Page 52 of The Mentor
“Well, not by choice obviously,” I clarified. “I don’t even like him.”
A slow smile grew on her face.
“Oh no, I know what you’re thinking, and you can stop it right now,” I told her.
Her smile was growing goofy. “But I can hope, can’t I?”
“No, you can’t, and you better not tell Boulder about this.” I raised my index finger in warning. “If he talks to Archer things are just going to get worse between us.”
“Your secret is safe with me,” Christina assured me and reached out to take my hand. “I won’t say another word about this unless you bring it up.”
“Thank you.” I exhaled deeply and felt tension lift from my shoulders, but it didn’t last long before Christina brought up another headache in my life.
“Did you decide on whether or not you’re going to adopt Raven?”
We encouraged the children to talk to their parents on a weekly basis, but Raven’s mother was back in a place of reflection with a self-diagnosed case of depression, and when I managed to track her down she cried and told me she was the worst mother in the world and that Raven deserved better. I couldn’t argue with that, and when she had offered again to let me adopt Raven, it had been tempting to just say yes.
“I’m still thinking about it.”
“What did Raven say?” Christina asked me softly.
“I haven’t told her yet.”
“But you’re going to, right?” she asked.
I exhaled loudly. “I love Raven, but I haven’t spoken to her about it because I don’t want her to be disappointed if I choose not to adopt her.”
“Why wouldn’t you?”
“Because it could disrupt the school project,” I said. “It would change the dynamic of the group and potentially cause jealousy among the students. You have to remember that several of the kids don’t have parents at all. What about them?” I picked up a plum and sniffed it before I took a bite. “I also specifically promised Pearl that I wouldn’t play favorites with Raven, remember?”
“Yes, I remember,” Christina said softly. “There is that.”
“What about you and Boulder?” I asked. “You both adore her, and Raven loves it here; maybe you could adopt her?”
Christina shook her head. “No woman from the Motherlands is going to allow an Nman to adopt her daughter – not even Raven’s mother. Their heads are full of horror stories about the Nmen.” She played with the hem of her shirt. “We would adopt Raven on the spot if we could, but it would be cruel to discuss it with Boulder and let him get his hopes up when you and I both know it’s never going to happen.”
“Maybe you’re right.” I sighed. “It’s just that when I see how great and protective Boulder is with Raven, I think he would make an excellent father.”
“You really think so?” Christina lit up.
“Yeah, don’t you?”
She broke into a wide smile. “Yes. I mean there are certainly a few areas that we still don’t agree on, but we have about seven and a half months to figure it out.” The way Christina’s hand fell to her belly said everything.
“You’re pregnant?” My voice vibrated with excitement.
She nodded eagerly, her eyes tearing up.
“That’s amazing.”
Christina said something but her words were drowned in my happy scream, and I almost knocked a vase to the floor in my eagerness to give her a big hug.
“How did Boulder react?”
“I haven’t told him yet.”
“Oh, Mother Nature, he’s going to be the happiest man on earth.”
