\u201cWhy did you send her to get me instead of sending her to get J.T. right away?\u201d<\/p>\n
Phelan flinched at the sound of my voice, half twisting toward me.\u00a0 The sun was slipping beyond the trees, shadows stretching long and blue against the snow as he perched on what I\u2019d started calling Thom\u2019s rock, since I so often saw my husband sitting there despite the cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cTala and the babies are settled, then?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKurt\u2019s asleep and she\u2019s nursing Gwen.\u201d\u00a0 I shoved my hands deep into my pockets.\u00a0 \u201cAre you going to answer my question?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJacqueline could have delivered those babies without J.T.\u2019s help,\u201d Phelan said.\u00a0 \u201cBut Tala wouldn\u2019t have weathered it very well if you hadn\u2019t been there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAll I did was hold her hand,\u201d I said.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2019s not much.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes, that\u2019s all you need.\u201d He watched me for a long moment, then asked quietly, \u201cWhat did you see while it was happening?\u201d<\/p>\n
I shivered, knowing better than to ask how he knew.\u00a0 I squeezed onto the rock next to him and shook my head.\u00a0 \u201cBetter left unsaid.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you sure?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to discuss it, Phelan.\u201d\u00a0 I drew a knee up to my chest and rested my chin on it.\u00a0 \u201cAnd you still should have sent Carolyn to get J.T., not me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything turned out all right,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cSo settle down.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSooner or later, you\u2019re going to lose the right to just say that and expect me to do it,\u201d I told him.\u00a0 I looked at him sidelong and sighed quietly.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut that\u2019s not happening today, is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I admitted.\u00a0 \u201cNo, not today.\u201d<\/p>\n
He settled his arm around my shoulders and squeezed me in a brief, warm hug.\u00a0 \u201cEverything\u2019s starting,\u201d he said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cYou can feel it the same as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n
I nodded slightly, staring at the snow sparkling in the dying light of day.\u00a0 \u201cBut I don\u2019t have all the stories and tales and legends that you have to know what it all means, how it all fits together.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re happier not knowing,\u201d he said softly.<\/p>\n
Somehow, I knew he was telling the truth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cWhy did you send her to get me instead of sending her to get J.T. right away?\u201d Phelan flinched at the sound of my voice, half twisting toward me.\u00a0 The sun was slipping beyond the trees, shadows stretching long and … Continue reading