ring with Garrett right beside him. When Teagan reaches the Reese brothers, she sets the carrier at Garrett’s feet, looking up at him with a wide smile.
“Hi,” she says , and before Garrett can answer, she throws herself at him instead of Sean, looping her arms around his neck and crushing her lips against his mouth. The shock slaps me in the face. My first impulse should be to yank her off, because she could be trying to kill Garrett. Instead, I’m frozen as I review all the ways I might kill her for putting her mouth on him. By the time I snap out of it, he’s already peeled her off.
She stumbles backward , covering her mouth, embarrassed. Her eyes shift up to the balconies, taking in all the faces staring down at her, before she looks back at Garrett.
“Sean,” she breathes. “I’m sorry , I didn’t...”
“I’m Garrett,” Garrett says. Her eyes widen and her gaze flits to Sean, wh o is watching awkwardly at his brother’s side.
“I’m Sean,” he says. Teag an blushes a beautiful glow and takes a step to the side, in front of the correct brother. She laughs, both hands covering her mouth.
I get a sudden glimpse of how Teagan confused them. Sean’s hair has grown out to Garrett’s usual length and even though Sean’s a little bow-legged, it’s almost impossible to see that when he’s standing still. It’s only that knowing them like I do now, their differences make it impossible for me to mix them up. Or maybe it’s just that with Sean, I’m drawn to protect him, and with Garrett, I’m just drawn.
Sean , his hands tucked in his pockets, looks down at the baby carrier at his brother’s feet. “So, how have you been?”
“ I had a baby,” Teagan beams as she glances down, into the carrier. “A little girl.”
“ I see that. How old is she?”
“ I had her a month ago. Well, more than that. This week—today—she’s six weeks old.”
“ Six weeks ago,” he repeats. His skin seems to go a shade lighter as he stares down into the carrier. “Uh, what’s her name?”
“I haven’t named her yet.”
His eyebrows lift. “No? How come?”
“I thought her father should help me pick her name. I thought he deserved that, since he never even knew I was pregnant.”
“He didn’t?”
“No,” she says softly. Still, in the motionless and silent courtyard, she might as well be yelling. “I didn’t tell him. I’m so sorry that I didn’t.”
“Uh,” Sean ’s cheeks are whiter than milk and his body is completely rigid as he clears his throat and asks, “Teagan...um...who is the father?”
She smiles up at him. “ What name do you think our daughter should have, Sean?”
***
The voices explode.
We’re supposed to accept a Simple Addo who hasn’t even taken care of his responsibilities?
Are you serious, Addo? You want a man like this lead us?
Is she Alo? Is she Contego?
If she has had the sign of the Ianua, they couldn’t have had a child unless he was one of us!
Maybe he is a miracle!
They must be bound immediately! But if she’s Contego or Alo and he’s Simple...how could it happen?
Dai, standing across the room from us, curls his hands into fists. Teagan came from his Cura.
Sea n looks like he might fall over; Garrett is gaping. I glance sideways at Mrs. Reese, frozen and staring at the baby carrier on the floor in front of her boys. Her bottom lip drags open, as if she wants to call out to them and can’t. The Addo stands and claps his hands to silence the room again. The baby whimpers in the carrier.
“Sean,” Addo says. “ Would you like to explain?”
“Uh,” Sean, usually so assured, runs a hand through his hair as his eyes dart from Teagan, to the baby carrier, and back to the Addo. “I...uh...we were…it might be my child, sir.”
“Oh, lovely,” the Addo sighs as he smoothes his palms together. The baby cries and Teagan lifts it out of the carrier.
“Hi,” she says , and before Garrett can answer, she throws herself at him instead of Sean, looping her arms around his neck and crushing her lips against his mouth. The shock slaps me in the face. My first impulse should be to yank her off, because she could be trying to kill Garrett. Instead, I’m frozen as I review all the ways I might kill her for putting her mouth on him. By the time I snap out of it, he’s already peeled her off.
She stumbles backward , covering her mouth, embarrassed. Her eyes shift up to the balconies, taking in all the faces staring down at her, before she looks back at Garrett.
“Sean,” she breathes. “I’m sorry , I didn’t...”
“I’m Garrett,” Garrett says. Her eyes widen and her gaze flits to Sean, wh o is watching awkwardly at his brother’s side.
“I’m Sean,” he says. Teag an blushes a beautiful glow and takes a step to the side, in front of the correct brother. She laughs, both hands covering her mouth.
I get a sudden glimpse of how Teagan confused them. Sean’s hair has grown out to Garrett’s usual length and even though Sean’s a little bow-legged, it’s almost impossible to see that when he’s standing still. It’s only that knowing them like I do now, their differences make it impossible for me to mix them up. Or maybe it’s just that with Sean, I’m drawn to protect him, and with Garrett, I’m just drawn.
Sean , his hands tucked in his pockets, looks down at the baby carrier at his brother’s feet. “So, how have you been?”
“ I had a baby,” Teagan beams as she glances down, into the carrier. “A little girl.”
“ I see that. How old is she?”
“ I had her a month ago. Well, more than that. This week—today—she’s six weeks old.”
“ Six weeks ago,” he repeats. His skin seems to go a shade lighter as he stares down into the carrier. “Uh, what’s her name?”
“I haven’t named her yet.”
His eyebrows lift. “No? How come?”
“I thought her father should help me pick her name. I thought he deserved that, since he never even knew I was pregnant.”
“He didn’t?”
“No,” she says softly. Still, in the motionless and silent courtyard, she might as well be yelling. “I didn’t tell him. I’m so sorry that I didn’t.”
“Uh,” Sean ’s cheeks are whiter than milk and his body is completely rigid as he clears his throat and asks, “Teagan...um...who is the father?”
She smiles up at him. “ What name do you think our daughter should have, Sean?”
***
The voices explode.
We’re supposed to accept a Simple Addo who hasn’t even taken care of his responsibilities?
Are you serious, Addo? You want a man like this lead us?
Is she Alo? Is she Contego?
If she has had the sign of the Ianua, they couldn’t have had a child unless he was one of us!
Maybe he is a miracle!
They must be bound immediately! But if she’s Contego or Alo and he’s Simple...how could it happen?
Dai, standing across the room from us, curls his hands into fists. Teagan came from his Cura.
Sea n looks like he might fall over; Garrett is gaping. I glance sideways at Mrs. Reese, frozen and staring at the baby carrier on the floor in front of her boys. Her bottom lip drags open, as if she wants to call out to them and can’t. The Addo stands and claps his hands to silence the room again. The baby whimpers in the carrier.
“Sean,” Addo says. “ Would you like to explain?”
“Uh,” Sean, usually so assured, runs a hand through his hair as his eyes dart from Teagan, to the baby carrier, and back to the Addo. “I...uh...we were…it might be my child, sir.”
“Oh, lovely,” the Addo sighs as he smoothes his palms together. The baby cries and Teagan lifts it out of the carrier.
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