Chapter 22
Chapter
Twenty-Two
“What are you building?” Kate asked as she wandered out of the house and into the yard.
“Apparently, this space isn’t ‘summer-ready’,” Lion replied, making air quotes with his fingers as he used the words Rose had earlier.
As far as he was concerned, this open space around the mansion was purely for practical purposes.
It served as a final line of defense, since there was no way to cross it without being spotted.
But they didn't have to live in fear of being hunted any longer.
It was a difficult notion to become accustomed to, given how many years they’d spent on the run and hiding out there, and Lion knew it would take time to accept.
Their family had grown. A child lived there now, plus six women, it made sense that this space should be utilized.
Since they’d already agreed to plant vegetable gardens, it wasn't that much more of a change to add to that.
Now that the threat against them had been eliminated, and they were all free to move on, Lion got the feeling that Ariella wouldn't be the only child living there for much longer.
“Not summer-ready?” Kate asked.
“According to Cassandra, it needs a fire pit to sit around on summer nights and make s'mores and tell ghost stories,” he explained.
“I love ghost stories,” Ariella piped up from where she was kneeling on the ground, a little shovel in her hands, helping to dig the pit alongside him and the guys.
“You do not, you get scared of ghost stories,” Kate reminded their daughter with a smile.
“Not anymore,” Ariella said, and while both he and Kate flinched, knowing it was because the little girl had been immersed in death and danger the last few days, the child didn't seem at all bothered.
“Maya wants a huge wooden swing,” Lion continued, because he didn't want to dwell on the fact that his daughter had witnessed him torture and kill someone. Even if Ariella wasn't affected by it, he certainly was.
“Oh, that’s a great idea,” Kate said.
“Thunder wants to make it special for her since he knows how much she needs to be outdoors after what she’s been through.
So we’re thinking of making it with a big frame, planting a vine that will grow all over it, maybe wisteria, maybe jasmine, maybe something else.
Something to make it pretty, though,” he explained.
“I love it,” Kate agreed. “Are there any other plans?”
“A pool,” Ariella piped up.
“We don’t need a pool. We’re going to go swimming in the river once the weather warms up, remember?”
“Oh yeah. Swimming in the river will be so cool,” Ariella gushed. “I'm a real good swimmer, aren't I, Mom? Because I swim in Nanna and Poppy’s pool all the time. I'm the best one out of all my cousins.”
His daughter’s bragging was bittersweet. A reminder not only that he’d missed out on so much of her life already, and how uncertain her future was with a chance she wouldn't even be alive come summer, but also of how much of his family’s lives he’d missed out on.
As though sensing his spiraling thoughts, Kate stepped closer, ignored the dirt streaking his clothes and skin, and smoothed a hand down his arm before curling her fingers around his. “So, no pool, but a vegetable garden, a swing, and a fire pit. Are we planning any other garden renovations?”
“A gazebo,” Indigo piped up as the other women came out of the house.
All of them were dressed in jeans and T-shirts, with hats on to protect against the spring sun, and looking like they were ready to get to work helping transform the mansion and its grounds from a place to hide out to a family home to be lived in and enjoyed.
“I always thought gazebos were so pretty.”
“Then we’ll build you a gazebo,” Voodoo quickly agreed, strolling over to wrap his arms around his girl and kiss her.
“Anything you want to add, darlin’?” Blade asked Whitney. “Rose is getting a vegetable garden, Cassandra a fire pit, Indigo a gazebo, and Maya her wooden swing, so give us your suggestion.”
“Umm, well, I kind of like the idea of a pond, one with lots of lily pads, and koi. In Japanese culture, koi symbolize resilience, prosperity, and beauty, and I thought that was a great summary of us, our pasts, and what our futures are going to be. We’re all resilient, we couldn’t have survived everything we have if we weren't. And from here on out, our lives will be prosperous and beautiful. I don’t just mean financially prosperous, I mean they’re going to be full of love, laughter, and freedom.
Full of life. Beautiful.” Whitney glanced around, saw everyone was looking at her, and blushed.
“I was just thinking it could be a nice idea, but I don’t mind if no one else wants to. ”
Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, Blade pressed a kiss to her temple as he drew her against his chest. “I love it, darlin’, and I think everyone else does too. I can't think of anything more fitting to put in our garden.”
“I can,” Ariella exclaimed.
“Oh, yeah, and what's that, squirt?” Steel asked, ruffling Ariella’s blonde braids.
“I'm not a squirt.” Ariella pouted.
“You definitely are,” Dragon agreed, his unusual deep violet eyes twinkling in a way Lion wasn't used to seeing.
“Am not.” Ariella stuck her tongue out, making Dragon throw back his head and laugh.
“You're a squirt, but you're a tough little squirt, a mini warrior,” Dragon said, and that seemed to pacify the little girl.
“I'm going to be a warrior like my daddy,” Ariella said, beaming at him with pride.
“You already are, Ari-Bear. You fought when that man found you, and that makes you a warrior already.”
“To me, you’ll always be my sweet little piece of pie,” Kate teased Ariella, making the little girl roll her eyes at her mother.
“I'm not a piece of pie,” Ariella insisted.
“If you say so,” Kate said, grinning at their daughter. “What's your new idea?”
“Monkey bars,” Ariella exclaimed. “I want to learn how to do tricks on them, swing and twirl, like I'm doing gymnastics.”
“I can teach you gymnastics if it’s okay with your mom and dad,” Rose offered.
“As long as you don’t teach her that trick to get to the ceiling,” Lion told her, no longer feeling out of place making decisions about his daughter and the things that affected her.
Kate had made it clear they were a parenting team going forward, a family, so he was working to accept that place in both their lives.
“Absolutely,” Kate said with a laugh. “Don’t need my piece of pie pulling down the ceiling.”
“You pulled down the ceiling?” Ariella asked Rose, her eyes wide and her voice filled with awe.
“A story for when you're a little older, squirt,” Rose told her. “But I can definitely help you learn gymnastics. Maybe we could even convert a room inside so we can have a whole setup in there. Balance beam, parallel bars, uneven bars, vault, and lots of mats to work on floor routines.”
“Whatever you want, little ladybug,” Steel said with an indulgent smile.
“Okay, monkey bars out here as well. May as well go all in and make a whole playground. Slides, swings, sandpit,” Lion suggested.
Might as well go all out since he absolutely intended to get Kate pregnant as soon as they knew what was going on with Ariella and the transplant, and he was pretty sure he wasn't the only one with plans on filling this house with the pitter-patter of little feet.
“Ooh, yeah, that’s a great idea, Dad,” Ariella gushed.
“If we’re planning on building all of this and we want to have it ready to go this summer, then we’d better stop standing around chatting and get busy,” Thunder said.
“What about you, Katie-Bear?” Lion asked as he pulled her in for a kiss because he couldn’t spend long around her without kissing her, touching her. “What do you want to add to this quickly growing garden complex?”
Kate’s smile was soft as she looked around at everyone. Their daughter’s happy grin, her pale cheeks streaked with dirt, excitement practically vibrating off her. Each of the couples, relaxed and content, free from the burdens that had been crushing them for so many years. Then she shook her head.
“I don’t have anything to add. I think we already have everything we ever wanted,” she replied.
Lion couldn’t agree with her more. No one expected life from here on out to be smooth sailing.
They all had deep scars that would affect them for a lifetime, with a lot of healing to do.
He and his teammates planned to continue working for Prey, putting their enhanced skills to use for good instead of the evil Ridge Gardner had originally intended.
But now they were free to live their lives on their own terms, and it was a refreshing and invigorating feeling.
“Totally agree, Katie-Bear.”
March 31st
10:18 A.M.
Eleven days had passed since Ariella had received her bone marrow transplant from Leo.
Kate found herself overanalyzing every little thing her daughter did.
Ariella had more energy to work on the garden transformation one day, and she was positive things were working.
Then one day, she took a really long nap at lunchtime and was tired again by bedtime, and she was positive that things weren't going to work out.
Yesterday, Ariella cut herself on a nail while helping put together the playground set the guys had designed, and she was sure that her daughter’s blood clotted more quickly than normal. But maybe that was her imagination.
There was no doubt that Ariella was laughing more.
The little girl had always been a happy child, an easy baby from the beginning, an inquisitive toddler who rarely threw tantrums, an excited kindergartener who couldn’t wait to start on the big adventure of school.
Even in the first grade, when she received her diagnosis, somehow Ariella had managed to maintain her positive outlook and sunny disposition.