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The moon outside the mansion passed carefully and slowly, as if waiting to make sure Boston was asleep before progressing. I held Boston until he cried himself to exhaustion in my arms. Von spooned me and rested his hand on his brother’s shoulder to pull for us both while the three of us slept. I felt Von’s breath on the back of my neck, and tried not to let my body react to the slow and constant reminder that Von’s lips were inches away and begging to be kissed. I made it through the night without kissing him, but only just.
Von stirred next to me when his phone rang an hour or two after the sun rose. He fumbled around without looking on the nightstand, knocking over a pen before locating his phone. “Hallo, Mum. Do I sound taller today? Wiser? I feel wiser. That’s a first. Better late than never.” His eyes weren’t even open, but his personality never seemed to sleep. “Of course I’m having a happy birthday. The woman I love is carrying my child. I can’t imagine anything cheerier than that.”
Von tried to talk quietly, but Boston woke with a puffy-lipped frown, his eyes barely able to open from all the crying. Boston sat up and stretched, avoiding my eyes until I rubbed his back with the flat of my hand in a circular motion. Then he looked down at me, clearly embarrassed. “Sorry about last night. I’ll keep myself together better from here on out.”
“Oh, honey. Don’t even try that kinda talk on me. I’m proud of you for letting yourself feel all that. I’m here, just like you’ve been here for me through all this. We’re in this together, alright?”
He let out a gust of relief and reached down to muss my hair. “Is this what it’s like to have a sister?”
I nodded with a small smile. “I like being your sister. You don’t have to be perfect in front of me.”
“I think I’m just starting to figure that one out.” He quirked his eyebrow, but his eyes didn’t open any wider. “Are you implying I didn’t have myself together last night? Are you saying bawling like a baby isn’t what top drawer professionals do?”
I smiled up at him, unwilling to get out of bed yet. “I’m glad you’re here with us.”
“Me too, little sister.” Boston squeezed my hand and stood. “Biggest baby gets to shower first. New rule.”
“With my blessing,” I allowed. “I’m not ready to get up yet.”
Boston shuffled into the attached bathroom, leaving me to try and doze through Von’s conversation with his mama. My eyes shot open when Von pressed the phone to my ear, giving me a clear shot of his mama’s British accent. “Hello? Hello? Lady October?”
“Um, hello, Ms. Vandershot.” I sat up, situating my shirt to make sure I had no cleavage showing, and straightening my hair to attempt to look somewhat presentable.
I shot Von the filthiest look I could muster when he started sniggering as Ms. Vandershot asked how Omen duties were going. “She can’t see you, you know,” he whispered.
I gave him the finger and started in on the pleasantries. “Yes, ma’am. Von’s the best there is for the job. He’s Ezra’s go-to for most problems. He and Danny both, of course. And Boston, too. Your sons are really just fantastic. You did a great job raising them.”
Okay, I was babbling, but to be fair, Von ambushed me.
“You can call me Lavinia. Or Mum, if you like,” Ms. Vandershot offered graciously. “After all, you’re having my granddaughter. I trust the pregnancy is going well? Von doesn’t give me specifics.”
“Oh, well what do you want to know?”
She paused, as if unprepared for me being so open. “Any morning sickness?”
“In the first half, yes. But not so much now. Baby’s measuring normal, according to the doctor.”
“What about your Omen duties? Does that interfere with taking care of yourself and the baby?”
Von had the look of boyish mischief about him, which made me nervous. He moved toward the foot of the bed and ripped the covers off of me, making me jump. He picked up my foot, tipping me back on the bed as I tried to wriggle away.
“No, ma’am. I mean, Lavinia.” I winced at the informal greeting. I mean, she was a true adult. “I mean, Mama.” I closed my eyes and smacked my palm to my forehead, wishing I could erase the beam that burst from Von at me calling his mother ‘Mama’. I cleared my throat. “Lady Mariang and I are keeping everything on schedule. It looks like Terraway’s starting to rebuild itself, slowly but surely. We only have to reap two souls a day between the two of us to keep Terraway afloat, so we’re working on building up a stockpile for when we go on maternity leave.”
Von pinned my left leg to the mattress and lifted my right one so he could suck on my ankle, making my eyes roll back as I fought off a gratuitous moan. His mama said... something, but I couldn’t hear it. Von was kissing his way up the inside of my calf, just begging for a kick in the face. He wore his best wicked grin, eyeing me with devious glee.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you. One more time?”
“I was wondering if you thought of any names yet. You know, Lucille was my mother’s name, and her mother’s middle name. It’s also my middle name. If you needed any suggestions.”
“Lavinia Lucille. That’s lovely. I’ll make sure Lucille is put on the table when Von and I nail down the specifics in the final round of debate.”
“Then Von gets to stay in the picture? He’s going to stay in the Americas and raise the baby with you?”
Von stilled, his tongue on the inside of my knee as he waited for my response. I cleared my throat. “Of course. It’s his baby, too. I told him from the start, he can be as involved as he wants.”
Von sat up and cupped his hands to his mouth to sound like he was calling to me from a distance. “Lady October, you’re needed for Omen duties.”
“Oh! I heard you being summoned. It was a pleasure to talk, Lady October.”
“You, too. And if I’m calling you ‘Mama’, you can certainly drop the ‘Lady’ from my title. Just October’s fine.”
“Thank you, dear. Keep my number and use it as often as you like.”
“Pleasure’s all mine. Have a great day.” I ended the call and whipped Von’s phone at his head. He caught it, keeping it from knocking him in the face, so you know, one point for him. “You’re a jerk, springing your mama on me like that. I’m in my pajamas! I would like to’ve made a good impression. I was barely awake, you jag!”
Von went from devious boy to serious man, kneeling between my legs and leaning forward so his arms hedged me in beneath him. “You want me here,” he stated, like it was some kind of revelation.
“Of course I do. You’re the one who wanted to leave.”
“You want me,” he rephrased, his eyes clouding over with something darker, more intentional.
I debated running, but the argument on the other end was for me to stay – to see this thing through to whatever conclusion might turn out. I couldn’t find the words, so instead I nodded, no doubt looking like a girl who’d been caught in a lie – the lie that I was ready to take my chips off the table and leave him. I didn’t want to leave Von, but knew it would be a risk to stay. He could run out on me again; it was his M.O.
He lowered his head, giving me just enough time to let loose three of the foulest swear words I had under my hat before his lips closed on the crest of my bottom lip. He tugged my fears out of me and replaced them with a blur of blue, shimmering gold, chimes and bells.
It seemed with Von, there would always be bells.
Our legs tangled through each other’s, teasing and caressing as the kiss picked up speed, transporting us from our abstract bliss back to the park we’d shared when we’d been more easily in love.
We tumbled on the green, purple and blue grass, smearing the colors on our clothes and streaking them through our hair. It was easier to move in our special place. I was still pregnant, but less inhibited by it.
Von was frantic to get my clothes off, and I was eager to let him. Though we’d never made love in real life, our imaginations knew the dance well. I’d suspected that I was still in love with Von, but our epic bliss world confirmed what I’d been trying to fend off, bathing me in the confusing and explosive beauty that was us.