Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Colletion_ Books 6-10 - Laurell K. Hamilton [565]
“Kids?” I said.
“Yes,” he said, voice careful.
“How many?” I asked.
“Two.”
“Ages?”
“Boy, fourteen; girl, six,” he said.
“Where’s their father?”
“Donna is a widow.”
I looked at him, and the look was enough.
“No, I didn’t do it. He died years before I met Donna.”
I stepped close to him, turning my back so that Donna wouldn’t see my face from the phones. “What are you playing at, Edward? She has children and is so in love with you, it makes me gag. What on God’s green earth could you be thinking?”
“Donna and Ted have been dating for about two years. They’re lovers. She expected him to propose so he did.” His face was still smiling Ted, but the voice was matter of fact and totally unemotional.
“You’re talking like Ted’s a third person, Edward.”
“You’re going to have to start calling me Ted, Anita. I know you. If you don’t make it a habit, you’ll forget.”
I stepped into him in the relative silence, lowering my voice to a furious whisper.
“Fuck that. He is you, and you’re fucking engaged. Are you going to marry her?”
He gave a small shrug.
“Shit,” I said. “You can’t. You cannot marry this woman.”
His smile widened, and he stepped around me holding his hands out to Donna. He kissed her and asked, “How are the munchkins?” He turned her in his arms so he was half-hugging her, and had her turned away from me. His face was Ted, relaxed, but his eyes were warning me, “Don’t screw this up.” It was important to him for some reason.
Donna turned so she could see my face, and I fought to give blank face. “What were you two whispering about so urgently?”
“The case,” Edward said.
“Oh, pooh,” she said.
I raised eyebrows at Edward. Oh, pooh. The most dangerous man I’d ever met was engaged to a mother of two that said things like, “Oh, pooh.” It was just too weird.
Donna’s eyes widened. “Where is your purse? Did you leave it on the plane?”
“I didn’t bring one,” I said. “I knew I’d have the bag and pockets.”
She looked at me as if I’d spoken in tongues. “My god, I wouldn’t know what to do without my monstrosity in tow.” She pulled the huge purse around in front of her. “I’m such a pack rat.”
“Where are your kids?” I asked.
“With my neighbors. They’re a retired couple and are just great with my little girl, Becca.” She frowned. “Of course, nothing seems to make Peter happy right now.” She glanced at me. “Peter’s my son. He’s fourteen going on forty, and seems to have hit his teenage years with a vengeance. Everyone told me a teenager was hard, but I never dreamed how hard.”
“Has he been getting into trouble?” I asked.
“Not really. I mean he’s not into anything criminal.” She added the last a little too quickly. “But he’s just stopped listening to me. Two weeks ago he was supposed to come home from school and watch Becca. Instead, he went to a friend’s house. When I came home after the shop closed, the house was empty, and I didn’t know where either of them were. The Hendersons had been out so Becca wasn’t there. God, I was frantic. Another neighbor had taken her in, but if they hadn’t been home, she’d have just had to wander the neighborhood for hours. Peter came home and just wasn’t sorry. By the time he came home, I’d convinced myself he’d been abducted by someone and was lying dead in a ditch somewhere. Then he just comes strolling in as if nothing’s wrong.”
“Is he still grounded?” I asked.
She nodded, face very firm. “You bet he is. Grounded for a month, and I’ve taken every privilege I can think of away from him.”
“What does he think of you and Ted getting married?” It was a sadistic question, and I knew it, but I just couldn’t help myself.
Donna looked stricken, truly stricken. “He’s not too keen on the idea.”
Keen? “Well, he’s fourteen, and a boy,” I said. “He’s bound to resent another male coming into his turf.”
Donna nodded. “Yes, I’m afraid so.”
Ted hugged her. “It’ll be all right, honeypot. Pete and I will come to