in-law, anymore. You’ll be the mother of my grandbaby.”
I leaned into the crook of her shoulder, and she hugged me tighter. “You probably haven’t had a home-cooked meal in a few days. Let’s eat.”
At the table, Claire and Bex were chattering excitedly about the encounter with the Army trucks, and Ryan was busy stuffing food in his mouth. Lillian cut her food into small, bite-size pieces, smiling as she listened to her children talk about their day.
Jared smiled, amused at how Claire and Bex took turns with each sentence of the story. He held a fork in one hand, and touched my knee with the other. I noticed the end of the table had an extra, empty place setting.
I leaned into Jared’s ear. “Is Lillian expecting someone else?”
Jared looked down to the plate, and then shrugged. “Er…Mom? Is someone else coming to dinner?”
Lillian’s eyes brightened. “Yes. I didn’t have much notice, so I extended the invitation a bit late.”
The doorbell rang, and everyone at the table traded glances. Lillian patted her mouth quickly with the napkin and then pushed her chair away from the table.
The familiar sound of clicking heels echoed through the entry, down the hall, and into the dining room.
“Oh, Nina, dear!” Cynthia said, her arms outstretched.
I stood, a bit startled when she took me into her arms. “Hello, Mother.”
Cynthia relaxed her grip and held me at arm’s length. “I heard what happened. I trust you’re all right?” I nodded and she continued, “And the baby?” I nodded again, and she pulled me against her once more. “That’s very good news. Good news, indeed.”
It felt a bit strange to have her at our dinner table, listening to the chaos and wreckage Claire and Bex described. She didn’t seem affected, however.
After Bex served dessert, I realized it would be our last time for several months to see Lillian, and Cynthia, and that we were all trying very hard to pretend it wasn’t. The Ryels were a practiced family at this sort of thing, but I struggled to keep the sadness away. I caught Cynthia more than once glancing in my direction. I wasn’t sure if it was my belly that held her curiosity or the fact that she wanted to memorize my face in case we never saw each other again.
After a proper amount of post-dinner socializing, Cynthia excused herself, citing a previous engagement. I walked her outside, and watched with a smile as Robert got out of the car and opened the back door for Cynthia.
Cynthia looked down at her expensive shoes, and then laughed once. “I could’ve been a better mother, Nina, dear.”
Her words caught me off guard. I wasn’t sure how to reply, but even if I had been, she didn’t give me the chance.
“It’s always been hard for me. I was never what one might call a natural-born mother. These instincts that people talk about…well, I never had them. Your father was always so good at hugs and kisses. I suppose I envied him for that.” She dabbed her nose with a tissue, and then looked up at me. “I do love you. If you’ve ever questioned that, please accept my sincerest apology.”
I grabbed her hand and offered a smile. I could feel my eyes threatening to tear. “I love you, too. I’ll see you soon.”
Cynthia took me in her arms, and beyond her thin shoulder and the porch light, I saw Robert’s shocked expression. She let me go, and without looking back, she left, her heels clicking against the pavement until she disappeared into the car.
I wasn’t ready to meet the curious stares of the others. I walked around to the back of the house, and leaned against a beam of the back porch. Murmuring caught my attention, and I saw Ryan and Claire sitting on the porch swing, looking up at the sky.
She was giggling, and he nonchalantly rested his arm on the back of the swing behind her. She didn’t lean away, and I smiled at the scene.
“I had fun today,” Ryan said, watching for Claire’s reaction.
“I couldn’t tell.” She rolled her eyes, but couldn’t hide her smile.
“My favorite part was when we traded places in the car.”
“I bet it was.”
They exchanged stories about the battle with the shells, and laughed as they teased each other. Every time Claire was in Ryan’s line of sight, his eyes lit up, and his grin was so innocent and animated, it was infectious.
Ryan pushed back against the swing, and again they sat quietly, with just a few residual giggles interrupting the still night. Claire held her feet out in front, her tan legs a perfect accessory to her cut off jean shorts and casual pink tank top. The black combat boots just made her outfit more ‘Claire’.
Ryan rubbed the back of his head, trying to seem casual. “I gotta tell ya. I’m a little nervous about the trip.”
Claire turned to him, squaring her shoulders. “Are you scared, little girl?”
Ryan huffed, playing off her taunt. “Scared. Psh. I can handle it. I’m nervous about how it’s going to turn out. What if something bad happens?”
Claire’s playful smile melted, and she faced forward. “It won’t.”
“But, what if it does?”
“Then I’ll fix it. I always do.”
“What if something happens and you can’t fix it?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “That’s only happened once.”
Ryan squared his shoulders, facing her completely. “You mean your dad?”
She only nodded.
“Have you ever been up against something like this?”
Claire paused for a long time. I wished that I could see her expression. I wasn’t sure if she was annoyed at his line of questioning, or she was afraid of the answer.
“Hey,” Ryan said. When Claire ignored him, he tapped her shoulder. “Hey.” She looked at him, then. “I’ll be right behind you. And I don’t mean that you can’t take care of yourself, because we all know you can. I just mean if something happens, I’m not going anywhere. Whatever you need.”
Claire took a breath. “I just assumed you already knew, but now I realize you don’t. Jared is the last line of defense, so if we lose them, we won’t know it. Do you understand?”
After a pause, Ryan nodded.
Claire continued, “The baby she is carrying is the most important thing. We have to protect it until we can’t.”
“The baby is important,” Ryan agreed. “But you are the most important thing to me.”
Claire watched him, and then her eyes fell to his lips. Ryan’s eyes turned soft, and then he leaned in.
Watching them suddenly felt wrong. I turned, trying to find the best way to escape. The way I came seemed to be the best exit, and I took a step back.
Claire smiled. “You’ve watched this long, you might as well stay and watch it play out.”
“I’m…I’m sorry,” I said. My face instantly flushed.
Jared appeared at the back door, holding it wide open. “Everything okay?”
Ryan laughed and shook his head. “It was.”
“Oh,” Jared said with an awkward look. He and I traded glances, and then he retreated into the house.
Claire giggled, and then punched Ryan in the thigh.
“Ow!”
“Wait up!” she said, following me to the front yard. She was at my side in less than a second, and hooked her elbow around mine. “I meant what I said you know.”
“Which part?”
Claire stopped, her face fell, and she lowered her chin so I could see directly into her eyes. “I don’t know how all this will play out. Knowing Jared, he has a plan B, C,
Jared stood at the Escalade with keys in hand. “We should get going. We still have to stop by the warehouse.”
