Our picnic blanket was set beside the sandbox since Axel loved to play in it. It kept him entertained. While Axel played, Mike came over to sit behind me. I leaned back against him while he put his hands on my stomach.
“How’s our daughter?”
“She’s good.” Kick. Kick. Kick. “She loves the sound of your voice.”
Mike’s hands possessively held me as she kicked repeatedly against his touch. “I love her, too. Mom and Dad are coming up next week. They’re going to stay in a house they rented until our little girl gets here. They’re actually staying in the house I rented when I first came to Salem, so they’ll be close by in case we need help.”
I was seven months pregnant. Axel had decided to come into the world two weeks early, and he’d sped through all the different milestones. With the progression of this pregnancy, the doctors suspected I might go into labor early again.
“It’ll be nice having your mom and dad’s help with Axel. The new vet is working out nicely, so I’m hoping I can stay at home a little more. I’m going to decrease my days at the clinic from four to three.”
“I’m glad she’s working out.”
“Me, too. Marie likes her daughter working there, too, so it’s a win-win.”
The expansion had worked out nicely. We had a grooming facility and a kennel in addition to the clinic. Gladys oversaw the scheduling of the grooming facility. Still, after all this time, the job provided a good distraction for her. Due to our reputation, we were always booked. People came as far as Boston for the kennel. I had a full staff. The most problematic part had been finding a vet who didn’t have the corporate mindset. Hopefully Seraphina worked out well. Coming from Salem, she understood the needs of the town.
I yawned.
“You tired, baby?”
“A little. This little girl has been keeping me awake with all her kicking.”
Mike kissed my neck, and I felt goose bumps break out all over my skin. “Let’s head home. I’ll give Axel a bath and put him to bed.”
“You’re amazing.”
“Anything for you, baby. Anything.”
I sat on the couch and stared into the fire while rubbing my stomach. We hadn’t decided on a name yet and decided to wait until our baby girl came into the world. Axel thought Sky from Paw Patrol would be appropriate. I wasn’t so sure about that.
The flames flickered, and I stared at the fireplace, remembering how my journey started when I came back to Salem after Grandpa died.
Alchemists and Truth-seekers.
That seemed so long ago… yet not. Lately, Wesley had been on my mind a lot. It always happened around this time of year when the memories bubbled to the surface.
After the night we found out the truth from Wesley, Mike and I had never spoke of either group again. A few Alchemists trinkets had been found by members of the community and cataloged at the police station only to have mysteriously disappeared.
Mike played his part in the investigations, but they always ended up as dead ends.
I heard footsteps, and Mike appeared shirtless, in his lounge pants. I sighed at the sight. I would never tire of being with this man.
He ran his hands through his hair. “He’s asleep.”
“He loves his daddy singing to him.”
Mike took my hand, and I stood. He cupped my face. “Thank you for this life, Sydney. I love you.”