“It’s not your fault,” I tell her. And it’s not. It’s Samantha’s. I can’t believe I stayed with that bitch as long as I did. When she cheated on me, that was the best day of my life. I just didn’t realize it then. Then I met Lark and my whole world changed.
“We need to go and feed the four mamas-to-be,” Emilio says. “Cafeteria?” Mick and I shrug, and we follow them to the small café that’s next to the gift shop.
“So Wren is the pregnant one,” Mick asks me when no one is looking.
“Apparently she’s one of the pregnant ones.” I still can’t figure all that out.
“What’s her story?”
“I have no idea.” I look over at Wren, who is looking at my brother with curiosity. “You should go and talk to her.”
“Okay,” he says. And he goes to stand beside her at the soup counter. She laughs at something he says and I can’t help but think that something is going to happen there.
Emilio comes to stand beside me and says, “I guess I don’t have to worry about Mick’s penis, either, since she’s already pregnant, right?”
“I wouldn’t think so.” I grin at him.
“You’re not going to get Lark pregnant, are you?” he asks. He stares hard at me.
“No, I probably will,” I admit. “Not tomorrow. And probably not the next day. I’d like to ask her to marry me first.”
“Are you asking for permission?”
I shrug my shoulders. “I will one day.”
“Come and see me when you’re ready,” he says. “And bring cigars. I like cigars.”
“Yes, sir.”
I reach for my phone so I can get his number, but my phone is missing.
“Something wrong?” Lark asks as she comes my way.
“I can’t find my phone.”
“Did you leave it at your mom’s house?”
“I don’t think so. It was in my pocket.”
“Maybe you lost it in the car.”
We take the food back up to the waiting room, and settle down to wait. A few minutes later, Dad comes out and I give him the plate of food I made for him. He says, “She wants to see Lark.”
Lark chokes on the food that’s in her mouth. One of her sisters—I still can’t tell which one is which—pats her on the back until it passes.
Dad jerks his thumb toward the hallway. “If you don’t go, she’ll come out here and get you.”
“I’ll go with you,” Marta says as she gets to her feet.
Lark holds up a hand. “It’s all right. I can do it myself.” She adjusts her shirt and tries to tidy her hair.
“You look fine,” Marta says to her.
She takes a deep breath. “I got this,” she says.
Emilio tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. “Yeah, you do.”
Lark
I step into the room and am actually comforted by the chirps and beeps that mean Mrs. Shepherd is alive. She’s tired and weak and her color hasn’t returned yet, but the doctor says she’s going to be all right.
“I never did like that bitch,” she signs as I get closer to the bed.
Relief washes over me. “I didn’t know you were allergic. I’m so sorry. I ruined your birthday. I almost killed you.”
“You didn’t ruin it. Samantha did. Never did like that girl, not since she was little and she used to throw rocks at Mick because he could hear.”
“She didn’t!”
“She did. So I went to her mother and threatened to dispose of her body in a pretty vile way. The mother, not the kid, because the mother was in charge at that age—and we never had another problem out of her.”
I laugh. I like Mrs. Shepherd, and I can see where Ryan gets his sense of humor. “I did hope he’d marry a deaf woman, though, I have to admit.”
“He still might.” I wince.
She laughs. “No, he won’t. He has that look in his eye. I knew he would meet someone and fall in love one day, and I knew it wouldn’t be with Samantha, but I never thought it would be with someone like you.”