Page 13 of Baby Me

“All the more reason why you can never be too careful. I’m not worried now, though. Thanks to you, I have an arsenal of shit to help me with any unwanted bastards who try to stir up… shit.” I lifted my head withconfidence.

“Well, you did choose this one right, Cameron.” Gary patted his back while I grabbed my crutches and the bag full of my newsupplies.

I placed the bag near the handlebar, saying, “Thank you, Gary. I’m sure we’ll be in touch,” and then headed out the door. I didn’t mean to be rude, but I just couldn’t wait to organize my new arsenal. By the time Cameron caught up to me, I was standing in front of thecar.

“What just happened in there,Kate?”

“What do youmean?”

“Are youafraid?”

“Not afraid. I’m just expecting what I know is going to happen, and the last thing I want is to not be ready for it. I’m not going to let Aaron Cortez surprise me again. My stupid brother is behind bars, so he can’t sell me out, but there are others on Cortez’s payroll who will. One way or another, I know that Aaron Cortez is coming for me, and when he does, I’ll beready.”

If I had it my way, I would outsmart and outplay him before he got to me. I just had to find the opportunity to doso.

“You’re going to killhim?”

“All he has to do is give me thechance.”

“I’m giving that gun a second thought now; but then again, if I fuck up, then it’s better that you have it. In the meantime, let’s find you a hobby to keep your mind off thatasshole.”

Somewhere in the distance I heard a wolf howl, and I whipped my body toward Cameron. “Did you hearthat?”

“Yes, I did. Want to go see what it is?” he askedmysteriously.

I gave him a questioning look, and he continued, “Just trust me on this. I promise you’ll like it.” He removed the bag from my hand, and sporting a mysterious grin, he motioned with his hand. “Come with me. Our day is onlybeginning.”

I followed Cameron as he opened the car, deposited the bag of my goodies inside, and then headed a little down the hill and further into the woods. We arrived at a similar-looking house to the one we’d seen before, but the beautifully scattered overgrown shrubs made it look like a witch’s hut. Yet I immediately felt peaceful. The energy here was alluring. Maybe it was a witch’shouse?

At the front, the garden of orange shrubs and climbing vines took my breath away. Tendrils of ivy draped down the front fence and climbed the light post and two of the supporting columns at the porch. Some of the leaves had already turned red, and the scene wasbreathtaking.

A small puppy greeted us as an older woman came outside. The dog wagged its tail, trying to bite playfully at myshoelaces.

"Cameron! It's so good to see you again. You're here just in time. And you must be Kate. My name is nameSilvia.”

"Hi, it's nice to meet you." I tried to extend myhand.

"Oh, there's no need for formalities. Come on in to my crazy world. Better yet, let’s go to the back from the side entrance. The babies arewaiting.”

Babies?

When I looked to Cameron, he had a coy smile on his face. As we followed Silvia through the side gate and around the house, he leaned into me, saying, “You can thank me for thislater.”

Whatever he had planned had to be big. I’d never seen him this confident. Silvia turned to the side, her wide hips swaying back and forth. Her floor-length skirt brushed the grass and lifted dust as she walked. She had a thick gray braid at the side, and if I did believe in witches, she’d make a perfect one. As we rounded the corner I felt him lean into me again and a shiver of unexpected pleasure tickled over my skin. “And there are so many ways in which you can thank me, you have noidea.”

Oh, I had an idea, all right, and I was pretty sure it involved sex. A lot of sex. I felt a sudden tremble of need between my thighs, and so I squeezed themtogether.

When we entered the backyard, a half-rusted claw-foot tub resting to the side stole my attention. It seemed to have been converted into a makeshift pond. A duck was swimming back and forth, rippling thewater.

“That’s Merrill. His mate is sitting on eight eggs. He’s been swimming back and forth two days in a row. I think he’s nervous about being a first-timefather.”

“It’s the same tub as at your cabin,” I said toCameron.

“Oh, I remember Gary going to the city with Jack to shop for a tub. They came back with four of the same ones because they got a better deal. Marianne and Dean down the road have the sameone.”

I wasn’t sure I was in the right mind to ask who Dean was, as I hadn’t met him. So much had happened since that morning, the day seemed to stretch longer andlonger.

A parrot whistled and squawked. It was difficult to keep my focus on one animal because the further into the never-ending garden we walked, the more I saw, and the animals got wilder by theminute.

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