Gifted Connections #5

Chapter 15

We were all sitting in the private room that Lincoln had found for us when Kade came into the room looking devastated. Patrick looked more angry than upset. Victoria kept her head downcast as she sat between Rachel and Ella. I waited to see if Micah would enter the room next, but he didn’t. I gave an inquiring look to Jace.

By the time Troy, Micah, and Patrick found us, Lincoln and Remy had everyone gathered up and packed into the vehicles. Kade asked Micah if they could talk when we returned to the facility, but Micah said no. Instead, he said he would wait for us to get to the restaurant, but not any longer than that. Thankfully, Jace and Remy volunteered to “referee” the conversation.

Jace met my eyes, and he must have seen my concern. He shook his head. “Micah’s taking a walk. He needs a little time to himself.”

I sighed but nodded. I understood it had to be a lot for him right now.

I silently reached out to him. “Micah.”

My middle brother was the least in touch with his emotions, so he generally bottled everything up. In many ways, we were like each other. Of course, I wanted to help him, but I also understood his need to lick his wounds privately.

“I’m okay, Blake,” Micah responded. “Well, I will be. I’ll meet you back at the compound.”

“But—” I began.

He cut me off. “I’ll have Pops call you to verify that I got back. I need a little while.”

“Okay,” I reluctantly agreed. “I love you.”

I needed to tell the kids that more often. Alex and Micah had dissociative parents, so they needed to hear it more than the others.

“I love you too,” he gruffly responded.

I counted that as a small win. Being abducted had put a lot of things in perspective for me, and among those things was the importance of allowing those around me to know how much I loved them.

“Can I get the steak and shrimp?” Ella piped up, oblivious to the turmoil surrounding the teens.

Lincoln had chosen to bring us to a Japanese steakhouse where they cooked in front of us, which was one of the children’s favorite places to eat.

Alex spoke up next. “I want the steak and lobster.”

“Big ballers.” Jaxson chuckled. “You paying?”

I could tell Jaxson was trying to get the mood up in the room. His eyes looked sad, and he kept shooting furtive looks at Patrick, Kade, and Victoria. I wished there were a way we could all make it better for them.

It was tough being a teenager with normal hormones. I couldn’t imagine dealing with typical teenage angst on top of finding out you had a “fated” person.

“No, you guys are.” Ella gave him a droll look as the adults laughed.

“Guess you owe us a lot of chores to pay us back for the food,” Noah teased as he sipped on the saké he’d ordered.

Ella rolled her eyes and gave him a flippant shrug. “I can, but you won’t make me.”

We tried to contain our laughter, knowing we really shouldn’t encourage Ella’s entitled behavior—even if what she said was the truth. The kids had chores, but we definitely needed to consider increasing her responsibilities so she could appreciate what she had.

“I think,” Noah began before Lincoln held up his hands.

“Everyone can get what they want. I’ll pay.”

“We’ll pitch in,” Jace argued, pointing to the rest of my guys.

Lincoln looked like he was going to argue, but then he shook his head. “Whatever, man.”

“So, a sushi boat and filet mignon and lobster it is,” Rachel joked.

“Like that would hurt their bank accounts,” Marcel quipped before sipping his Sapporo, a Japanese beer.

“Did Anna show you what she chose for our outfits?” Troy inquired, ignoring Rachel and Marcel.

“No,” I answered with a shake of my head. I leaned forward and poured some green tea into the little teacup. “Anna didn’t even show Sierra and me her dress ideas.”

“Your dresses?” Gavin asked in confusion.

“I meant to ask you,” Sierra quietly hedged, looking over at Gavin. “Did you want to do family pictures next Saturday as well?”

“Anna called the photographer and set up a session for Sierra next weekend, too,” Lincoln explained. “Sometimes it’s easier to just agree with her,” he ruefully continued.

Gavin turned to Sierra and gently lifted her chin. “Do you want family pictures?” He seemed hopeful and hesitant.

“Yes,” Sierra said definitively.“My abuela was always taking pictures, and when she passed away, I realized how important those memories were to hold onto. If she hadn’t, I would have forgotten so many of our good times.”

I could see Gavin swallow before a sheen of tears entered his eyes. “Even with my new… body and face?” His voice cracked slightly. “What happens if this child comes out looking like… well, me, but not the new me? How will we explain to them why they look nothing like us?”

Sierra reached up and touched his cheek. “It doesn't matter. You’re my child’s father, no matter what you look like. When they get older, we can even explain the situation and show them your before pictures as well.” She gave him a wink.

Overcome with emotion, he closed his eyes and leaned his cheek into her hands. “I would love to take pictures next weekend as well.”

Sierra leaned forward so she could look at Mercedes, who seemed to be struggling with her own emotions. I saw the happiness she felt thanks to the positive steps Sierra and Gavin were taking, but I could tell she still felt like she was on the outside looking in. She attempted a smile, but even Sierra saw through her.

“I would love to take pictures of just Gavin and me—” she began before Mercedes cut her off.

“I completely understand. You and Gavin are having a baby together. Any relationship I… will… maybe… have with him can be completely separate. We don’t need to be like Blake and her guys.” She gave me an apologetic smile. “No offense, but not everyone could blend families that easily.”

“No offense taken,” I gently reassured her, “but it hasn’t always been easy. We had to work on it—not as hard as some, but nevertheless, it’s always a work in progress.”

“Especially since they took us on, too,” Kade said, speaking up for the first time since entering the room. “With Miranda, our biological mother, back in the picture, they could have easily given in to Greg and Miranda’s suggestions, allowing them to adopt us back formally, but they wouldn’t. Miranda’s in our lives, but until I turn eighteen, I’ll remain in the custody of my sister and her connections. Not to say, Pops, Aunt Megan, Miranda, and Greg don’t have a say in how we are being raised, but they have the final say.”

His sentiments touched me, and my eyes flooded with hormonal tears. “I love you, Kade.”

He looked at me with the hurt of today’s events still in his eyes as he gave me a smile in return. “Love you too, Blake,” he responded without hesitation. “I’m sorry for not telling you and the guys earlier.”

I shook my head at him. “There’s nothing to apologize for. I wish we had known sooner, but you’ve had a lot on your plate. You go to school, get sent out on missions, and still help us with Alex and Ella.”

“It’s not an excuse.” He sighed heavily. “ I should have at least told Micah. We’ve never kept anything from each other before.”

“He’ll forgive you eventually,” I confidently stated.

Micah might like to bottle up his feelings, but he never held onto grudges—Miranda being the only exception. Alex broke his cell phone, and Micah forgave him even though he knew he had to earn his next one. Ella and Nadia spilled nail polish on one of his rare comics after he told them to paint their nails elsewhere, and he forgave them. He gave grace to those he believed deserved it.

“I hope he does,” he admitted quietly.

“Are you sure?” Mercedes was saying, bringing me out of my silent conversation with Kade.

“Yes,” Sierra staidly stated. “We are going to be a family, and I want us to have a successful blended family. I really want you and Lexus in some of the pictures.”

Mercedes frowned. “What about Jemmy?”

“I invited her.” Sierra sadly looked down at her hands. “Regardless of if she continues to be around us. If she wants to see them, I won’t cut Jemmy out of my baby’s life. She can. I wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for her.” She looked over at Gavin, then Mercedes, her eyes bright with unshed tears. “I couldn’t leave the bed when I thought Gavin had died. I wouldn’t eat, shower, or live in general. She forced me to eat. She pressed me to shower. She pushed me to take long walks outside with her in the fresh air.

“When we discovered I was pregnant, she still didn’t leave my side. The doctor told us it was a good thing she hadn’t. The baby was underweight because I had lost too much weight. I was a shell of myself, but she continued pushing me to get better for the baby, me, and us.”

“Tell her we won’t be in the pictures if she still wants pictures with you,” Gavin stated.

“There’s no use pushing her,” Jace said. “She’ll just fight it harder.”

Rachel chimed in next, her voice confident. “I think she’ll come around soon. I think Anna, Blake, and Dawn finally got through to her today.”

“What did we miss?” Marcel and Jaxson asked nearly simultaneously.

“We just gave her a few hard truths,” Dawn said as the servers returned to the room, effectively postponing the conversation.

η

We had just put the children to bed and changed into our pajamas, and I was excited to cuddle and watch a movie with my guys. I had just put my toothbrush back in its holder when a knock on our front door had us all looking at each other in confusion.

“I swear we didn’t get nearly as many late-night visitors while you were gone,” Troy jokingly grumbled as he slipped on his pajama bottoms.

“You forget the many nights we didn’t have Alex and Ella, yet they still made their way back here,” Drake teasingly reminded him.

“Oh yeah.” Troy ruefully shrugged. “I’ll go get it.”

“And I’ll start making our snacks.” Drake smiled and kissed my lips before leaving the room.

I playfully groaned, rubbing my stomach. “But we just ate.”

Seriously, I couldn’t take another bite.I had eaten my fill of fried noodles, fried rice, sautéed vegetables, salmon teriyaki, and sushi—cooked, of course.

I watched Drake and Troy leave the room, hoping they would return quickly.

“I can eat,” Jaxson unabashedly stated, rubbing his six-pack abs.

“No más!” I laughed before remembering our previous conversation.

“Did they have terrible nightmares?” I asked with a frown, slipping on a camisole top.

Noah chuckled. “No. They were initially upset but adjusted as well as they could between Jace, Anna, and Dr. Wong. They were looking for any excuse not to go to bed early, and we may have…” He shook his head and scrubbed the back of his neck. “Spoiled them when you were first taken. We would allow them to stay up past bedtime, feed them ice cream, and watch Bluey on loop. I think we watched each episode at least a dozen times.”

I gave them a fond roll of my eyes. They were such softies with my siblings—not that they didn’t need the extra attention while I was gone.

“ Bluey ?” I asked, not familiar with the show.

“It’s an Australian cartoon with talking dogs,” Jaxson said excitedly. “You need to watch it!”

“Umm,” I jokingly looked at the guys. “Was Bluey for the kids or you guys?”

“I plead the fifth,” Lincoln said as he exited the bathroom. “I’m not ashamed to admit I would finish an episode and continue watching it even if the kids fell asleep.”

I laughed and smiled, shaking my head, then I remembered what Ella had asked us earlier. “Is that where she got dunny from?”

Jaxson chuckled. “Yeah. Wait until she and Nadia ask for toast with cheese and jam.” He playfully shuddered as if he were repulsed.

“Excuse me, what?” I asked with a surprised chuckle.

“It’s something they saw on Bluey .” Remy chuckled. “Come on, baby girl, let’s cuddle and watch a movie.”

“No sir,” Troy adamantly refused as he returned to the room. “It’s my turn, but first, Blake and Noah…” He cleared his throat, looking uncertain. “Um, Tamara’s here to see you two.”

“What for?” Jaxson asked. “If she’s here to start drama, I’ll ask her to leave.”

“I don’t think she is,” Troy stated.

“Umm, okay,” I said. Even though I was just as confused as Jaxson, I was willing to hear her out. Last I heard, she was still recovering in the clinic. She had lost a lot of blood and wanted to be close to the baby. The baby seemed to be thriving, but they still wanted to keep an eye on her.

Noah was a few steps behind me as we left the room to find out what Jaxson’s ex-girlfriend could possibly want.

η

“You know I really did hate you,” Tamara said as she carefully stroked her daughter’s tiny fingers.

I blinked at her, unable to discern what she wanted me to say. This whole interaction was beyond bizarre. She had asked to talk to us then requested that we follow her back to the nursery.

Her daughter Erin Elizabeth Young-Moore was still in an incubator despite her promising vitals. And yes, she had given in to Herman’s pleas to let their daughter have his name as well. Once they verified Herman was indeed Erin’s biological father, Tamara graciously allowed him to see her and take his name.

“I hated you for a very long time,” she continued.

“Why did you want to see us, Tamara?” Noah interrupted with a heavy sigh as he picked up Erin’s chart. “Because if it was just to bash Blake, we’re leaving. As you can see, she’s pregnant. She’s already been put through a lot in the last few months, and she and the babies don’t need any more stress.”

Tamara sighed but without her usual vitriol. Instead, she twisted her mouth in thought. “I guess I shouldn’t have started the conversation with that. It isn’t the tone I was attempting to set. Let me restart. I’ve loved Jaxson Bell since the third grade. He was always the popular kid. All the girls had crushes on him, and all the boys wanted to be him. William hired my dad…” A look of pain crossed her features. “The summer before I started the third grade. I had been so angry and upset that he made us move. I didn’t want to leave the state, my home, and my friends, but then I met Jaxson when William threw a party for all the new hires and their families. Jaxson ran up to me with his dimpled grin and hair that flopped down into his eyes.”

When a fond smile tilted her lips, I wasn’t certain if I was jealous of her memory. A part of me knew it was ridiculous, but the other half was ridiculously hormonal over the littlest things.

“He asked me to come play with him and his friends,” she explained. “And just like that, I had my first crush. Unfortunately,” she gave a deprecating laugh, “once school started, he acted like I didn’t exist. He wasn’t interested in girls yet, and even though he was friendly, he never played with me again. I heard one of his friends ask who the fat girl with frizzy hair, thick glasses, and buck teeth was, and he shrugged and said his dad hired my dad—as if he didn’t know who I was.”

My eyes widened. I could never imagine Tamara as anything less than perfect. Even when she was pregnant with Erin, she had that glow. Hell, she was less than four days postpartum, and other than a slight bump, no one would believe she’d just had a baby.

Tamara shrugged and grinned. “I really was an ugly duckling, and it didn’t help that Mei Linn’s mom used to make me feel self-conscious all the time.She said and did things that no little girl should hear or go through, but I digress. Back to why I detested you.” At the sound Noah made, she rolled her eyes at him. “Simmer down, Noah. I don’t detest her any longer. In fact, I am beyond thankful for you and her now. Should I go on?” She gave me an uncharacteristic look of uncertainty.

“Go on.” I nodded before taking a seat in one of the rocking chairs in the nursery.

I wasn’t feeling any hateful vibes or maliciousness from her. On the contrary, I had a feeling her opening up like this was a bit therapeutic. I briefly went to school with her, and I didn’t think I had ever seen her with a real friend. Sure, she’d hung out with many people, but they all seemed like surface friendships.

“For years, I crushed on Jaxson from afar, then, when Jemmy came into the picture, we became friends, and I thought it was serendipitous that she was his pseudo-sister. We hung out often, and I tried to get Jaxson to notice me more.

“The summer before freshman year, my moms and dad sent me to a camp for overweight children. I shed off the weight I had gained from all the comfort eating, and I learned how to handle my bi-racial hair. My dad got me Lasik surgery, and my braces were almost ready to come off.

“Finally, Jaxson seemed to notice me. Well…” She gave a twisted smile. “He was noticing all females. I knew how much he looked up to his brother, so I decided to become a cheerleader. Jemmy tried to tell me not to change who I was just to please a man. Even then, she was stubborn and confident and knew who she was as a person.

“I lost her friendship by that winter, but I didn’t care because Jaxson took me to Homecoming. He gave me my first kiss. But then Jaxson told me he was marked. He told me that no matter what, once his connection came into his life, he had to be with her.” She sighed and looked down at her daughter.

“I was devastated, but I was unable to break up with him. I was popular. I was finally the girl other girls were jealous of and the girl the boys wanted to be with. I convinced myself that maybe he would never find his connection. We were on and off again for years, but I figured it just proved we were meant to be because we always got back with each other. Especially after we decided to lose our virginities to each other. I thought I was special enough to persuade him that he didn’t need his connection. I mean, we were happy with each other.”

I frowned. I didn’t know where Tamara was going with this, and I wasn’t sure I even wanted to hear about the stuff she’d divulged.

“I don’t think this is where the conversation should go,” Noah protested. He leaned down to kiss my temple as if to reassure me of our connection.

“You’re right. That was bitchy of me.” Tamara gave me an apologetic smile. “I’m determined not to be that self-centered, egotistical bitch anymore. I don’t need to put others down to make myself feel better.

“My parents always harped on my sister and me about the importance of loyalty and integrity, so it came as a shock to realize that they had betrayed Will behind his back. It gutted me when my moms insisted I help his cause by getting pregnant for Horatio, and then, once I was pregnant, it put a lot of my life in perspective. I realized what was important and what wasn’t.”

She gave me a tentative smile as Erin started making tiny mewing sounds similar to a kitten.“Sorry, it’s feeding time, and my girl doesn’t like to wait,” she explained.

She walked over to one of the refrigerators and extricated the tiniest bottle I had ever seen, then she popped it into another machine. I assumed she was warming it up.

“Typically, when a baby is born this small, they can’t drink from a bottle or their mother,” she continued. “However, thanks to you guys, she doesn’t need a feeding tube. She’s a bit too weak and lazy to breastfeed, but she’s taking bottles like a champ.”

I looked over at Noah, and he smiled. “I meant to tell you that. The doctors are still mystified by the milestones she can accomplish at her premature age. Of course, she’s not as strong as a full-term baby, but she’s not struggling as much as other babies born as early as her.”

“That’s amazing,” I said aloud.

A nurse came bustling in. “Like clockwork! Baby Erin will be in newborn clothing if she continues at this rate.” She peered down at Erin’s chart and grinned widely. “She’s already gained weight. Who’s feeding her tonight? I’m surprised Daddy isn’t fighting to do it again.” She began to get the baby ready to leave the incubator.

Tamara fondly rolled her eyes. “I made Herman go to sleep. He hasn’t left her side since she was born,” she explained to us. “I guess I was lucky in the unwanted daddy department. Anyways, would either of you like to feed her?”

“He’s a good man. I know neither of you wanted this or planned this, but Herman’s one of the good ones,” Noah emphatically stated. “Blake?”

“Sure,” I readily agreed.

Tamara was acting way too nice. I almost wanted to distrust her, but when I felt her out with my empath gift, there was nothing to be alarmed about.

The nurse carefully placed her in my arms, and I couldn’t help but smile. It was too early to tell who she resembled, and her skin still had that wrinkled, darker skin tone that some premature babies had.

“She’s beautiful, Tamara,” I softly cooed as she handed me the bottle.

Erin immediately began to suck down her bottle greedily, and the simple act of her eating fascinated me. The way her little hands clenched and unclenched. Her little mouth pursed as she received her nourishment. It made me more eager to meet my babies.

“Thanks.” She smiled as she sat beside me. “I really thought I was going to give her up. I even started talking to one of the advocates that helps place possibly gifted children. It’s not like I wanted her, as you said, Noah.” She gave him a saucy look. “I went to all my appointments but didn’t even want to know her gender.”

I hummed sympathetically. “I’m sorry your parents put you in this situation.”

“I still can’t believe they went along with Horatio’s hair-brained scheme,” Noah added grimly.

“I knew it initially upset my mom. I was beyond furious with them.” I both felt and saw her pain that time. “I knew Dad was horrified, but he still let it happen. I already had it in my mind that I would willingly hand them over to Horatio once the baby was born. I’m eighteen, and I still have goals I want to achieve. I wanted to go away to college and get a degree in sports medicine. I knew having a baby would make it even more difficult to achieve my goals.

“But then,” she blew out a heavy breath. “When I began hemorrhaging, I knew I was losing her. The bond I had never felt snapped into place, and I was terrified and heartbroken that I would lose her. I felt guilty for all the hateful thoughts I had toward her. She was more innocent than I was in all this.

“Sure, I didn’t know my dad and moms were in bed with Horatio. The moment my dad woke me in the middle of the night and told me we had to leave, I should have questioned him. I should have tried harder when I finally realized they had been on Horatio’s payroll for the last few years. I shouldn’t have allowed Brigette to screw with my head and convince me I would have a better life if I went along with her dad.”

Suddenly, the door opened, and Mei Linn, Tamara’s younger sister, skipped into the room. She stopped short when she saw me, her lip curled up in distaste.

“What is she doing here?” she snarled at Tamara. “She stole your boyfriend!”

“No,” Tamara immediately corrected her. “Jaxson was her connection, and I never should have deluded myself into believing I could mean more to him than someone created for him. And,” she continued, cutting off her sister when Mei Linn opened her mouth to protest, “she saved my and Erin’s lives. Erin, and possibly me too, wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for her.”

Her gaze met mine. “I know now that he was never mine. He was always yours, always will be.”

The sincere intentions behind her words shocked me. I felt her truth and maturity. I didn’t know if it was her pregnancy that had made her grow up or her brush with death, but she was a changed woman. Could we ever be friends? I didn’t know the answer to that, but I did feel her desire to bury all our grudges.

Since I was going to be a mother soon, I knew I had some growing up to do too. I wouldn’t hold her accountable for her past actions. Honestly, I really didn’t blame her. Letting a man like Jaxson go would be hard for anyone.

I nodded at her, understanding the silent apology, and she gave me a tremulous smile in return.

“She—” Mei Linn began once more.

“Enough, Mei,” Tamara sternly bit out. “Just stop.”

Mei Linn ducked her head, but I could see the mutinous tilt of the young teenager’s lips. “Fine. I’ll leave. I’ll come back later.”

I didn’t want to come in between the sisters. It was difficult enough that they’d lost their dad to death before their moms were sent to prison within months of each other. They needed each other now more than ever.

I couldn’t force Mei Linn to like me. Optimistically, I hoped she’d realize that we were never her enemies. Once upon a time, I had harbored the hope of changing her into a less bitter, hateful little girl. If Tamara finally saw the error of her ways, maybe there was still a possibility for her younger sister. It was clear she idolized her older sister.

“Don’t,” I protested. “I’m sure you want to see your niece, and I’m getting tired. She has a little bit left in her bottle. Would you like to feed her?”

I saw the excitement in Mei Linn’s eyes before her shield rose, bringing back the sullen teenager.

“Mei Linn,” Tamara gently reprimanded her.

Mei Linn jerked a nod in agreement.

“Okay,” Noah said in an upbeat tone. “Let’s get you situated and this little fighter ready.”

Mei Linn hurried to a chair where Noah gently and efficiently moved the baby into her aunt’s eager arms.

“Thanks for coming by,” Tamara said. “And thanks again for saving us.”

“It was no problem,” Noah reassured her.

“I’m glad you girls seemed to be healing and thriving,” I added with a smile.

Noah grabbed my hand and gently squeezed it.

Tamara perched next to her sister and adjusted the hat on Erin’s head. “See you later.”

We closed the nursery door behind us, taking one last look at Mei Linn excitedly talking to Tamara. There was nothing but joy and awe on Tamara’s face as she looked down at her tiny, beautiful daughter.

As Noah and I left, hand and hand, I couldn’t help but feel content. I never wanted Tamara as an enemy, and as I said, I felt slightly guilty for my hand in the demise of her relationship with Jax. Despite that, I’d never expected her gratitude and her sudden change. I didn’t know if we could ever be friends, but I was glad to have one less person not wishing me harm.