Page 43 of Cole
“She’s beautiful,” smiled Layla. “She and her brothers look so much alike, and the uncles, and the cousins.” She laughed, shaking her head.
“Oh, I know. I had trouble for years telling all of them apart. You’ll get it down.”
“I’d like to figure out what it is that causes the multiples around here. Although, having only been around her a few times, I strongly suspect it’s some sort of angelic magic from Irene.” That made Ham really laugh out loud.
“I doubt it’s angelic, but it’s definitely magic. You’ll get you bearings and in time, things will feel as if you’d been here forever.”
“Is that why you came to speak with me?” she asked.
“Yes. And no. The team is going after your grandfather, Layla, and that includes Cole.”
“I see,” she whispered.
“You know that we have to do this.”
“I know,” she said nodding. “It’s not that I disagree with it. I was just sitting here earlier thinking if I knew how to fight, how to defend myself, I’d go and kill him myself. All the people I watched him murder, the families that were ripped apart, I can’t get those images out of my mind. I should have done something. I should have run or fought or… something.”
“Honey, you were not in a position to do those things. We are. If he’s using the uranium and plutonium to poison villages, hoping to create something that he could use on a mass scale, we’ve got to kill him but also get the chemicals.”
“I understand,” she nodded. “Will you be going?”
“I will. Much to my surprise, I’m part of the new leadership team,” he smirked. “Someone said it had to do with my calming presence.”
“I can see that,” she smiled.
“My wife is a hot-headed Jordan,” he laughed. “You have to learn to be a calming presence. Plus, raising triplets helped.”
“Yes. That’s on my mind as well. What if I get pregnant with triplets? I mean, I’m a doctor, I understand the complexities but how will I be able to raise them?”
“Honey,wewill raise them. All of us. Cole, me, Sadie, Bailey, Ambry, all of us. We are a family. Every person yousee here. You will never be alone, which is also a problem sometimes.” She nodded, smiling at him.
“You know, it’s kind of funny that I was left alone for the most part. I didn’t even realize the opportunities I had to run because I never thought there was anywhere to run to.”
“Did he allow you to speak English?” he asked.
“Yes. Oddly, he was very progressive with my education, obviously. I could speak English, French, or German with him. He wanted certain members of his team to understand those languages as well.”
“It’s not uncommon,” said Ham. “Well, what can I do to make you feel more at home, safer?”
“You’re doing it,” she said leaning her head on his shoulder. Ham smiled, pulling her closer and kissing the top of her head. “I already think of you as my father, what my father would have done or said with me. It means so much to me.”
“I’ve had a lot of practice,” he laughed. “I don’t know if I was any good at it but I had practice.”
“He was amazing,” smiled Ambry walking toward them with Bailey. “We came to get our new sister for a spa day.”
“Ah, the notorious diversion spa day,” she smirked.
“What?” gasped Bailey. “You can’t possibly believe that.” Ambry laughed, winking at her.
“It’s alright. I don’t care. Diversion, girl time, whatever you want to call it, I’m in.” She stood and Ham stood as well. “Thank you, Ham. I love you.”
“I love you, too, honey.”
“Do me a favor?” she asked.
“Anything.”
“Bring my husband home safe and sound? I have a feeling we’ll be making an announcement sometime soon.” She rubbed her belly and the girls laughed, Ambry rubbing her slight bubble. Bailey smiled at her father, doing the same.
