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It was a couple mornings of checking the bed to see if Von had split in the night before I started to sleep without that worry. At night, I was swept immediately into a dream with Philip, where he gave me that same weird shriveled weed again from the black leathery hard box. Whatever. It made him happy, and then we got to go to the pyramids of Giza. That’s right. My dreams are cultured. Not my real life, mind you, but in my dreams, I’ve seen the world.
I went from admiring ancient architecture with Philip to being gently woken by Von nuzzling my neck. His nose climbed from my clavicle up my throat when I rolled onto my back. “Did you sleep well? You were making these little ‘hmm’ noises.”
“Good dream. You?”
“I don’t need good dreams. I have you. That’s dream enough.” His nose scrunched. “Too much cheese this early in the day?” He nodded and then shook his head at himself. “I meant it, but it came out like a greeting card.”
“I like greeting cards, even when they’re dorky.”
I’d tried to make Von sleep in a different room when we got back to the mansion after Mason retreated to Sombi, but Ezra was firm on following the strict pulling for two rules. That also meant that Boston slept with us, which neither brother was all that thrilled about. We’d submitted to the arrangement for weeks now, and it wasn’t all that bad. Our pattern was slowly being established: Von spooning me and September while Boston held my hand in the night. It was so uncomfortable and claustrophobic – especially when Boston first climbed clumsily into the bed after his nightcap. But he was a good third wheel, for which I was grateful. I couldn’t cave and fall back into a rhythm with Von if his brother was in bed with us.
It took Von a solid fifteen minutes every night to let his hand move from its anxious, shielding hold on my belly to a relaxed stroke down my navel. It was like the second Von knew the baby was his, he turned viciously protective. Not a bad thing, but it was a steep learning curve going from him not being around at all, to being everywhere I turned.
He was best behavior Von, which was a whole new experience for me. When I got out of the shower that morning, I found he’d laid out fresh clothes for me. Then I migrated downstairs to find he’d made breakfast for me. “You made this?” I asked of the oatmeal, bacon, eggs, fruit bowl and orange juice.
“You say that like you’re surprised to find I can walk upright. Yes, I can cook. I used to cook for you every now and again when we stayed at your house in the beginning, if you recall. I lived on my own for years before Ezra took me in, and before that I took care of my brothers while Mum was at work. The boys would only tolerate cereal for so long.” He narrowed one eye at me. “I’ve cooked breakfast for you before.”
“Sure, but not like this. It’s a whole spread.” I sat down at the table, my eyes wide at the options. “Where’s everyone else?”
“Danny and Mariang are sleeping in. Though when I passed their room, the sleeping seemed more acrobatic than restful. Making up for lost time, I assume. Boston already ate; he’s in the conference room with Ezra. I’m guessing they’re discussing topics like what to get me for my birthday. I told them I wanted things simple this year. A roller coaster. That’s all I want.”
Von had made mention of his upcoming birthday no less than five times a day since he’d returned. I was pretty sure my present for him would be a letdown, but I wasn’t all that practiced with the whole birthday tradition. Birthdays hadn’t been a thing growing up. Bev didn’t remember which day in October she gave birth to me, so the whole month was taken up with morose anecdotes of how my father had left her because of me. I didn’t much care for my birth month. Allie and Ollie knew better than to wish me a happy birthday when it inevitably rolled around on October 30th every year. I usually tried to bury myself in work and pray the day would pass without anyone telling me I’d ruined their life by, you know, being born.
Von had been loved by his mama, and it showed in how geeked the guy got thinking about his birthday. The big day was due to be celebrated tomorrow first thing, and I’m guessing would last all day long.
“You want to go to an amusement park?” I asked, spearing the eggs that tasted like butter, cheese and something amazing. “Oh, these are incredible. Thank you for cooking.”
“I don’t want to go see a roller coaster. I want a roller coaster. Preferably one that starts in our room and goes throughout the mansion. We could call it The Half-Vamp at Full-Speed.” He waved his fork around in the air as he sat across from me at the dining room table. It was such a big table for just the two of us. “I’m still working on the name.”
“I’ll make sure Ezra knows, so he can paint the name on the side.”
“See that you do. I mean, you won’t be able to go on it for another month or so, but I’ll save you the best seat for when you’re ready.” His lazy smile was in full swing. It was a dangerous contagion, Von’s smile. It made me forget that I was still trying not to get used to having him around. He gazed at my face dreamily. “Do you think September will have my blue eyes, you know, back when both my eyes were blue instead of just the one?” He motioned with disdain to his gold eye that now had blue speckles.
“I hope so. She’ll be able to get out of all sorts of things the more she looks like you.”
“My eyes, your hair. Is it wrong to hope she has my figure?”
I frowned. “There’s nothing wrong with my body, Von. I’m pregnant. This is how I’m supposed to look.”
Von waved off my affront with a flick of his wrist. “If she has your figure, it’ll be a full-time job keeping the more sordid blokes away from her. I’m hoping she has a flat chest and mannish arms. That might buy me a little relief from worrying all the live-long day.”
“Oh, I see.” I chuckled through my next bite, grinning at Von’s joke. “I just hope she’s happy. Do you think there’s a chance? I don’t want my childhood for her. Or yours, actually.”
Von speared his fruit in contemplation. “You’re nothing like Bev, so we’re cleared on that front. And I won’t be leaving ever again, so she won’t have my childhood, either. I didn’t know the baby was mine, Peach. I thought you’d cheated on me, so I took off. Now that I know you’re still mine and so’s September? Good luck getting me to leave you alone ever again. I hope you enjoyed that space you had, because it’s gone forever.”
“Love the sentiment, but I’m still not yours, Von. Stick around for September. That’s good. You should stay for her. But I’m still mine, not yours.”
Von had a hard look of defiance that twisted his handsome features, but it quickly was replaced with his usual lackadaisical “whatever” face. “Whatever you can live with, Peach. If you can keep yourself from falling in love with me again, then all the more power to you. I’m a patient man. I see what you pretend not to notice, and I can wait.”
“Can we talk about something else? When are we reaping today?”
“Later this evening. Boston and I were talking to Ezra, and figured that since reaping three souls now leaves you exhausted because of my sweet little bun in your oven, we should try to reap in the evening instead. Maybe then you can be more awake for your life.”
“That makes sense. So I have the whole morning to myself?”
“Actually, I have a few errands to run that I could use your help with. Do you mind?”
“That’s fine. But then afterwards I’d love an hour to read. It’s been a while since I’ve had the mental stamina to stay awake for anything when we get home from reaping.”
Von raised his eyebrow. “You’re reading those books from Finn?”
“Yeah. I’m right where the Mermaid main character figures out that her Merman boyfriend’s really a jackweed, so I think she’s going to break it off with him to go sort things out with Ricardo, the two-legged guy she’s really got the hots for.” I shrugged. “Or maybe the whole story’s about old socks and dancing rhinos. I’m translating as I go, so I’m not totally sure I’m getting it all right.”
Von’s fork stilled on his plate, watching me through narrowed eyes as he sat back in his chair, feigning laziness while being totally alert. “Are you in love with Finn?”
I gaped at Von. “Jeez! Well, lay it all on the table, why don’t you.”
“Seems like a fair question to ask. Got to know what I’m up against.”
“You’re up against no one. I’m not in love with Finn, no. When we kissed, I didn’t have a vision. I had a crush on him and have a deep respect for him, but nothing more to grab onto than that. He’s good to me. He stuck around knowing the baby wasn’t his.” I knew I shouldn’t have thrown in that jab, but it was the truth. I did like Finn for that very reason, among many others. “I get him, and not many people do.”
“There’s nothing to get. He’s an opportunist. He’s in it for himself. Don’t ever forget that.”
I drank down my juice. “I don’t really think we’re the kind of friends who need to talk about who we’re interested in. I don’t ask you about your love life. I don’t want to know how many women you slept with while you were gone, enjoying your penis while I was celibate, and my head was in the toilet because I was carrying your baby.”
Von winced at the mark that hit the bullseye. “Yes, well, the woman I degraded myself with isn’t here. Finn’s still around. I deserve to know who’s around my baby. Violent slave drivers aren’t my top pick for who I want my daughter near.”
“He’s been nothing but good to me and September, and I told you I don’t want to talk about this with you. We’ve got a long way to go before we’re actually friends again. You broke my heart, Von. You don’t get a backstage pass anymore.”
Von threw out his hands, casting aside his feigned coolness. “Yeah? Well, you stole my heart and now you’re keeping it, even though you’re pretending you don’t want it. So we’re even there.”
“You told me you didn’t want to settle down yet, so here we are, not settled. You took off after a long pattern of pushing me away. You can’t blame me for moving on.”
“I asked you for time.”
I leaned forward, glaring as I took the gloves off and went for the heart of it all. “You should’ve asked for more of me, not less. So now you’re getting less, just like you wanted. Don’t pout about it. You’re being a child, getting exactly what you asked for, and then throwing a fit when it’s not as shiny as you thought it’d be.”
Von gaped at me, searching my argument for signs of weakness, and finding none.
I closed my mouth immediately when Mariang flitted down the steps. She was starting to put on a healthy five pounds, making her seem less like she might blow away if Danny sneezed. It looked good on her. So did the healing waters, which made her smile more vibrant. She was lighter than air, and passed her gratitude for a sustained life on to everyone she came into contact with.
“Good morning, big brother,” she almost sang as she all but danced into the dining room to peck Von on the cheek. “Isn’t it a lovely morning?”
“Peachy,” Von replied with a closed expression.
His frostiness began to melt under Mariang’s sweetness as she grabbed a piece of bacon off his plate and munched on it, groaning gratuitously. “Mm! This is delicious. Lynna really outdid herself this morning.”
I decided to play nice. “Actually Von made it. It’s incredible. You want the rest of mine?” While I wouldn’t be able to eat off someone else’s plate, Mariang had no such qualms. She sat down next to me and grinned when I slid my plate and fork over to her so she could eat the other half of my breakfast.
Von sighed heavily. I knew he was upset that he’d made me breakfast I wasn’t finishing. “Can you be ready to go in twenty?”
“Of course.”