Page 33 of Bad Seed

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The wind was whipping the treetops up on the mountain. It was bitterly cold, but Shirley Pope’s house wassnug and warm. Central heat was humming, and there was a big log burning in the massive fireplace.

Sean had been in Bowling Green most of the day fixing a glitch in the computer system of a bank, and Amalie had clients in and out of her CPA office all day. They were both happy to be home.

Shirley had abandoned them after supper for a bubble bath, leaving Sean and Amalie in the living room by the fire, watching TV.

Amalie shivered. “The wind isn’t blowing, it’s shrieking. Trouble is coming, but I already warned Brendan when I saw him the other day.”

Sean stilled. “Warned him about what trouble? What did you see?”

“A woman comes. She will need his help. And she will matter in his life. Beyond that, I don’t know.”

Sean sighed. “Well, whatever it is, we won’t let him face it alone.”

Amalie scooted up beside him, then turned to face him and reached for his hands. “I have something to tell you. I wasn’t keeping a secret. I was just waiting to make sure before I spoke it.”

Sean curled his fingers around her hands. “Okay… I’m listening.”

“We’re going to have babies.”

Sean’s eyes widened, and then he was laughing and hugging her. “Oh my God, darlin’…that’s the most wonderful news ever! I’m going to be a father! You’re going to be a… No, wait, you are already a mother. You’re growing our baby.”

Amalie was laughing with him because he still hadn’t connected all the dots.

“Not a baby, Sean. Babies, as in twins. We’re having two.”

His eyes widened. “Oh wow! How did we manage that?”

Amalie smiled. “I would assume the usual way, with gusto.”

He brushed a soft kiss across her lips. “You are my heart…my love…my forever woman. What a gift you have given me.” And then the questions began. “How far along are you?”

“Twelve weeks. I asked for an ultrasound because I had a vision that there were two, and I wanted to be sure it was real and not just a dream.”

“Are we telling everyone now or…?” Sean asked.

“Mom is making dinner for everyone Sunday. Why don’t we make the announcement then?” Amalie said, and then sighed. “We can tell Dad together via Zoom whenever we can get him still long enough to make time.”

“Your dad loves you to distraction. He’ll always make time for you,” Sean said, and ran his finger along the side of her jaw where the burn scars were, then eyed the white streak in her hair that had appeared after the wreck that nearly killed her. “Wolfgang Outen is going to dote on being a grandfather, just like he treasured finding out that you existed.”

Amalie shivered. “I know. It’s just all so new and alittle bit scary. I want to be the best mommy ever, but I never had one, so I’m a little afraid I won’t know how.”

Sean cupped her face. “Baby…you’re so full of love that it’s going to overwhelm you when they lay them in your arms. And you have me, and Mom, and a whole family of brothers and sisters-in-law who are going to fuss over who gets to hold them, and I’ll be right beside you all the way. We’re going to be fine. What’s going to be hard is keeping this little secret until Sunday.”

The wind was still shrieking, but Amalie didn’t hear it anymore. She was too full of joy and laughter to let it in.

***

Harley Banks’s flight in the Sikorsky X2 from Chicago to Jubilee took less than two hours. She’d flown in helicopters before, but never this distance or this fast. Flying over the Cumberland Mountains, some of which were snowcapped and dense with forest in winter mode, was a reminder that she was heading into unfamiliar territory. She was used to snow, but not on mountains. The corporate world she worked within was in hugely populated areas, but she felt drawn to the new experience. All of a sudden, the chopper dipped and swooped down the slope of the mountain, giving her the first glimpse of the town below.

It was smaller than she’d expected of a tourist attraction. Insulated from the outside world by the surroundingmountains, but definitely not isolated. She was surprised to see so much activity at this time of year, especially since Jubilee did not cater its tourism to winter sports. Her musings ended when the chopper set down.

“Your ride is on the way, Miss Banks, but it’s thirty-three degrees this morning, so we’ll just wait here until it arrives,” the pilot said.

“Right,” Harley said as she unbuckled her seat belt.

A couple of minutes later, a sleek black car pulled up, and young man in a hooded parka got out on the run. The pilot helped her down from the chopper, and Harley was immediately facing the cold and the rotor wash all at the same time. She zipped the front of her coat up all the way to her chin and started walking.

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