Inner Harbor
Page 68
"What the hell is going on in here?" Cam demanded.
Still holding Grace, Phillip grinned at him. "We're having a baby."
"Oh, yeah?" He arched his eyebrow. "How does Ethan feel about the two of you?"
"Ha-ha," was Phillip's comment as he set Grace carefully on her feet.
"You feel all right?" Cam asked her.
"I feel terrific."
"You look terrific." Cam drew her into his arms, rubbed his chin over her head. And the tenderness with which he did both had Sybill blinking in surprise. "Nice going, bro," Cam murmured to Ethan.
"Thanks. Can I have my wife back now?"
"I'm nearly done." Cam held Grace at arm's length. "If he doesn't take good care of you and the little Quinn in there, I'll beat the hell out of him for you."
"Are we ever going to eat?" Seth demanded, then stopped at the kitchen doorway and stared. "Why're Anna and Grace crying?" He swept an accusing look around the room, including Sybill in the heat. "What happened?"
"We're happy." Grace sniffled and accepted the tissue that Sybill dug out of her purse. "I'm going to have a baby."
"Really? Wow. Wow. That's cool. That's way cool. Does Aub know?"
"No, Ethan and I will tell her, in a little while. But now I'm going to go get her because there's something you need to see. Outside."
"Outside." He started for the door, but Phillip stepped neatly in his path.
"Not yet."
"What is it? Come on, move. Jeez. Let me see what's out there."
"We should blindfold him," Phillip considered.
"We should gag him," was Cam's suggestion.
Ethan took care of matters by hauling Seth over his shoulder. When Grace brought Aubrey in, Ethan winked, shifted the wriggling Seth, and headed out the door.
"You're not throwing me in again!" Seth's voice rang with terrified delight and giggles. "Come on, guys, the water's really cold."
"Wimp," Cam sneered when Seth lifted his face from Ethan's back.
"If you try," Seth warned, eyes dancing with joy and challenge, "I'm taking at least one of you with me."
"Yeah, yeah, big talk." Phillip pushed Seth's face back down. "Ready?" he asked when everyone was assembled at the edge of the water. "Good. Do it, Ethan."
"Man, the water's cold!" Seth began, ready to scream when Ethan dropped him. But he was set on his feet and he was turned to face the pretty little wooden boat with sky-blue sails that rippled lightly in the evening wind. "What--where did that come from?"
"The sweat of our brows," Phillip said dryly while Seth gaped at the boat.
"Is it--who's buying it?"
"It's not for sale," Cam said simply.
"It… is it…" It couldn't be, he thought, while his heart thumped with nerves and hope and shock. But hope was paramount. In the past year he'd learned to hope. "Is it mine?"
"You're the only one with a birthday around here," Cam reminded him.
"Don't you want a closer look?"
"It's mine?" He whispered it first, with such staggered delight and shock that Sybill felt her eyes sting. "Mine?" He exploded with it as he whirled around. This time the sheer joy on his face closed her throat.
"To keep?"
"You're a good sailor," Ethan told him quietly. "She's a tight little boat. She's steady, but she moves."
"You built her for me." His gaze shot from Ethan's face to Phillip's to Cam's. "For me?"
"Nah, we built her for some other brat." Cam gave him a light swat on the side of the head. "What do you think? Go take a look."
"Yeah." His voice quavered as he turned. "Yeah, can I get in her? Can I sit in her?"
"For Christ's sake, she's yours, isn't she?" His voice rough with emotion, Cam grabbed Seth's hand and hauled him onto the dock.
"I think this is a guy thing," Anna murmured. "Let's give them a few minutes to pull themselves together."
"They love him so much." Sybill watched another moment as the four males made noises over a little wooden boat. "I don't think I realized it, really, until just now."
"He loves them, too." Grace pressed her cheek to Aubrey's.
and it was more, sybill thought later as she picked at the meal in the noisy kitchen. It had been that shock on Seth's face. The utter disbelief that someone loved him, could love him enough to understand his heart's desire. And understanding, make the effort to give it.
The pattern of his life, she thought wearily, had been broken, shifted, then reformed. And all before she'd really come into it. Now it was set, the way it was meant to be set.
She didn't belong here. She couldn't stay here. She couldn't bear it.
"I really should go," she said with a well-mannered smile. "I want to thank you for--"
"Seth hasn't opened your gift yet," Anna interrupted. "Why don't we let him rip, then we'll have some cake."
"Cake!" Aubrey whacked her palms on her high chair. "Blow the candles out and make a wish."
"Soon," Grace told her. "Seth, take Sybill into the living room so you can open your gift."
"Sure." He waited for Sybill to stand, then with a jerk of his shoulder started out.
"I got it in Baltimore," she began, miserably awkward, "so if it doesn't suit, if you don't like it, Phillip could exchange things for you."
"Okay." He pulled a box out of the first bag, sat Indian-style on the floor, and within seconds was tearing the paper it had taken her untold agonies to choose to shreds.
"You could have used newspaper," Phillip told her and, chuckling, nudged her into a chair.
"It's a box," Seth said, puzzled, and Sybill's heart sank at his disinterested tone.
"Yes, well… I kept the receipt. So you can take it back and get whatever you'd like."
"Yeah, okay." But he caught the hard beam in Phillip's eye and made an effort. "It's a nice box." But he wanted to roll his eyes. Then he idly flicked the brass hook, flipped the top. "Holy shit!"
Still holding Grace, Phillip grinned at him. "We're having a baby."
"Oh, yeah?" He arched his eyebrow. "How does Ethan feel about the two of you?"
"Ha-ha," was Phillip's comment as he set Grace carefully on her feet.
"You feel all right?" Cam asked her.
"I feel terrific."
"You look terrific." Cam drew her into his arms, rubbed his chin over her head. And the tenderness with which he did both had Sybill blinking in surprise. "Nice going, bro," Cam murmured to Ethan.
"Thanks. Can I have my wife back now?"
"I'm nearly done." Cam held Grace at arm's length. "If he doesn't take good care of you and the little Quinn in there, I'll beat the hell out of him for you."
"Are we ever going to eat?" Seth demanded, then stopped at the kitchen doorway and stared. "Why're Anna and Grace crying?" He swept an accusing look around the room, including Sybill in the heat. "What happened?"
"We're happy." Grace sniffled and accepted the tissue that Sybill dug out of her purse. "I'm going to have a baby."
"Really? Wow. Wow. That's cool. That's way cool. Does Aub know?"
"No, Ethan and I will tell her, in a little while. But now I'm going to go get her because there's something you need to see. Outside."
"Outside." He started for the door, but Phillip stepped neatly in his path.
"Not yet."
"What is it? Come on, move. Jeez. Let me see what's out there."
"We should blindfold him," Phillip considered.
"We should gag him," was Cam's suggestion.
Ethan took care of matters by hauling Seth over his shoulder. When Grace brought Aubrey in, Ethan winked, shifted the wriggling Seth, and headed out the door.
"You're not throwing me in again!" Seth's voice rang with terrified delight and giggles. "Come on, guys, the water's really cold."
"Wimp," Cam sneered when Seth lifted his face from Ethan's back.
"If you try," Seth warned, eyes dancing with joy and challenge, "I'm taking at least one of you with me."
"Yeah, yeah, big talk." Phillip pushed Seth's face back down. "Ready?" he asked when everyone was assembled at the edge of the water. "Good. Do it, Ethan."
"Man, the water's cold!" Seth began, ready to scream when Ethan dropped him. But he was set on his feet and he was turned to face the pretty little wooden boat with sky-blue sails that rippled lightly in the evening wind. "What--where did that come from?"
"The sweat of our brows," Phillip said dryly while Seth gaped at the boat.
"Is it--who's buying it?"
"It's not for sale," Cam said simply.
"It… is it…" It couldn't be, he thought, while his heart thumped with nerves and hope and shock. But hope was paramount. In the past year he'd learned to hope. "Is it mine?"
"You're the only one with a birthday around here," Cam reminded him.
"Don't you want a closer look?"
"It's mine?" He whispered it first, with such staggered delight and shock that Sybill felt her eyes sting. "Mine?" He exploded with it as he whirled around. This time the sheer joy on his face closed her throat.
"To keep?"
"You're a good sailor," Ethan told him quietly. "She's a tight little boat. She's steady, but she moves."
"You built her for me." His gaze shot from Ethan's face to Phillip's to Cam's. "For me?"
"Nah, we built her for some other brat." Cam gave him a light swat on the side of the head. "What do you think? Go take a look."
"Yeah." His voice quavered as he turned. "Yeah, can I get in her? Can I sit in her?"
"For Christ's sake, she's yours, isn't she?" His voice rough with emotion, Cam grabbed Seth's hand and hauled him onto the dock.
"I think this is a guy thing," Anna murmured. "Let's give them a few minutes to pull themselves together."
"They love him so much." Sybill watched another moment as the four males made noises over a little wooden boat. "I don't think I realized it, really, until just now."
"He loves them, too." Grace pressed her cheek to Aubrey's.
and it was more, sybill thought later as she picked at the meal in the noisy kitchen. It had been that shock on Seth's face. The utter disbelief that someone loved him, could love him enough to understand his heart's desire. And understanding, make the effort to give it.
The pattern of his life, she thought wearily, had been broken, shifted, then reformed. And all before she'd really come into it. Now it was set, the way it was meant to be set.
She didn't belong here. She couldn't stay here. She couldn't bear it.
"I really should go," she said with a well-mannered smile. "I want to thank you for--"
"Seth hasn't opened your gift yet," Anna interrupted. "Why don't we let him rip, then we'll have some cake."
"Cake!" Aubrey whacked her palms on her high chair. "Blow the candles out and make a wish."
"Soon," Grace told her. "Seth, take Sybill into the living room so you can open your gift."
"Sure." He waited for Sybill to stand, then with a jerk of his shoulder started out.
"I got it in Baltimore," she began, miserably awkward, "so if it doesn't suit, if you don't like it, Phillip could exchange things for you."
"Okay." He pulled a box out of the first bag, sat Indian-style on the floor, and within seconds was tearing the paper it had taken her untold agonies to choose to shreds.
"You could have used newspaper," Phillip told her and, chuckling, nudged her into a chair.
"It's a box," Seth said, puzzled, and Sybill's heart sank at his disinterested tone.
"Yes, well… I kept the receipt. So you can take it back and get whatever you'd like."
"Yeah, okay." But he caught the hard beam in Phillip's eye and made an effort. "It's a nice box." But he wanted to roll his eyes. Then he idly flicked the brass hook, flipped the top. "Holy shit!"
