“No, dad.”
“Maggie, we can do this tomorrow. It’s late and you’ve been through a lot. You need rest and whatever you have to tell me can wait.”
“No, dad. This needs to be done now. Please?”
He lifted a brow at me and I read his thoughts before he said them and it was so very strange.
“Alright,” he conceded unwittingly to the cause. “Come on. Let’s go to the den.”
He looked perturbed when I reached for Caleb’s hand instead of his but led the way inside and got everyone a glass of sweet tea as we sat, me on the loveseat beside Caleb, his hand in my lap holding mine.
“Ok. What’s so important that this couldn’t wait?”
I looked up at Peter who sat on the opposite sofa beside my father. He smiled encouragingly at me. I nodded to him and he began to tell my father all about them and us, Caleb and I, everything. He started with one loaded sentence.
“Jim, my family is a supernatural one that obtains abilities through imprinting with a mate, a soul mate, which my son is to your daughter.”
I waited for him to bolt but my dad just stared at him. So Peter continued. And continued. And continued. He told him everything there was to tell, some things I’d never even heard before. I had to give my dad credit for being attentive and seemingly open minded as he was told a load of things that I wouldn’t have listened to if I hadn’t imprinted with Caleb and felt it first hand.
Caleb squeezed my hand soothingly as his father explained how we needed to be together, touching, reading each other, everything. How we were it for each other and would always be together. Then he told him about my newfound abilities. Through it all my father remained stoic.
Then after almost an hour, Peter ended.
“I know it’s a lot to take in but we’re family now and I want you to know that though we love Maggie, we have no intentions of taking her from you. You are the only human that we’ve ever told, the only one who knows about us. This is an unusual situation but a remarkable one. We want this to work easily and not have discord between you and Maggie over it. I’m sure, as a father myself, that you feel an array of things right now but above all else know that we’ll never lie to you from this day forward and that Maggie is important to us and we’ll protect her with our lives.”
Dad looked at me. His eyes were guarded but his mind was filled and overflowing with thoughts. Scrambled. Some were angry, some were skeptical, some were down right hurt. I winced at the onslaught and he leaned forward a little towards me.
“Maggie.” He swallowed hard, spoke softly. “Are you really going to sit there and tell me that you can read my thoughts?”
Twenty Seven
I’d known it was coming. I’d known he wouldn’t just believe us but it still hurt to see his disappointment. He thought I was gullible and naïve. That I’d let them dupe me into believing this crazy scheme. He was scared for me. He was thinking that he needed to call the police again- for a restraining order this time. He was worried that they’d take me or I’d run away with them if he threw a fit so he tried to remain calm, for my sake.
“Think of something,” I told him and winced again as he bombarded me. “Think one thing,” I clarified quickly.
He sighed and pursed his lips, clearly not wanting to continue but humoring me, thinking he’d prove me wrong. He thought of the time he was teaching me to ride my bike and I crashed into the back of mom’s car, scratching the bumper in the process, but I also scratched my forehead. I still had a scar on my hairline.
She had been worried about the car, he had been worried about me.
“You always worried about me,” I said softly remembering everything. “We should have seen the signs about mom back then. We should have realized something was wrong with her, that she wasn’t happy. What kinda of mom cares more about her bumper than her kid?”
Dad’s jaw fell open and he looked at me with someone bordering fright.
“It’s ok, dad.”
He reigned in and his features were replaced with a flat expression. He never took his eyes from me. He lifted an eyebrow in contest and thought again some things to test me. He wasn’t giving in that easy. His first thought.
What’s my birthday?
“Dec 24th.”
His eyes went wide but he kept going.
What’s the capital of Georgia?
“Atlanta.”
His face got even more determined.
What’s two plus two?”
“Six.” His brow lifted higher. “I’m kidding dad. It’s four.”
Who’s the thirty second president?
“Come on, dad. I wouldn’t know that answer even if you asked me out loud.”
He covered his mouth and chin with his hand and continued to look at me. His eyes softened a little. I saw it happen before his thoughts hit me. He believed me, how could he not after that demonstration, but that didn’t mean he was thrilled about it. He blamed Caleb for doing this to me.
“So. This is your fault?” His eyes left me for the first time in five minutes and he turned his gaze to Caleb. He scowled furiously. “You knew this would happen, that she’d be a freak and you did it anyway?”
“Dad,” I said sharply and he looked back at me. “This isn’t his fault, he had no control-”
“But he knew what he was. He shouldn’t have ever touched you if that was the case. You don’t belong to this life. You’re not like them and now, you’ll never be the same.” He shook his head and in his mind he decided he wouldn’t go quietly into the night about this. He was gonna let me have it. “And now, look at you. Following his lead and listening to every little sweet nothing he says just because you think you’re stuck with him for life? Well, I’ll figure something out, to break or stop this...this imprint thing. You don’t have to be a freak against your will-”
“I’m gonna stop you right there,” I shouted. “Caleb and I imprinted. I know you were listening to Peter, I can see your thoughts, dad, so don’t act like now you didn’t hear him. You know that we didn’t choose this, it happened to us. It’s not something you can control. My abilities didn’t come until a couple days ago, they’ve had nothing to do with Caleb and I up until now. And I’m not a freak and neither are they.”
“Maggie.” He leaned forward and grabbed my free hand. “They knew this would happen to you and they let it. You’re a sweet, young, pretty girl and they just-”
“No. Stop.”
“You don’t even know him that well. You’re not ready for-”
“Dad-” I cut in and jerked my hand away but he didn’t stop.
“-something like this yet. You’ve barely graduated high school and now you’re supposed to be someone’s soul mate? I don’t fully understand all of what ya’ll are telling me, and I know that there’s still things I haven’t heard yet but-”
“Dad-”
“-I understand enough about relationships to know that you can’t just base it on feelings and pressure-”
“You’re not listening to me,” I blurted loudly and he finally stopped his plight. “It’s not about whether you think I’m a freak or gullible or naïve or even if I’m ready. I love him, daddy.”
He slumped in defeat and slid to kneel on the floor in front of the couch.
“I always knew you were serious when you called me daddy,” he admitted and I went to the floor too, on my knees. He looked at me. “So, this is it? You’re leaving me,” he phrased it as a statement, not a question, like he knew my answer already.
“No, that’s why I wanted to tell you. It’s really rare for humans to imprint with Aces. They don’t have to deal with this very often but they were willing to risk telling you, for my sake, so that I could keep you. You understand? I can’t be without Caleb without it hurting me, and even if I could I wouldn’t want to. But I want to be with you too.”
He took a deep breath.
“It’s not fair. It’s not fair that I have to just take a backseat and watch someone else have
you.”
I laughed softly.
“That’s what happens, dad. Did you think I’d never leave home? Never move out? Never go to college? Never get married?”
He cracked the first small smile.
“Yes. Yes I did think that.”
Peter chuckled behind dad and it was like my dad realized then that we weren’t alone. He looked over at Caleb for a long time. Then he smiled again and so did I reading his mind.
“It’s mostly my fault, but my daughter hasn’t been happy in a very long time, until now. I saw it but...” He shook his head. “I didn’t want to believe it was over a boy. I can’t deny that as much as I might not like how young she is, that she’s happy with you.”
Caleb nodded and looked down at our still intertwined hands.
“I’m sorry. I never wanted to take her away from you. I just want her to be happy.”
“I know.” Dad sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Then he turned a forced smile on Peter. “So. Your whole family has these...abilities? You all get married for life? Everyone?”
“Yes,” Peter answered, “but, like I said, Caleb and Maggie are the first to imprint in a very long time and Maggie’s gift is rare and coveted. I’m not sure what it all means, I won’t lie, but it’s something good.”
My dad looked back to me and blew a long breath.
“College now?”
“Well,” Peter interrupted. “First things first. We need to make sure that the echoling is actually going to stop. That Marcus will stop.”
“But I thought you said you took care of it?” dad asked.
“We did but we can’t just call the police like humans can when we have a problem. The only way to truly take care of it is to kill him. I...will if I have to, but I’d rather not resort to that unless it comes to it.”
Dad looked scandalized but kept his composure. In his mind he was wondering if he could ask someone to do that. Kill someone. Take a life. For me.
“Ok. What do we have to do?” dad asked with a new resolve.
“Well...I think if Caleb and Maggie get out of town for while it would be best while I monitor the Watson’s. The further away from the echoling she is, the less chance he has of reaching her.”
“But I thought you said if they slept-” Dad choked on the word and cleared his throat. “Slept together- were together at night, that he couldn’t harm her.”
“He can’t but he’s already tried a kidnap attempt here at your house once before.”
“What!”
“It’s alright. Maggie handled it, but I think it’s just best if we send them away for a while.”
“Maggie handled it? What does that mean?” my dad said and looked between us all.
“My family has many gifts, Jim. Maggie will attain many herself. Self defense being one of them. She fought the two of them off until Caleb was able to get to her.”
“What? Get to her?”
“Yes.”
“You saved her...twice?” Dad said and looked at Caleb with an awe I only hoped I would see and I felt my eyes water.
“It’s was only fair,” Caleb said and winked at me. “She saved me first.”
“I can’t believe this.” Dad scrubbed his face with his hands and then fiddled with the top button of his shirt. “All this time I resented you two spending so much time together and you were saving her... I really wish you had told me then, Maggie, at the beginning.”
“I didn’t have my ability then, dad. You never would have believed me.”
“You’re right.” He laughed sadly. “I wouldn’t have. Where are we sending these two?” my father conceded gruffly.
“Somewhere out west,” Peter suggested.
“Arizona,” I blurted.
I peeked back at Caleb and saw a grateful little smile. He knew I wanted to go there because Caleb wanted to go to school there. He’d never been and I wanted him to see it. He spoke to me and I could feel the love attached to the words in warmth and tingles.
I love you.
I know. I love you, too.
“Arizona, huh?” Dad tried to process everything. Me in Arizona, anywhere really, with my soul mate and not him and every scenario brought bad outcomes and pregnancies and shotguns or Vegas weddings. I couldn’t help but laugh. He looked up at me and twisted his lips. “I forgot about your ability already,” he muttered.
“Dad.” I pulled from Caleb and went to hug dad around his neck. “I’m not going to do anything stupid.” I pulled back to sit on my heels and look at him. “I know this isn’t ideal but it wouldn’t matter if I’d met Caleb now or at thirty. It would be the same for me, but, even with that, I know what I’m ready for and not ready for.”
“You were always so smart,” he chuckled then took a shuddering breath. “Look at me. If you run off and get married in some justice of the peace’s office or make me a grandpa before I’m gray, I will not forgive you.”
Everyone laughed again and I felt like bursting with happy tears.
“Deal, dad.”
“Deal.”
He hugged me tightly and then stood, pulling me with him and although in his mind he believed everything we’d said, he was still wrapping his thoughts around it all. He was ready for bed, to be alone and think.
“Ok.” He looked between Caleb and I. “You knew, from the very beginning, from the first time you brought him here, that you were...were-” He sighed and gripped his neck. “Imprinted?” he finally got out and I nodded. He nodded back. “Ok. No more sneaking. No more lying. No more secrets.”
“Yeah, dad,” I said as Caleb said, “Yes, sir.”
“Now, uh... How about you two sleep on the sofa tonight. I may be coming to terms with all this but I’m still your father.”
“Ok, dad. That’s fine,” I said amused. I turned to Peter and reached up to hug him. “Thank you for coming for me.” He hugged me tightly, just like my own father had.
You’re family now and we love you. Wouldn’t have it any other way.
I smiled through tears but held them back from falling to my cheeks. Caleb said goodbye to his father and then while dad and Peter were saying theirs, Caleb laced his fingers through mine. I looked at him and he was watching me with a smile.
Are you happy?
Yes. Thank you for this. He took it better than I thought. I know my dad’s a little nuts but, he’ll keep your secret- Our secret, I corrected
He put his forehead to mine and rubbed my arm from elbow to wrist.
I know he will. I just want to you to be happy. Whatever that is.
You. Me. Alone. Arizona.
He laughed out loud and started to frame my face with his hands but looked over to see our fathers watching, not hearing our internal interlude. He smiled bashfully at me and turned to wave at his father as he left.
“Ok, kids,” dad said and rubbed his hands together. “I’m going to bed.” He hesitated. “I’ll come check on you guys later,” he said hurriedly and I heard his thoughts.
“Dad. I promise you we will be fine. We’ll sleep on the couch, nothing else, and won’t runaway into the sunset before you can get up.”
He laughed ruggedly.
“Ok. Ok.” He hugged me. “Night, baby girl.” And he said it like he always had. Not like I was a freak or different. Like I was his daughter and always would be, no matter what. Then he shook Caleb’s hand. “Night, son. Thanks again and uh...I’m sorry, for what I said to you before-”
“No need, sir, it’s forgotten. Good night.”
Dad left and I could have collapsed right there. It was like it all hit me at once and I sat down swiftly on the couch.
“I need a shower,” I muttered and yawned.
“Not tonight. Sleep first.”
“Wait,” I stopped him and held his cheek in my hand. “Your face. Marcus punched you.”
“Barely,” he scoffed. “It’ll be fine,” he assured.
“Let me heal you.”
“You’ve been through enough tonight-” Bu
t I just closed my eyes, put my hand on his jaw and focused, hearing him sigh in defeat.
I wasn’t sure what I was doing or how to but somehow my body knew just what to do. My body felt suddenly heavy as if I was weighed down and then my hand...I could feel me drawing it out of him, like a magnet. The pain, the blood, the bruises. It all went in me and then through me. And then it was over. I opened my eyes to see his jaw was no longer pink.
I smiled in triumph.
“Happy now, doctor,” he smirked.
“Yes.”
He pulled the afghan off the recliner and I didn’t have the strength to argue as he laid me down, then slid down beside me and pulled the blanket over us, wrapping his arms around me and tucking my head under his chin. My body practically sighed.
Sleep, Maggie. No worries tonight.
No worries. Ok. Thanks for coming for me.
I’ll always come for you. I’ll always find you, I told you. You’re everything now, Maggie. I love you so much.
He squeezed me as he spoke to me in my mind and I felt that he hadn’t really gotten to relax and just feel his relief of my being found yet. He was shaking with the release of it all now, finally taking his turn to relax.
I leaned back and reached up to press my lips to his. His happiness and relief coursed through me. When I closed my eyes I saw the energy ribbons bouncing around us but when I opened them, nothing was there. He kissed me back gently and caressed my cheek with his fingers, pushing my hair behind my ear. Raking his fingers through it.
I missed this, I told him as he continued to kiss away all my troubles.
Me too. Me more, I think.
I laughed against his lips. He gave me one last kiss on my lips, then on my forehead.
Sleep, sweetheart. They’ll be plenty of time for that later.
I love you.
I love you.
So it turned out, Arizona was not where we were headed. Apparently there was an uncle I still hadn’t met who had a vacation beach house in California. Ugh. Just the thought of being in the same state that my mom had fled to made me want to hurl.
We’d been woken up the next morning by Peter. He came over early. He and my dad had all the details worked out before we even got up. I apparently needed the sleep because we slept on that couch soundly until 11:00 in the morning.