do everything in my power to be sure I honored Dash’s wishes, and if I had to fudge a few particulars here and there, so be it. I was pretty sure I wouldn't go to Hell because I told a white lie.
“Dash and I went to Amelie’s egg retrieval yesterday. They’re going to freeze them for when we’re ready. Grace will be three this winter, so maybe after her birthday, we’ll find a surrogate. Is there something wrong? Do you need some time off? Is Jamie okay?”
Lake giggled. “Jamie’s fine. She just had her five-year analysis, and she’s still cancer free. I want to volunteer to carry your next baby, unless you’ve found someone already.”
I was stunned. “After everything you went through, you’d be willing to do it again?” She’d nearly died. I couldn’t imagine wanting to sign up for another pregnancy.
“I loved carrying Grace. I’d be happy to carry another little Dearly.”
I took a deep breath to give myself time to understand her offer. “I’ll talk to Dash and let you know, if that’s okay.”
I was stunned by her excited smile. She gave me a hug before leaving the mortuary. I was speechless, but in my gut, it felt perfectly right.
“I see you’ve had your hands full today. Has Grace been this insistent all day?”
The memories of Lake carrying our little boy were beautiful, but now I had a very tired-looking husband’s glassy-eyed stare fixed on me. He had baby formula on his T-shirt and butt cream in his hair—I didn’t want to ask how it got there.
“Oh, this is calm, trust me. She wanted to hold him, feed him, and love on him. She got mad and kicked my shin when I told her to leave him alone. She’s fiercely protective to the point I’m afraid she’ll hurt him.” His voice was soft as he put his hand on Davy’s chest.
“Okay. Uh, why don’t you go relax? Take a bath or a long shower, and I’ll take over.” I turned to Grace. “Little Miss, come help me fix dinner. We need to have a talk.”
I took off my tie, tossing it over the arm of the couch before I picked Grace up and swung her around to hang off my back like a monkey. I placed her on the counter next to the fridge and looked into her eyes. “We need to talk.”
“Why, Daddy?” And so it began.
“Davy is a baby, and what do we have to do with babies?” It wasn’t the first time we’d had the talk.
“Be gentle.” She reached up and pushed my hair off my forehead. It was her go-to move when she thought she was in trouble. Dash was much more of a sucker for it than me.
“Why do you think we have to be gentle with babies?” I believed Grace to be more mature for her age than her peers, but maybe I was biased.
“Because they’re little.”
“That’s right. I asked you to help Papa with Davy, but you can’t hold him by yourself yet, and it’s better if Papa feeds him. You can help by getting Papa clean diapers or picking up your toys. Davy needs to sleep so he can grow to be big like you, doesn’t he? In a few months, he’ll be crawling, and then you can play with him all you want, okay?”
“Okay, Daddy. I’ll be better.” I gave her a kiss.
“What do you want for dinner?”
“ Macaroni! ” Pasta it was.
After we ate, I gave Grace a bath and put her to bed without any fuss. Dash hadn’t returned, so I walked to our room to see him sound asleep and clutching the baby monitor from downstairs where Davy was sleeping in his bassinet, which had been Grace’s. Always on duty .
“Let’s get you comfortable, love. I’ll take night duty.” I kissed his cheek and stared at his handsome face, so grateful he was still alive.
No doubt Nyx would have ended him had Lucifer not stepped in when he did. I was certain it wouldn’t be the last fight between good and evil, but thankfully, the next one wouldn’t be our fight. That would be the job of the next Gatekeeper and Key.
Two years later…
“Daddy! Davy’s in my room messing everything up.”
I was sitting on the couch with Dash’s head in my lap. He’d been having trouble sleeping lately, and as he described the nightmares to me, I knew they were memories he was reliving in his subconscious. I couldn’t tell him the truth because I was sure he wouldn’t believe me. I hoped they’d fade soon.
“Love, I need to go see what havoc Davy is wreaking. I’ll be right back.” I leaned forward and kissed his temple before I slid from under Dash and hurried upstairs.
Grace had set up her animal farm on the green foam mat, and apparently, Davy, who was well ensconced in his terrible twos, wanted to play with them too. His sister wasn’t happy with his company.
It was spring. Grace had turned six in December, and Davy was soon to be three. The pair kept Dash and me on the run, but we were a happy group.
“Davy, son, let’s see if we can find a snack, and then we’ll go outside to play. Come on.” I held my hand out for him, and he toddled over.
I picked him up and kissed his cheek, feeling his hands on my cheeks. “Cookies?”
Davy had Dash’s sweet tooth, to be sure. Thankfully, if he was distracted by something else, he’d eat whatever we gave him.
As I was carrying him down the stairs, the doorbell rang. I put him down and opened the door, happy to see my mother and Lenny standing on the porch.
“Nana!” Davy rushed her, and my mother scooped him up with a happy smile.
“Thank you for coming! Come in, please,” I greeted them, so grateful to have them in my life.
They came inside, Mom taking Davy while Lenny followed behind. Hugs were exchanged as we all made our way into the living room. Dash stood to greet them as Grace rushed down the stairs.
“Nana!” Grace grabbed Mom around her thigh.
Mom and Lenny visited every few months. Since Lenny had retired and we’d had our two little angels, they’d started splitting time between us in Reardon and Lenny’s daughter’s family in Minnesota.
If my father had to leave us behind, I was glad Lenny was brought into my mother’s path to be part of our family. She deserved the best.
“How are my beautiful grandchildren?”
“Hi, Mom. How are you?” Dash hugged Mom before shaking Lenny’s hand.
“Dash, son, are you okay? Have you been ill?” Mom put Davy down and gave Dash a good looking over.
“Just feeling a little under the weather, is all. How was the drive?”
“It was good. Not too much traffic, which was nice. I’ve got five copies of the deed for execution. Is everyone ready to meet at the recorder’s office on Friday? I think it’s a wonderful thing you’re doing, boys.” Lenny had been thrilled when I asked if he’d help us with our plan to of what to do with the lot where Dearly & Son had once stood.
Dash and I had decided to donate the property to four local churches who had been accepting of us, hoping they’d accept the land as a cemetery. Our memorial for the unidentified souls who had passed would be the centerpiece, with the property being divided into four equal sections—one for each church. It would be a multi-denominational cemetery. as prescribed in the donation papers Lenny drafted for us.
The papers were to be executed at the Recorder of Deeds office in Sacramento on Friday. Dash and I had been invited to a dedication service at the property on Sunday, which was humbling.
It was quite a surprise when we got the call from Reverend Leann Cook, the minister from Reardon Unitarian Ministries, one of the churches named in our donation documents.
Dash and I had hired a company to remove the debris from the fire, but we hadn’t gone to the property since it had been cleaned up, and I felt guilty for not visiting the memorial since then.
I had so many memories tied up in the place that it was hard to say goodbye. A dedicated cemetery would ensure the memorial would be respectfully maintained for a long time.
I glanced at Mom. “Leann Cook invited us to the dedication on Sunday. They will sanctify the land and have a multi-faith picnic if you guys want to come.”
“Maybe we should keep the kids here so you and Dash can be properly thanked without Davy undressing.”
Mom gave me the evil eye as though I’d taught him to publicly disrobe. Kids did weird shit all the time. It wasn’t my fault our son wanted to feel the breeze on his nether regions.
Dash looked at me, a smirk on his face. “Like father, like son.” We all laughed at that one.
I’d never imagined being so gloriously happy in the aftermath of a battle that could have torn our world apart, but there I was, looking forward to the good times to come.