Page 20 of Power's Fall

“I did. Robin—I call her Mama—didn’t want to have children, preferring to focus on her career, so the ‘official story’,” Montana finger-quoted, “is my mom was their surrogate because Robin couldn’t have children. I lived with Dad and Mama during the school year and spent my summers traveling with Mom.”

While Vadisk hadn’t contributed anything to the conversation, Montana knew he was listening, even as his gaze continued to scan the area.

“That all sounds kind of cool, but I’m still not hearing an explanation about the name,” Dahlia pointed out. “How about you, Vadisk? Does it feel like Montana might be trying to throw us off track?”

Vadisk nodded. “Former Navy, right? Divulge nothing.”

Montana wasn’t surprised to discover Vadisk had done his own research after learning about their marriage. “Takes one to know one,” he replied, letting Vadisk know he’d done some digging around himself.

“My admiral filled me in on a bit of your background after we were placed in this trinity.”

Dahlia snapped her fingers impatiently. “The name, Montana-Reginald.”

Montana sighed. “I’m named after my father, Reginald, and…” He closed his eyes. “I was conceived in Montana. For some unknown reason, Mom thought that should not just be acknowledged but emblazoned across my birth certificate, so while she gave my dad his namesake, she insisted on the hyphenated first name.”

Dahlia pressed her lips together tightly, the corners tipped up.

“You can laugh,” Montana said, freeing her.

She giggled with delight, and while it was too brief to be certain, Montana thought Vadisk might have graced them with a split-second grin.

“If the name Montana bothers you, why do you go by that?” Vadisk asked.

“Because my father is Reginald, and he and I…” Montana shrugged.

Vadisk nodded in such a way that Montana wondered if he and Vadisk had just found some common ground. Not that a strained father/son relationship was a great thing to connect over.

Dahlia reached over and placed her hand on Montana’s forearm. “Well, I like the name Montana. It suits you.”

He tilted his head. “I’m trying to decide if you just insulted me.”

Dahlia laughed again. “Divulge nothing. Correct?”

He loved how freely she expressed her joy. While Vadisk was locked up tighter than a drum, Dahlia was friendly and fully engaged in their conversation and getting to know them.

“Okay, so your turn, Dahlia.” Montana suddenly wanted to know every single one of her secrets, her dreams, her hopes. Because the initial attraction he’d felt toward her was quickly morphing into genuine fondness. His wife was beautiful, intelligent, and charming, and for the first time since receiving that phone call from the Grand Master, he felt lucky and blessed, knowing she was going to be a part of his life. “Tell us something about you.”

Dahlia’s smile faded a bit and it felt as if she was almost bracing herself. She fell silent for a long, uncomfortable moment.

“Dahlia?” Vadisk said, also recognizing the sudden change in her demeanor.

“I’ve spent a lot of time over the years planning how to tell my trinity, how to tellyouthis, and now, as I sit here, I realize the best way is to just say it.”

The same heart-racing thud that always struck whenever Montana was trapped in tight spaces returned. “What is it?”

Dahlia stared at her wine glass for a moment. Montana thought she’d indulged in the wine as a way of calming her nerves over where they were. Now, he wondered if she’d been seeking liquid courage for a confession.

“I’m going blind.”

Montana blinked for a few moments, trying to decide if he’d heard her correctly.

“Blind?” Vadisk asked softly.

“Yes. Eventually, I will be legally blind. Not total blackout darkness, the way you’re no doubt imagining. I have retinitis pigmentosa. I underwent genetic testing for it because my mother has it. Right now, my symptoms are quite minimal, though I have some night blindness, but if my RP follows the same path as Mom’s, I’m facing tunnel vision, as well as loss of my central and color vision.”

“Jesus, Dahlia. I’m sorry.” Montana took her hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“It’s okay,” she said quickly. “I’ve known about this since I was twelve and my parents took me to be tested. I’ve had a lot of time to accept what’s coming. Plus, I have a pretty terrific role model in my mom. She hasn’t let her poor vision slow her down at all. While she recently retired from foreign service, she’s still very active in the community and an avid reader, thanks to audiobooks.”

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