Page 179 of Nocere

Chapter Twenty-One

Sam, Rebecca, and Alex sat at my kitchen table with Nate, Juniper's fiancé, and spoke in animated tones. Juni and I sat together on the carpet in my living room while her son played with a set of small toy trucks that he repeatedly crashed in the Ziggy statue I let him use as an obstacle on his race track.

"Sebastian, gentle," she said, patting his hand when he smashed the truck into the table leg. I fought a snicker while I watched him.

"No, Mama." He bashed the truck again and I burst out laughing.

Juni shot me her first ever glare before she chuckled as well. She snatched the truck away from her son, and a big fat pouty lip marred his formerly jovial face. His sharp blue eyes, pale skin, and wild blonde hair made him appear like the perfect imitation of a porcelain doll. I tried hard to process the idea that we were related. That he was my nephew, and I spent an afternoon with people who shared my blood.

"We don't say no to Mommy, Bast." Juni held the toy away from him. "Say sorry to Aunt Rosie for beating up her table."

Sebastian's attention shot to me, his pout turning into a shy shoulder shrug. "Say sorry," he said, in a tiny voice.

His cuteness made me smile and I held my hand out to him. "Thank you, Sebastian. I accept your apology."

Little white eyebrows lifted and washed away his pout. He slapped my hand like a high-five then turned back to Juni, his palms outstretched. "Mine? Mine?"

"Yes." She chuckled as she placed the toy in his hands. "No more smashing things."

"'Kay." He dropped back down on his knees and instead of crashing into the table, he sent the truck flying into the bookshelf. I let out a laugh and Juni dropped her head in her hands.

"He's going to be fun when he grows up," I said, grinning at the cute kid.

"He's a handful all right. Tenacious and loves doing exactly the opposite of what we tell him. The terrible twos are almost over," she said, with a smile on her face despite what she said. "Just in time for the next one." Juni patted her stomach and met my gaze.

"You're pregnant?" I asked and she nodded, her smile broadening.

"A girl. Almost five months." When both of her hands made it to her belly, her sweater pressed against her and I noted the small bump.

"That's amazing. Congratulations." My expression lifted with hers and she let out a small giggle.

"Thanks. Will you come to the baby shower? You'll get to meet my family and some of my friends." Her gaze met mine and the shimmering glee wasn't something I expected to see. "I can't wait for them to meet my sister."

"Yes. I'll come." The words flew out of my mouth before I could stop them. My eagerness to attend a people-filled affair startled me.

"Hooray." She beamed, clasping her hands in front of her chest. "I'm going to invite your girlfriend and Rebecca too. They're lovely."

"Thank you." I glanced at Sam and she tossed me a wink as if she'd been watching me the entire time. It made my belly flutter and the unusual excitement inside me bumbled around like a foreign body trapped in a metal tube.

"How long have you and Samirah been together?" she asked while redirecting Sebastian's truck away from the table again.

"About four months. But it seems like longer…" I wrung my hands in my lap as some anxiety returned to its usual baseline.

"You seem very close. Sometimes it happens that way. Nate and I met in college. From there we just…" There it was again, the dreamy smile that I noted accompanied her happiness. I'd only known Juni for a few hours, but already began to observe her tendencies. She was a happy person, for the most part, and it reminded me of Ainsley. She offered a breath of fresh air when she spoke about her passions, and it comforted me the same way as my friend. "We fell in love and we've been together ever since."

"I like hearing that," I said, catching the truck that Sebastian sent my way. He patted me on the head when he toddled by and I laughed. "He's too much."

"He is. Very affectionate. Probably because I am." She smiled at her son who bolted over to his father, then returned her attention to me. "I have to show you something."

"Okay..." My chest tightened slightly as I watched her turn toward her purse. She pulled out a tattered manila envelope that crunched when she opened it, followed by a few photographs, three of which were old Polaroids.

"The adoption agency gave me these…" She showed me one picture at a time of her as an infant, less than six months old at least for most of them. The resemblance to her son became evident right away. "These two...I thought you should see."

I took them and she scooted closer to sit beside me. In the first picture, baby Juni sat on a fluffy green carpet with a rainbow ring toy in front of her. Beside her, a little girl in a purple dress leaned against the legs of an adult whose top half wasn't in the picture. I recognized the dress before I recognized my own blonde ringlets and round cheeks. With my finger in my mouth, and a tentative gaze at the camera, the image brought a wave of emotion that tightened my throat.

"Is that you?" Juni pointed at me and I nodded. "That's me." She pointed to the baby in the picture. "We did meet before."

I stared down at the image of the two of us, and a sharp stab struck my back. Rose, look here. Look at the camera. Someone's voice echoed in my memories.

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