Part 27 (1/2)

Everyone else has felt the baby move or kick except for my sister. For some reason, whenever she touched my stomach, the baby would be perfectly still. It came in handy when the baby was restless and I couldn't get comfortable.

Colton liked to tease her and tell her it's because the baby hates her. The two of them still pick on each other all the time, but at least they get along for the most part.

When I asked Jennica about it, she said that Colton is like the big brother she never wanted, but has to live with, so she might as well make the best of it. I think she has the hots for him. He can be quite the charmer when he's not trying to p.i.s.s her off.

”I'll take that up to them.” Jennica said.

”I'm pregnant, Jen. Not broken.”

I picked the tray of fruits up and headed for the stairs. Jennica was close behind me with a plate full of sandwiches. We walked in on the guys discussing baby names.

”How about Paris?” Colton asked ”My daughter is a baby, not a city.”

”Ok, then how about Beatrice?”

”What is she, a cow? I don't think so.”

”You think Beatrice is the name of a cow?”

”Yeah. Martha used to milk Beatrice, and every weekend I'd help her and ma would get mad.”

”Are you talking about the old maid we had when you were ten? Wasn't she Calliopes mom?” Jeremy asked.

”Yep.”

Seriously? Calliopes mom was their maid? I used to think that knowing a little more about the history between Calliope and the brothers would help me understand better, but instead it only raised more questions.

I cleared my throat to announce we were there and all of them turned around with uncomfortable looks on their faces. Tobias forbids them all to talk about Calliope when I was around. He thought it would upset me and the baby. Well, he was right.

I placed the tray down on the dresser, then turned and walked out of the room. I don't even know why I let it bother me so much. It wasn't like they were talking about her; they were talking about baby names and it just happened to come up.

Tobias came after me and pulled me to a stop. I looked up at him and, for whatever reason, I started to cry. Screw you, hormones!

”I'm sorry, cupcake.”

”No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't even be upset.” I said, while wiping away the tears.

”You have every reason to be upset. She hurt you, and you hate her. We all hate her.”

”I didn't know you knew her when you were a kid.”

”She lived with us. Well, not with us, but her family lived on our land. Her mom was a maid in our house and her father was our farm hand. Alexander was our stable boy when he became old enough, as well.”

”Did your family treat them badly? Is that why they hate you and cursed you all?”

”No. we treated them very well. I remember when we were kids her mom used to teach us how to make apple pies, and let us help in the kitchen. When I got older, my father said that the kitchen was no place for a man, and that the hired help was there to serve us, not be our friends. Since then, my father refused to let any of us have anything to do with any of them outside of them working for us. I wasn't allowed to play with Calliope, or talk to her. My father used to tell us that she wasn't right in the head, that she had delusions of wanting to be a part of our family and that she believed she was better than what she was born in to. Clearly, he was right about her being crazy, but I think the way he isolated her away from our family after that might be why she cursed us. She might have felt abandoned by what she believed was her family, but no one really knows.

”You feel bad for her.”

”Is that a question or an accusation?”

”It's a statement. I can tell you feel bad for what your father did and maybe you feel responsible.”

”No. I felt bad for her once, when we were young, but all her actions since then, all the choices she made were her own. I'm not responsible for them, and I don't feel bad for her. She's not the little girl I used to know. Not anymore.”

I wanted to be mad at him for feeling anything for the woman who was responsible for Amelia's death, but I couldn't. It wasn't her he felt for, it was the little girl he used to bake with that he cared about, and she was long gone.

”I want her dead.” The words came out before I even realized what I was saying.

”Yeah, me too.”

That was the end of it. Tobias wrapped his arms around me and held me against his chest. I felt like I had to lean forward to properly hug him because of the big a.s.s belly in my way.

”So, you don't like the name Paris, or Beatrice. Anything you do like?” I asked.

”I still think it's going to come out a boy.”

”No, you just want it to come out a boy.”

”So? Isn't that the same thing?”

I rolled my eyes at him. It would have been nice to have a boy, but I am more than happy with having a daughter.

”Amber.” I said.

”What?”

”Amber. That is the name Amelia suggested for a girl, right before she died.”

”Hmm, I like it. Amber, it's a pretty name and, if she looks anything like you, she's going to be absolutely gorgeous.”

”Amber Amelia Cane.”

By the look on Tobias's face, I wasn't sure if he liked the name or not; I was beginning to think that maybe he'd get mad. I bit my bottom lip waiting for some kind of reaction.

”It's perfect.” He whispered, and then kissed me.

I stood up on the tip of my toes so I could deepen the kiss and his hands slipped down to cup my a.s.s. I would have made him take me to bed, but the doorbell ever so rudely interrupted us.

”I didn't know we were expecting company today.” I groaned.

”We aren't. It's probably Daniel. He said he might stop by, but that wasn't supposed to be until later tonight.”

”Alright, I'm going to go call Tristan.”

”Willow-”

”Don't lecture me, Tobias. I am well aware that he hasn't answered a single one of my calls, or called back; but, he is still your brother, and he needs to know that no matter what is going on with him, his family is still here and still loves him.”

He smiled, and then kissed me again before finally releasing me.