Significance (45 page)

“Maggie.” He leaned forward and grabbed my free hand. “They knew this would happen to you and they let it. You’re a sweet, young, pretty girl and they just-”

“No. Stop.”

“You don’t even know him that well. You’re not ready for-”

“Dad-” I cut in and jerked my hand away but he didn’t stop.

“-something like this yet. You’ve barely graduated high school and now you’re supposed to be someone’s soul mate? I don’t fully understand all of what ya’ll are telling me, and I know that there’s still things I haven’t heard yet but-”

“Dad-”

“-I understand enough about relationships to know that you can’t just base it on feelings and pressure-”

“You’re not listening to me,” I blurted loudly and he finally stopped his plight. “It’s not about whether you think I’m a freak or gullible or naïve or even if I’m ready. I love him, daddy.”

He slumped in defeat and slid to kneel on the floor in front of the couch.

“I always knew you were serious when you called me daddy,” he admitted and I went to the floor too, on my knees. He looked at me. “So, this is it? You’re leaving me,” he phrased it as a statement, not a question, like he knew my answer already.

“No, that’s why I wanted to tell you. It’s really rare for humans to imprint with Aces. They don’t have to deal with this very often but they were willing to risk telling you, for my sake, so that I could keep you. You understand? I can’t be without Caleb without it hurting me, and even if I could I wouldn’t want to. But I want to be with you too.”

He took a deep breath.

“It’s not fair. It’s not fair that I have to just take a backseat and watch someone else have you.”

I laughed softly.

“That’s what happens, dad. Did you think I’d never leave home? Never move out? Never go to college? Never get married?”

He cracked the first small smile.

“Yes. Yes I did think that.”

Peter chuckled behind dad and it was like my dad realized then that we weren’t alone. He looked over at Caleb for a long time. Then he smiled again and so did I reading his mind.

“It’s mostly my fault, but my daughter hasn’t been happy in a very long time, until now. I saw it but...” He shook his head. “I didn’t want to believe it was over a boy. I can’t deny that as much as I might not like how young she is, that she’s happy with you.”

Caleb nodded and looked down at our still intertwined hands.

“I’m sorry. I never wanted to take her away from you. I just want her to be happy.”

“I know.” Dad sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Then he turned a forced smile on Peter. “So. Your whole family has these...abilities? You all get married for life? Everyone?”
“Yes,” Peter answered, “but, like I said, Caleb and Maggie are the first to imprint in a very long time and Maggie’s gift is rare and coveted. I’m not sure what it all means, I won’t lie, but it’s something good.”

My dad looked back to me and blew a long breath.

“College now?”

“Well,” Peter interrupted. “First things first. We need to make sure that the echoling is actually going to stop. That Marcus will stop.”

“But I thought you said you took care of it?” dad asked.

“We did but we can’t just call the police like humans can when we have a problem. The only way to truly take care of it is to kill him. I...will if I have to, but I’d rather not resort to that unless it comes to it.”

Dad looked scandalized but kept his composure. In his mind he was wondering if he could ask someone to do that. Kill someone. Take a life. For me.

“Ok. What do we have to do?” dad asked with a new resolve.

“Well...I think if Caleb and Maggie get out of town for while it would be best while I monitor the Watson’s. The further away from the echoling she is, the less chance he has of reaching her.”

“But I thought you said if they slept-” Dad choked on the word and cleared his throat. “Slept together- were together at night, that he couldn’t harm her.”

“He can’t but he’s already tried a kidnap attempt here at your house once before.”

“What!”

“It’s alright. Maggie handled it, but I think it’s just best if we send them away for a while.”

“Maggie handled it? What does that mean?” my dad said and looked between us all.

“My family has many gifts, Jim. Maggie will attain many herself. Self defense being one of them. She fought the two of them off until Caleb was able to get to her.”

“What? Get to her?”

“Yes.”

“You saved her...twice?” Dad said and looked at Caleb with an awe I only hoped I would see and I felt my eyes water.

“It’s was only fair,” Caleb said and winked at me. “She saved me first.”

“I can’t believe this.” Dad scrubbed his face with his hands and then fiddled with the top button of his shirt. “All this time I resented you two spending so much time together and you were saving her... I really wish you had told me then, Maggie, at the beginning.”

“I didn’t have my ability then, dad. You never would have believed me.”

“You’re right.” He laughed sadly. “I wouldn’t have. Where are we sending these two?” my father conceded gruffly.

“Somewhere out west,” Peter suggested.

“Arizona,” I blurted.
I peeked back at Caleb and saw a grateful little smile. He knew I wanted to go there because Caleb wanted to go to school there. He’d never been and I wanted him to see it. He spoke to me and I could feel the love attached to the words in warmth and tingles.

I love you.

I know. I love you, too.

“Arizona, huh?” Dad tried to process everything. Me in Arizona, anywhere really, with my soul mate and not him and every scenario brought bad outcomes and pregnancies and shotguns or Vegas weddings. I couldn’t help but laugh. He looked up at me and twisted his lips. “I forgot about your
ability
already,” he muttered.

“Dad.” I pulled from Caleb and went to hug dad around his neck. “I’m not going to do anything stupid.” I pulled back to sit on my heels and look at him. “I know this isn’t ideal but it wouldn’t matter if I’d met Caleb now or at thirty. It would be the same for me, but, even with that, I know what I’m ready for and not ready for.”

“You were always so smart,” he chuckled then took a shuddering breath. “Look at me. If you run off and get married in some justice of the peace’s office or make me a grandpa before I’m gray, I will not forgive you.”

Everyone laughed again and I felt like bursting with happy tears.

“Deal, dad.”

“Deal.”

He hugged me tightly and then stood, pulling me with him and although in his mind he believed everything we’d said, he was still wrapping his thoughts around it all. He was ready for bed, to be alone and think.

“Ok.” He looked between Caleb and I. “You knew, from the very beginning, from the first time you brought him here, that you were...were-” He sighed and gripped his neck. “Imprinted?” he finally got out and I nodded. He nodded back. “Ok. No more sneaking. No more lying. No more secrets.”

“Yeah, dad,” I said as Caleb said, “Yes, sir.”

“Now, uh... How about you two sleep on the sofa tonight. I may be coming to terms with all this but I’m still your father.”

“Ok, dad. That’s fine,” I said amused. I turned to Peter and reached up to hug him. “Thank you for coming for me.” He hugged me tightly, just like my own father had.

You’re family now and we love you.
Wouldn’t have it any other way.

I smiled through tears but held them back from falling to my cheeks. Caleb said goodbye to his father and then while dad and Peter were saying theirs, Caleb laced his fingers through mine. I looked at him and he was watching me with a smile.

Are you happy?

Yes. Thank you for this. He took it better than I thought. I know my dad’s a little nuts but, he’ll keep your secret- Our secret,
I corrected

He put his forehead to mine and rubbed my arm from elbow to wrist.

I know he will. I just want to you to be happy. Whatever that is.

You. Me. Alone. Arizona.

He laughed out loud and started to frame my face with his hands but looked over to see our fathers watching, not hearing our internal interlude. He smiled bashfully at me and turned to wave at his father as he left.

“Ok, kids,” dad said and rubbed his hands together. “I’m going to bed.” He hesitated. “I’ll come check on you guys later,” he said hurriedly and I heard his thoughts.

“Dad. I promise you we will be fine. We’ll sleep on the couch, nothing else, and won’t runaway into the sunset before you can get up.”

He laughed ruggedly.

“Ok. Ok.” He hugged me. “Night, baby girl.” And he said it like he always had. Not like I was a freak or different. Like I was his daughter and always would be, no matter what. Then he shook Caleb’s hand. “Night, son. Thanks again and uh...I’m sorry, for what I said to you before-”

“No need, sir, it’s forgotten. Good night.”

Dad left and I could have collapsed right there. It was like it all hit me at once and I sat down swiftly on the couch.

“I need a shower,” I muttered and yawned.

“Not tonight. Sleep first.”

“Wait,” I stopped him and held his cheek in my hand. “Your face. Marcus punched you.”

“Barely,” he scoffed. “It’ll be fine,” he assured.

“Let me heal you.”

“You’ve been through enough tonight-” But I just closed my eyes, put my hand on his jaw and focused, hearing him sigh in defeat.

I wasn’t sure what I was doing or how to but somehow my body knew just what to do. My body felt suddenly heavy as if I was weighed down and then my hand...I could feel me drawing it out of him, like a magnet. The pain, the blood, the bruises. It all went in me and then through me. And then it was over. I opened my eyes to see his jaw was no longer pink.

I smiled in triumph.

“Happy now, doctor,” he smirked.

“Yes.”

He pulled the afghan off the recliner and I didn’t have the strength to argue as he laid me down, then slid down beside me and pulled the blanket over us, wrapping his arms around me and tucking my head under his chin. My body practically sighed.

Sleep, Maggie. No worries tonight.

No worries. Ok. Thanks for coming for me.

I’ll always come for you. I’ll always find you, I told you. You’re everything now, Maggie. I love you so much.

He squeezed me as he spoke to me in my mind and I felt that he hadn’t really gotten to relax and just feel his relief of my being found yet. He was shaking with the release of it all now, finally taking his turn to relax.

I leaned back and reached up to press my lips to his. His happiness and relief coursed through me. When I closed my eyes I saw the energy ribbons bouncing around us but when I opened them, nothing was there. He kissed me back gently and caressed my cheek with his fingers, pushing my hair behind my ear. Raking his fingers through it.

I missed this,
I told him as he continued to kiss away all my troubles.

Me too.
Me more, I think.

I laughed against his lips. He gave me one last kiss on my lips, then on my forehead.

Sleep, sweetheart. They’ll be plenty of time for that later.

I love you.

I love
you
.

So it turned out, Arizona was not where we were headed. Apparently there was an uncle I still hadn’t met who had a vacation beach house in California. Ugh. Just the thought of being in the same state that my mom had fled to made me want to hurl.

We’d been woken up the next morning by Peter. He came over early. He and my dad had all the details worked out before we even got up. I apparently needed the sleep because we slept on that couch soundly until 11:00 in the morning.

I remember feeling warm and absolutely content. My body zinged with energy and happiness as I slowly came out of sleep. I opened my eyes to see Peter over me with a smile as he shook Caleb gently. I could see Caleb and I hadn’t moved an inch during the night, awaking in exactly the same position as we’d fallen asleep in.

Caleb opened his eyes then and looked at me first. The smile that crept to his cheeks was illuminating. Then he saw his dad and his expression went back to neutral.

“Oh. Hey, dad,” Caleb muttered.

Peter looked amused.

“Oh. It’s good to see you too, son.” He leaned up and nodded his head to the kitchen. “Come on you two. We’ve got a lot to talk about.”

He made his way that direction, I heard his thoughts about the beach house and our flight leaving that night as he left. I looked back at Caleb.

“Did you sleep well?” I asked.

“You know I did the best. It’s impossible to sleep without you now.”

I nodded and pushed the thoughts of the fitful and painful sleep I’d had at the Watson’s away. He pulled my face back up with a finger under my chin.

“Don’t think about that anymore. That’s all behind us.” He kissed my forehead. “Now. Go take a shower and I’ll see what these two clowns want,” he joked. “I’ll grab a shower down here if your dad doesn’t mind.”