Opal (Rare Gems Series Book 4) (19 page)

“
Well?” She looked at Ruby as she sat at the kitchen table. “Have you sat in it or not? I think it’s perfect for you. All this melodrama that’s been going on with you and him. So? He wanted to take you out, then maybe have sex…is that so bad?”

“
I’m old enough to be his mother.” Of course she should have known that Ruby wouldn’t understand. Her snort made Annabelle want to smack her in the head. “I’ll have you know that I’m very picky about who I have sex with.”

“
I’m sure you are. But a simple no would have been better than what you did to him.” Ruby sipped her tea before continuing. “Don’t you think that shifting and chasing him around the yard, then peeing on his car…and whatever else you did to him…was just a little over the top?”

“
I was upset.” She’d been embarrassed. “He thought it was funny until I told him never to come back here. I suppose free room and board is a way to his heart.”

“
Is that what you think?” Annabelle didn’t answer. In truth, it wasn’t, but she was hurt too. “He does more around here than anyone. Last week, before you threw him off the property, he fixed my car, hoed three rows of potatoes for you while you were at the doctors, washed up the dishes that wouldn’t fit in the dishwasher, and did a load of laundry and hung it out. I’d think he’d be better off if he took money from us than room and board.”

Annabelle
got up and started to fry up some bacon. It hurt her more than anything that she didn’t know how to take back some of the things she’d said and done to her friend. He’d been crude to her, yes, but he’d been joking. Surely a man such as him wouldn’t want to have sex with an old woman like her. Who would, to be honest? She looked at Sapphire when she came into the kitchen. Her eyes were bright and her face pale.

“
How long?” They both looked at Ruby. “How long have you been in labor, and how far apart are the contractions?”

“
I can’t be in labor today. I have two meetings with potential clients and I have—” Her scream nearly made Annabelle faint. The girl was going to die, she just knew it. “Ruby, get Blair. I think he needs to help me.”

“
I’m here.” Blair picked his wife up by scooping her into his arms. Then he kissed her. “I told you when you got up that you were in labor and to stay put. What am I going to do with you?”

As he
turned with Sapphire in his arms, Ruby grabbed Annabelle’s arm before she could follow. “Are you going to call Allen? It wouldn’t be right for him to miss this, don’t you think?”

Annabelle nodded.
“I hurt him more than he hurt me. I shouldn’t have…I just was embarrassed and hurt. I didn’t…I don’t know how to fix it.”

Ruby kissed her on the cheek before she answered.
“Share this with him. Call him up, tell him you’ve been a horny fool, and tell him you have a vibrator.”

Annabelle was still standing there when she heard Ruby laughing down the hall.
Impertinent brat
, she thought. Going to the phone to call Allen, she thought of the million ways she was going to get back at her. There was just too much talk about sex in this house, and she needed to put her foot down.

He answered on the first ring.

“Sapphire is in labor.” He didn’t say anything and she closed her eyes against the tears. “I’m an old fool. A very old fool and I’ve hurt you. Will you come and be with your family and forgive me?”

“
I don’t…forgive you for me being an idiot? I don’t think so. I was the fool and…well, hell woman, I’ve missed you. And the girls, but you…we’re friends and I shouldn’t have…I just shouldn’t have.” Annabelle cried harder, and she heard him talking to her.

“
I’ve missed you too. Very much. I can’t even go out to the…I love my chair. It’s in my room and I look at it all the time.” She heard him sigh and laugh a little. “And the color is so beautiful. Sloan said you picked it out for me right away. I was going to tell you that you spent too much, but I can’t seem to part with it.”

“
I wanted you to have it. It suits you. I can see you laying there with that reading thing you call your treasure and reading them bodice rippers you like.” He laughed a little. “Listen to me. I sound like a love sick old man. And Annabelle, I do love you. Not like a mate but…well, I love you very much.”

Her tears burned her cheeks as the
y fell. She tried twice to speak, to tell him what she felt, but in the end, sobbed out her love for him as well. They were sobbing like children when Opal and Sloan walked in the door.

Sloan stayed back
, but Opal held her. As Sloan took the phone from her, she could hear him talking to Allen, but her granddaughter was leading her to the large staircase, and then to Sapphire’s room. They were all there by then, except for Allen, who Sloan said was on his way. It was time. The baby…her great-grandbaby…was about to be there.

After shooing everyone out except for
her, Diamond, and Ruby, the room was prepared. For weeks now they’d all been taking things from the room so that everything would be ready and putting things in that would be needed in the event that things went wrong. An hour and a half later everything was set up, and Sapphire was dressed in Blair’s shirt and nothing else. She looked like a queen, albeit a sweating one, but looked as regal as she did every day.

“
How you feeling?” Blair moved into the room and kissed Sapphire. “I wanted to tell you Dad is here. He said that if you have a girl, he’ll be as happy as a clam. I told him we didn’t care so long as it’s healthy.”

“
You want a son. Admit it.” He flushed and nodded. “All these women in this house? I’m betting you want someone here that might understand you a little better.”

“
I have other men here, but to have a son or daughter…really, honey, you just be healthy for me.” Sapphire nodded just as another pain took her. Blair held her hand and Annabelle held her breath. Things were moving right along now.

“
All righty now. We’re going to check you out, and if you’re near to giving this kid his birthday, then we’ll get this show on the road.” Ruby winked at her before she spoke again. “I’ve never delivered a baby before. Do you think it’s all that hard?”

Sapphire paled and everyone laughed.
They knew that Ruby had delivered a few babies since she’d been a doctor, and a few even before that. Diamond too for that matter. As the exam was finished, Ruby told them it was time, and when the next contraction started to build, she told Sapphire to push.

The baby was being stubborn. After an hour of pushing, Sapphire was exhausted and upset. Blair was running out of things to say to her to keep her focused
, and Annabelle could see the worry on her other granddaughters’ faces. Stepping up to the bed, she pulled Sapphire’s face to hers and told her to look at her.

“
You want this child in your arms?” She nodded but closed her eyes. “Listen to me, young lady. I did not raise you to be a quitter. Straighten up and push this baby out. I have a meal to cook, and you playing around at this labor thing is making me get a late start.”

The next time she felt a contraction coming on, Sapphire glared at her and pushed hard.
Annabelle wondered if the baby would be projected across the room, but before she could tell her to calm down, there was a soft mewling sound and then a lusty cry. Her grandson was here.

He was perfect.
Ruby handed her to Blair first, and he held him like he was holding the most precious thing in the world. She supposed he was, and the man looked like he did when he looked at Sapphire, full of love, already. When Sapphire took him, Blair watched the two of them so intently that Annabelle felt her wolf stir. The need to protect this little family was making her wolf want to come out and bar the door. Instead, she calmed her by telling her about the baby.

His head was covered in the darkest downy hair.
His nose, rounded and small, looked like Sapphire’s when she’d been a babe. Long, strong fingers that wrapped around his father’s finger looked capable of stretching out and picking up balls. She looked into his eyes when he turned to her, and he had the eyes of a man as old as her.

“
He’s beautiful.” Annabelle nodded at Sapphire. “Would you like to hold him before everyone else comes in?”

“
Oh yes.” Taking him into her arms, she looked down at his face and felt the tears burn again. Here was what life was about…the next family to carry on. “Your parents would have been so proud today. Just look at him. Your father would have been howling at the moon over him. And your mom? My goodness, she would have just about had a fit over this.”

“
I think they can see him.” Annabelle nodded and touched the soft cheek. “We’ve named him. But…well, we want everyone here when we announce it.”

“
Well of course you do.” Handing the little man back to his mother, Annabelle kissed both Blair and Sapphire before moving to the door. “I’ll bring them in, shall I?”

At their nod, she
opened the door and nearly fell back at the amount of people in the hall. It looked like the entire pack was there, and some more spilled down the long staircase. A hush went over the crowd as she cleared her throat.

“
It’s a boy.” The cheer that went up made her heart sing with joy. “Both are doing great. He’s lovely, just lovely. And Sapphire has never looked better. Blair, of course, is as happy as they come.”

Her other granddaughters moved up beside her
, as well as Sloan and Allen. Her grandsons, both Thad and Quentin, were there as well. Even little Angie was begging to see the little man. Rufus stood back, but she moved him up with them. The man was as much a part of the family now as the rest, and she took them all in to meet the newest pack member. While she’d been gone, the bed had been made, the room cleaned of anything to do with the birth, and the baby was dressed in a little shirt and diaper. Even her old rocking chair had been pulled from the corner.

Allen sat in the chair and was handed the baby. He looked good sitting there holding him
, and she was glad that she’d remembered her cell phone. Snapping pictures, she was told to sit so she could have hers taken as well with the little man, and smiled at the camera when Blair told her to. This was a day she knew she’d never forget. But she also knew that they, Blair and Sapphire, had to have some time alone, and started to gather her brood up.

“
Wait. We wanted you guys to be the first to know his name.” Blair held his little boy up for them all to see. “Meet Carter Allen Blair Henson. My son.”

“
Oh my.” Carter had been her maiden name, and Annabelle was so proud that she burst into tears. As she was being held by Sloan and Allen, she just sobbed and sobbed. Finally she looked at Blair. “You’ve no idea…none at all…what you’ve done for his old woman.”

“
When we meet this old woman, we’ll tell her you’re trying to move into her territory.” Blair kissed her on the cheek. “You’re happy then?”

“
Yes. More than…I’ve never been so happy.” Hugging him to her, she left the room. The rest could leave or not, but she needed a minute.

~~~

Allen followed her out. He really did love this woman, and he wanted to be with her more than he ever thought he would after his own mate had passed. He found her in the kitchen fussing over a pot roast and wiping at her tears. He stood behind her while she blew her nose and then washed her hands.

“
He’s a sparker, isn’t he?” She nodded and turned to him. His heart hurt to see her eyes swollen and red, but her smile made his own come forth. “You’re not going to cry anymore, are you? Kinda pulls at a man’s heart when a beautiful woman cries.”

“
No. What a thing to say.” She turned from him and he watched as she wiped her cheeks again. “I was wondering…would you help me pick some green beans for dinner? They’re about all gone this late in the season, but there will be enough for dinner.”

They were both out in the afternoon sun
within minutes. He was bent over pulling the plant from the ground when he felt a small tremor of something come over him. He stood up and looked to the woods behind him just as Annabelle did the same.

“
Trouble?” He nodded at her. “Do you think it’s that Fleming person? It would be just like him to ruin a perfect day.”

“
He won’t.” Allen watched the tree line until he spotted something, but he knew as surely as he was standing there that it wasn’t Fleming. “Do you see that? Do you know that person?”

“
No. I’ve never seen him…no, that’s a female. A woman. I’ve never seen her before.” They continued to watch as the person made her way toward them. The closer she got the better he could make her out. He still didn’t know her, but he did reach for his son to tell him someone was there.

“
Hello.” The woman was…well hell, she was simply magic. And her eyes looked so blue, so crystal-like blue that they hurt to stare at them. When she laughed, he decided that she was carrying bells to go along with the most beautiful laugh he’d ever heard. “My name is Ursula. I’m a friend of your family.”

“
The faerie.” She smiled at him but didn’t answer. “You’re not a faerie, though, are you? You’re…I don’t know what you are, but you’re not a faerie.”