Page 12 of Snapped
Chapter 8 | Moments and Memories
A soft whine woke Maeve before the sun had even bothered to rise. Anxious to spend some time alone with her son, she gently lifted him from where he lay between Aiya and Sawyer, holding him close as she crossed the room to the changing table. The beautiful creature grinned up at his mama while he twisted strands of her long hair in his tiny fingers. Quietly, Maeve left Aiya and Sawyer’s room, crossing through the bathroom into her own room.
Ian lay in the middle of the bed, cooing, while Maeve got dressed before they headed toward the kitchen. Cook was already up and neck-deep in dough for bread and biscuits when Maeve came into the room. “Morning, Cook. Can I get some fruit and juice, please? I’m going to go watch the sunrise in the garden with Ian,” she asked, smiling down at the bundle in her arms.
“Oh my goodness, yes, Miss, of course. But first, can I have a look at him?” Cook rushed over to the sink to wash her hands, tearing her filthy apron off before accepting the squirming baby Maeve handed her.
“Let’s have a look at ya then.” The aging woman, almost as round as she was tall, a mass of graying hair twisted into a bun at the nape of her neck, inspected the baby. “Ten fingers, ten toes, and those eyes. Yes, Miss, he’s perfect.”
Cook rocked back and forth on her feet while she hummed a familiar song to Ian before handing him back to Maeve. “You and the little one head on out to the garden, Miss, and I’ll have a tray brought out to you in two shakes.” She shooed them out of the kitchen.
The sun was starting to peek out from its blanket of dirt and grass when one of the maids brought a tray with a bowl of fruit, a glass of juice, and two steaming biscuits with a small bowl of fresh honey out to where Maeve sat with Ian. Shaking her head and grinning, Maeve bypassed the biscuits and grabbed a fresh strawberry and popped it into her mouth, the flavor exploding on her taste buds as soon as she started chewing.
“When I was a little girl, Ian, my Papou told me and your Uncle Tanis the story of the sun and the moon.” She held Ian in her arms, his back to her chest as they both watched the sun rise and Maeve shared some of her culture with her son.
“The sun and the moon met in the sky one day as one rose and the other set. On this day, they met and mated. Two souls were created from their union, a boy and a girl. So alike they were, and yet completely different. My Papou told the story of the children born from the mating.…But I believe the story could also be used to tell the tale of two lovers.” Maeve smiled down at Ian, his tiny face lit up by the slowly rising sun, those gorgeous eyes glowing.
“So much is changing, my son. By the time you’re old enough to realize, I think everything will be different. It blows my mind. Your match was written in the stars—before you were born, before you were conceived.” The tiny baby in her arms stretched and yawned before rolling his wobbly head back so he could look up at her.
It struck Maeve then—she was sitting there holding a one-sided conversation with an infant, barely a few days old. But then, Ian didn’t seem like any baby she’d ever met before. Of course, his tiny body was fragile, and she had to remember to keep a firm hold on his head as he didn’t yet possess the ability to do so for himself. He rarely cried though, never fussed, and looking into the depths of his insanely green eyes there was a wisdom and clarity staring back at her that spoke of an old soul, one who’d witnessed the atrocities of the world many times over.
Her attention refocused when she noticed Ainee heading down the path from the Church out to the gardens. Dressed in thin pants and a tank top with a soft mat under one arm, it looked like the newly appointed Priest was coming to the garden to do morning yoga. Ainee was petite and thin with an amazing body. The woman wasn’t even on Maeve’s radar until she’d stepped up and taken Raven’s position within The Order. Perhaps it was the fact that the beautiful Asian woman’s presence was required more often in an official capacity that had caught Maeve’s attention. More likely it was her body, thin and pliable, those deep brown almond-shaped eyes, or that long dark hair that shone hints of mahogany in the morning sun.
“Damn, she’s really fucking beautiful,” Maeve muttered, jumping when she heard a voice behind her.
“Wow, teaching him the four-letter words early, aren’t you Sis?” Tanis chuckled, sliding onto the bench beside his sister. She glared at him while he grabbed a biscuit, then spooned some of the fresh honey on top, shoving the entire thing into his mouth at once.
“You’re a pig. Seriously, I don’t know how Raven puts up with you,” Maeve quipped, jabbing her brother in the rib with her elbow when he reached for the second biscuit. “Hey! Those were for me, jackass.”
“Yeah, right.” Tanis said the words around a mouthful of biscuit. “She is quite striking, Sis, and I have it on good authority she’s single.” He playfully shoved back, laughing at Maeve as she tried so very hard not to smile. Wiping his hands on his pants, Tanis reached for the baby. “Here, let me hold him for a minute. He’s been glued to Aiya’s tit, so I haven’t gotten to hold him much.”
Maeve rolled her eyes at her brother’s comment, passing Ian over to him. “Honestly, I don’t know how you snagged Raven; your vocabulary is atrocious.”
Completely ignoring her, Tanis smiled down at the bundle in his arms. “Hey there little guy, remember me, Uncle Tan? Or should I say future father-in-law Tanis? Oh well, either way, damn.…You are the cutest baby I’ve ever seen.” Tanis blew a raspberry and was rewarded with a tiny but wide smile.
Maeve loved this playful, caring side of her brother that had only recently emerged. Before coming to House Gaeland, Tanis was the world’s biggest man-whore. But meeting Raven, falling in love, and then becoming a father had changed Tanis. Even now, looking at her big brooding tatted-up brother holding baby Ian, smiling down at him while he made funny faces and blew raspberries…it was like Tanis had come full circle, become the man he was always meant to be.
Caught up in watching them, she hadn’t noticed Ainee roll up her mat and approach them until she was standing right beside her. “Morning Tanis, Maeve—oh, and the baby. He is positively adorable,” Ainee greeted them. Maeve looked up, raising her hand to her forehead to shield her eyes from the now fully awake sun.
“Morning Ainee, beautiful day, isn’t it?” Tanis said cheerfully. Maeve mumbled a hello, glaring at her brother when he winked at her. He stood, cradling the baby in his arms, motioning for Ainee to take a seat beside Maeve, receiving another glare polished off with a snarl of her lip from his sister.
“You know, I think I’ll take little Ian here to see Pol, leave you two to talk or…” Tanis slowly backed away, smiling and winking at his sister again. Maeve had to bite her tongue to stop from calling him every name in the book. She sat and stared at her conniving brother’s retreating back until she felt small but nimble fingers on her arm. Maeve couldn’t help but return the soft smile Ainee awarded her.
“How are things, Maeve, with the new baby, I mean?” She watched Ainee’s pink-stained lips move as she spoke, her tongue darting out to moisten the bottom one.Oh, fuck me!Maeve thought. It’d been far too long since she’d so much as kissed another woman, much less anything else. Brain scrambled, thoughts running on fast forward, Maeve could focus on nothing but those kissable lips. If she just leaned forward a few inches…
“Maeve, everything…okay?” Ainee asked, her eyes showing concern.
Blinking, Maeve struggled to shake off the overwhelming desire to plant one on the Priest.Garden…public…right out in the open. Get a fucking grip, Maeve!her internal drill sergeant barked.
What was the question? Ah, yes, the baby, right!“Sorry, still half-asleep I guess.” Maeve finally managed to answer.
Ainee laughed, crossing her legs. “I hear that new babies can make it quite difficult to get much sleep.” Maeve nodded her agreement.
“Listen…” Ainee looked around then sat up straighter, scooting a couple of inches closer to Maeve. She reached for Maeve’s hand, pausing briefly, possibly to be certain Maeve wasn’t going to move away before grasping Maeve’s hand in hers. “I…I like you Maeve, and I would like to get to know you better. See if the attraction is mutual.”
Maeve stared down at their joined hands. Mesmerized, she responded with a whisper. “It’s mutual.”
“It makes me very happy to hear that Maeve, truly. So, does this mean we can maybe have dinner or something?” Ainee prodded.
