Gone With the Witch (28 page)

Aiden took Becky from Storm, all clean
an
d
fresh, and
kissed her tiny baby fingers. "I can't believe I've only
known you existed for a few hours, and the thought of someone taking you away from me is making me crazy."

Back in the living room, Storm made Ginny a cup of
chamomile tea while Aiden went out to the camper for a
d
ry
shirt. "Mrs. Langley—I mean Ginny—I couldn't help but notice your curio cabinet. The crystal and coral are amazing, as are the spectacular jewelry pieces displayed with it. Is the jewelry Claudette's work?"

"Yes, 'I put some of my favorite pieces of hers in there,
but 'I have boxes more in the garage. Aiden," Ginny said as
he returned, "see the sea horse cuff links and studs on the
bottom shelf? They were for you. Why don't you take
them?"

"I can't take your memories, Ginny."

"You don't understand. Claudette made them especially for you. She told me several times that they were yours when she was working on them."

Storm put a hand on his arm, a connection Aiden needed
mo
re
than air just then. “Aiden, take the cuff links," she said,
"
an
d
wear them to Becky's every birthday party, school play,
an
d
graduation, from nurse
ry
school to grad school. That way you'll have a bit of Claudette with you when you celebrate your daughter's milestones."

Ginny grabbed Storm's free hand and squeezed.
"Claudette would have liked you"

"I know 'I would have liked her, especially if she was anything like her mother. You said you have boxes of her
work in the garage? Would you like me to take them home
and sell them in my shop? It's called the Immortal Classic,
it's a vintage clothing and curio shop, and 'I know the
Salem tourists would love Claudette's work. The profits could supplement your income
."

"I hated to think about what would happen to her work
if/when I was forced into assisted living. Getting Claudette's
work to people who would cherish it would make me very happy."

It's settled then. I'm taking Claudette's stock back to
Salem
with me. Now, how about letting me make dinner?"

Storm cooked while Ginny caught Aiden up on Becky's
life, antics, and quirks.

After dinner, Aiden sat back, sated and happy. "I didn't know you were such a good cook, Storm. That was delicious."

"I told you, my sisters and I raised each other. The three
of us have been cooking for ourselves since we were five, maybe."

"That's terrible," Ginny said.

"That's survival," Storm said. "You know a little something about that, Ginny."

"Well," Aiden said, "between Storm's beef Stroganoff, Becky for entertainment, and you for company, Ginny, it
was an especially wonderful dinner. Thank you for inviting
us, but Storm, you and I should go find a campground for the night."

"Nonsense," Claudette's mother said. "Pull into the
driveway. You can tap into my water and electricity so
you'll be comfortable. I've only got two small bedrooms, and one's a nurse
ry
, or I'd invite you to stay here."

Storm cleared her throat. "Um, can we take Becky to spend the night in the motor coach with us? Unless you
think you need to get to know us better. 'I would understand
if you did."

"I know Aiden from all the talking Claudette did about
him. My daughter was dreadfully in love with you, Aiden."
Claudette's mother turned away at Aiden's discomfort.

"Storm," she said, "not only did you figure out a way to include Claudette in Becky's life by having Aiden wear her jewelry to Becky's special events, I heard Becky call you Mama a while ago"

"I'm sorry about that," Storm said.

"Don't be. That was instinct. She's a pretty good judge
of character, our Becky. I'll pack her an overnight bag with
everything you'll need, and she can sleep in her play yard,
which converts to a travel bed. Come in for breakfast in the
morning. The door will be open."

"What time?" Aiden asked.

"Becky time."
The woman chuckled. "She runs the
show. She'll let you know when she's awake and ready for
breakfast" The woman dabbed at her eyes. "Forgive an old
lady her emotion, but I can't tell you how happy 'I am not to
be losing Becky tomorrow."

Aiden felt a deep sense of guilt for not telling Claudette's
mother how dire the circumstances were at this late date, and how slim the chances of keeping Becky with her. But he guessed that one out of the three of them worrying was anguish enough, and it was time he took some of the torment off Ginny's shoulders.

Chapter Thirty-seven

BEFORE they went to the coach for the night, Ginny gave
them so many instructions, Aiden had to write them down,
which amused the daylights out of Storm.

In the coach, after Aiden put Becky in her play
yard/travel bed, she watched him check the list for like the
fifth time. "For a man who swore he couldn't possibly have
a child ... anywhere ... and didn't want one, you're quite
the fanatic."

"Never mind.
This is a tiny person here" He shook
Becky's bare
foot,
and she giggled. He let go in surprise. "She laughs."

"Usually if they c
ry
,
they laugh. If they eat, they poop. With a kid, it's pretty much a set of unexpected twofers."

Aiden ignored her, but Storm didn't mind as he grabbed
Becky's foot again for more jiggling and lots more Becky
belly laughs. After a while, her laughter became conta
gious, and it was hard to tell which of them laughed
hardest.

"She's glad you're here," Storm said. "I think you're glad,
too. I told you when I kidnapped you that you would be"

Aiden pulled her into his arms and kissed her. "Thank you for my baby."

The highly charged words reverberated between them: intimacy meets terror, times two.

When Becky yawned, Storm stepped away from him.
"You change her and get her into her jammies, Dad, and
I'll warm her bottle."

Storm took a few snapshots of Aiden feeding Becky her precious bedtime bottle, their gazes locked as they held the bottle together, her tiny hands over his huge, capable ones,
revealing that Da Da was hers to command.

Love she saw in their eyes.
Unconditional, forever
love.
Adoration.
Baby-I'll-never-let-anyone-hurt-you love.
Daddy-you're-my-world love.

After Aiden finished feeding and burping her, Storm sang Becky to sleep as she walked the length of the coach, bouncing her.
Sweet summer savory, this little one felt perfect in her arms.
If she wasn't careful, she'd be going home with a broken heart, times two.

She and Aiden stood beside the play yard watching
Becky sleep for a long while.

"After the last couple of nights," Aiden whispered,
pulling his shirt from his pants as he moved away from the
play yard at the foot of his bed, "I think sleeping through the night will do us both some good"

Storm smiled as he lay beside her and wove their fingers
together.

A few hours later, she woke from a nightmare about Pepper, with a look of abject misery on her face, leaving school to search for her. Storm opened her eyes, glad it wasn't real, to find Aiden sitting at the foot of the bed
watching Becky sleep. She crossed the mattress and put her
hands on his shoulders. "What are you doing?" she whispered in his ear.

He turned to kiss her. "I'm thinking."

"
About?"

"Where to raise her, how to do my job, getting day care,
or a babysitter, or a nanny, maybe"

It was all
Storm
could do not to volunteer. "Houses
and fences and roots ... babies and nannies and diapers,
oh my, oh
my."

Aiden caught her to bring her around and onto his lap.
He kissed her then held her head against his shoulder, tuck
ing a stray curl behind her ear. "I will not let Social Services take Becky away"

Storm grazed his cheek with the back of a hand. "I
never expected for a minute that you would."

Aiden kissed her hand. "Will you help me get it all
sorted out? And before you agree, you should know that the
sorting will be a good deal scarier than 'I let on. Social Services
does
not
want to let me have her, and they won't let Ginny keep her. My lawyers have a lot of red tape to unwind. It would have helped if I was listed on Becky's birth certificate, but the last time Claudette and 'I talked, 'I practically told her that 'I didn't want the burden of children."

"Oh, Aiden," Storm said. "I'm here for you, however
long it takes for Becky to become legally yours"

"Thank you for abducting me"

Becky whimpered, "Da Da," in her sleep, and Aiden
leaned over to knuckle her cheek and tell her he was there.
"Daddy will take care of you, Becky," he promised, and
Becky sighed, rolled to her stomach, and went back to
sleep.

"She was dreaming about me," Aiden said, his look
filled with wonder.

Storm pushed him back on the bed. "She's probably always dreamed about
you."

They crawled to their pillows and fell asleep like two spoons in a kitchen drawer, with a tiny snore coming from the foot of the bed.

To Storm, nothing had ever felt so right.

Becky time turned out to be four in the morning.

Chapter Thirty-eight

"GOOD
God," Aiden said, waking up to find his daughter, with Warlock in her arms, watching him, a pouty look on her face.

He picked Becky up, and Warlock leapt to the bed, where he went to curl up between Storm's legs. Aiden
loved the feel of his soft, warm morning Becky, but he did spare a moment of jealousy for Warlock's prime piece of property.

"You want to snuggle?" he asked Becky as he put her in
the bed between him and Storm, who'd barely cracked an eyelid.

"Loops," Becky said, sitting up.

Aiden laid her back down. "Loops?" he asked. "Breakfast," Storm said, sitting up and rubbing her face.
"Froot Loops."

Becky sat up again and nodded.
"Loops."

Storm tickled Becky. "So you're the reason I've been craving Froot Loops, and loving the scent of baby powder and apricots. Do you like chocolate milk with your Froot Loops?"

Becky let go of her own foot and nodded.

When Storm stopped tickling her, Becky tickled her in return,
then
she tickled Aiden, which really made them
laugh—not the tickles as much as her attempt at mimick
ing their play.

After another leaky diaper incident, Aiden washed,
changed, and dressed Becky while Storm packed her bag
to go back to the house.

"I learned the hard way," Aiden said, "that 'I change her diaper before naps, after meals, before bed, and especially upon rising."

"
And in between," Storm said.

"Right"

"Aiden, you should ask Ginny where Claudette is buried
so we can pay our respects and bring her some flowers, un
less you'd rather do that alone."

"No, I'd like your company, if you don't mind.
Claudette should know who led me to Becky"

He got to car
ry
the play yard into Ginny's house, with
enough clothes, toys, and equipment for a day at the beach,
while Storm carried Becky, d
ry
and dressed, and Becky carried Warlock.