Gone With the Witch (37 page)

"I'll bet T
ri
ton had plenty of girlfriends," Storm said.
Aiden shrugged.
"While Elektra had the wrong kinds of
boyfriends ... on purpose?"

Storm sighed. "Something
like
that."

"When Triton and Elektra met," Aiden said, "they
shared an instant at
tr
action—on every level, shall we say?" He checked the rearview mirror again. "They shared a love
of art and antiquities and a gift for rebellion—she of the quieter sort, whereas he was never shy about his rebellion. Triton stands testament to that."

Storm looked at him over her sunglasses. "Triton had better stand down. Elektra has gone into hibernation."

"Elektra doesn't react well to emotion, because she
doesn't know how to react. The fact that she slipped into hi
bernation at the first sign of an emotional upheaval doesn't
surp
ri
se me. Elektra hides, you see, like Triton's turtle
used to—"

"Used to?"

"You'll see, but no subject-changing.
Back to Elektra.
Now here's Triton telling her he wants to reveal something
about her, and peel away her protective layers, to bare her loving soul, which scares her half to death"

"It's called prudence. Triton has moved on. He's in mourning."

"He is, but in more ways than Elektra can imagine. He
was caught in a ... tempest and set magnificently free of
his turtlelike idiosyncrasies, until an old ghost—bearing a host of responsibilities—caught him in a ... cyclone, let'ssay ... not unkindly, but in desperate need, and gave him a gift of rare and unimagined joy."

"Becky:' Storm said.

"Becky," Aiden admitted. "Both tempest and cyclone gave T
ri
ton something he thought never to receive: accep
tance, flaws
an
d
all; unqualified trust; and the unconditional
love of a child, which forged a new kind of independence. T
ri
ton is nearly content,
an
d
more than up for making a life,
but something vital is missing."

"I don't think so:' Storm said
. "
I think T
ri
ton has everything under control. Look, Pepper," Storm called. "We're
getting close to
Salem.
Aiden, when you get there, d
ri
ve by
the house and show Pepper her new home."

A short, silent while later, Aiden parked in front of the
house on
Pickering
Wharf
, so Pepper could unhook her
seat belt to get a good look.

"It's so beautiful," Pepper said. "I can't believe I'm
gonna live there."

"And work there, occasionally," Storm added. "The
shop out front is ours."

"What kind is it?"

"It's a vintage clothing and curio shop."

"Retro!"
Pepper said.

"Exactly."

"Can we see it now?"

"Your other sisters are waiting for us on the island;" Aiden said. `Buckle up. Let's
go."

Her conversation with Aiden had blown Storm's mind.
Maybe he was right. She really didn't know how to react to
emotion.

Helluva time to find out.

chapter
fifty-one

PEPPER
stood on the
Salem dock shaking her head in disbelief. "I get my first boat ride, today, too?"

"Having a good birthday?" Storm asked as she helped her into the water taxi.

"
Are you kidding? It totally made up for the other ten. Holy crackers," she said when she saw the castle. “Are we going there?"

"Harmony lives there."

Vickie was waiting on the dock to meet them. "I saw you coming."

"Vickie," Aiden said, "this is my daughter, Becky, and her grandmother, Ginny."

"Storm!"
Vickie shouted, hugging her. "You
did
hear a baby crying!"

"More than one baby," Aiden said. "But we'll save that story for later."

Before Storm had a chance to introduce Pepper, Destiny
came running over. "Well, if it isn't the Silver Fox and the nymphomaniac."

"Who's a nymphomaniac?" Pepper asked."It's a joke:' Storm told her.

Destiny took Pepper by the chin to examine her with the
eye of an artist. "Who is this beautiful child? Aiden, you
didn't tell us you were bringing Storm
and
a mystery guest.
Did you find you had two children?"

"I'd be honored if Pepper was my daughter:' Aiden
said, and if he hadn't already won her heart, that would
have done it, Storm thought.

"Vickie and Destiny:' Storm said, squeezing Pepper's
shoulders
. "
This is Pepper. She's our half sister. I found her
mother first,
then
I found her."

Destiny's head came up. "You don't mean that you
found
our
mother?"

"Actually, Destiny, Pepper and I have agreed to call her
your
mother from now on"

"What does that mean
? '
I get the feeling it's not a good thing"

"We lost the dice toss on the mother roll, Sis, but I
found Pepper, and she's better than what we thought we wanted.
Pepper's eleven today."

"Happy birthday, Pepper:' Destiny said, pulling her
against her skirts
. "
Storm, could we call the woman you found
Harmony's
mother?"

When introduced to Becky and Ginny, Destiny hooted.
"Storm!
You did hear a baby crying!"

"Don't be so shocked. I, my dear sister, have a gift for finding lost children, and 'I believe that finding them is my psychic mandate. I can't wait to tell Harmony."

Destiny elbowed Aiden. "Hey, how does it feel to be a father?"

"Wonderful," Aiden said.

"So what are you two doing together?" Destiny asked Storm. "Aiden gave us the impression you had split—"

Storm cringed. "He picked us up along the way, like
he
had psychic powers, or something," Storm said, a little
miffed that Aiden had told her sister what should have been
hers to tell.

Aiden shrugged. "I went to a carnival that meant

something
to both of us, and so did you. We could call it fate. Who are you to argue with fate?" He gave Storm and
Pepper pointed looks. “And speaking of fate, I'd like to
be the first to clarify a long-held misconception. Destiny, Storm wasn't the straw that broke the camel's back. The camel didn't want any of you, one, two, or three.
Period.
You owe the unexpected twin an apology, and I'd appreciate it if you'd pass the word on to Harmony."

Storm stood there dumbfounded and humbled.

"We were kids," Destiny said. "We teased her, but we didn't mean
it."

"She was a kid, too, and childhood scars rarely heal," Aiden said.

"Sheesh, when did you become her knight in shining armor?"

"Some wounds need to be opened to heal, and this is
one of them."

Destiny huffed and turned back to Storm. "You will explain everything Cranky Pants just said in detail, later, right?"

"She will." Vickie chuckled. "Or 'I won't let her off the
island."

"Wow, you two really look alike," Pepper said, looking from Destiny to Storm, "except for Storm's blue hair."

"Storm, did you neglect to tell her something?" Destiny
asked.

"You know we're t
ri
plets. Guess you didn't know we're identical. Harmony gets home from her honeymoon next week; then you'll see."

Storm hooked her arm through Vickie's. "The preggers one, here, is Vickie, our half sister on our father's side."

Rory opened the castle door.
"Ach,
are you gonna stand bletherin' on the stoop all night?"

Vickie hooked an arm through his. "Pepper, this strapping Scot is Rory, my husband, and your brother-in-law. Rory, Pepper is a t
ri
plet half sister on their mother's side."

Rory took Pepper's hand, bowed, and kissed her fingers.
"Ach,
and aren't you a comely lass?"

Pepper giggled, first-crush style, as they went inside, where she walked in a circle to take in the great hall.

"Pepper, this is Reggie, Harmony's stepdaughter, and that little guy flirting with Becky is Reggie's son, Jake."

"You have a big family," Pepper told Storm.

"No, Pepper,
we
have a big family."

Pepper covered her blush with her hands. "I love big families."

"Mama," Becky said, reaching for Storm, and as she ac
cepted Aiden's daughter, Storm saw Vickie
an
d
Destiny ex
change glances.

"I'm starved," Storm said.

After dinner, Vickie brought out a birthday cake that the
cook had improvised during dinner, and they sang happy birthday to Pepper, who needed inst
ru
ctions on how and why to blow out her candles.

Their applause surprised her, as did the wrapped gifts they each put in front of her.

"How did you do this? You didn't know 'I was coming."

"We're into vintage
an
d
antiques, as you know," Storm said. "Nothing is new, but everything is from the heart"

Pepper put on Destiny's colorful bangle bracelets,
slipped into the retro slides with kitten heels from Storm, and got up to parade around in her first pair of girl shoes. They had to lure her back to the table to open her bell
bottoms from Reggie. Then Vickie and Rory gave her a kilt
pin and invited her to
Scotland with her sisters in the fall for the baby's christening.

Pepper burst into tears,
an
d
only Storm could comfort her.

"You're so great. I can't believe you're my family. Marvelanne never celebrated birthdays or Christmas. I'm mad
at myself for missing her, but I'm madder at her for
being ... her."

"If it's any consolation, my sisters and 'I have been mad at her for twenty-seven years," Storm said.

"Can I stay with you for twenty-seven years?”

“
You just said you missed your mother."

"No, I said 'I missed
Harmony's
mother, but with you,
I feel ... like I'm home."

"Lass:' Rory said, taking Pepper's hand
. "
Come see Harmony's castle, and maybe we can give you your giggle
back."

On cue, Pepper giggled.

Storm started to follow, but Aiden caught her hand. "Take a walk with me across the isl
an
d?"

She didn't want to be alone with him. Her feelings were
all mixed up with Becky and motherhood.
Too confusing.
"Not right now," Storm said, worried also about what
Ginny would think.