Page 41 of Home Is Where the Witch Is
“Are y’all ready for non-family visitors?”
Rosie turned to see Ben lurking hesitantly, and she shook her head at him being so hopeless.
“Ain’t none of those to be had!” she said firmly, waving him forward. “Come on in, you goose.”
With a sheepish smile, Ben wandered over to get his first glance of the baby—and then blinked when there were two of them.
“You seem to have doubled up,” he teased, bending down for a closer look. “They’re just so tiny… Congratulations, everyone.”
“Thanks,” Rosie beamed proudly. “A little more’n we bargained for, but twice the blessing.”
“I’ll say,” Declan said, pretending to grimace.
“Any news on Tammy?” Rosie asked their friend, hoping he would be able to fill them in on the latest.
“Last I heard she was still going, the poor thing,” Ben said, obviously feeling for her. “I’m hopin’ its over for her soon.”
“Me too,” Rosie agreed wholeheartedly. “She deserves to move onto the fun part of being a mom already.”
“That’s if she can pry the baby away from Myles,” Declan teased.
“You’ll be the same,” Rosie smirked, nodding at their daughter who was squirming in the crook of her left arm. Right on cue, Declan came forward to carefully scoop her up in his giant hands before holding the baby delicately to his chest.
Ben watched, smiling. “Well you have one each, so you’re good to go.”
“True!” Rosie agreed. “We’re probably going to have to add an extra room to the house.”
Declan looked up sharply. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Really?” Rosie sighed. “It was the first thingIthought of.”
It wasn’t that they couldn’t afford the addition, which was a blessing Rosie was grateful for every day. She thought back on how things had been when she’d first come to Mosswood and the state Fox Cottage had been in when she and Maggie had moved in. Palmetto bugs aside, they’d made the place a home. And she was thrilled they would be able to do the same thing again.
They just needed a few more adjustments now, was all.
Before anyone else could speak, the door to the room opened again. Myles popped his head around the corner, a broad grin on his face and his usually sleek pompadour hairstyle distinctly scruffed up.
“It’s a girl!” he whisper-shouted, so as not to disturb any potentially sleeping babies before he did what Ben had done and noticed there were two of them.
“Twins? Lord above, congratulations!”
Rosie and Declan beamed back at him.
“You too!” Seeing Declan and Myles so happy about their babies made her heart want to burst with pride and love. “How are they both? Is Tammy okay?”
“Tammy and the baby are doing just fine,” Myles assured everyone. “Resting now. It was a rough ride for them both.”
“Poor things,” Rosie said. She was comforted to know her friend’s ordeal was over as well, but she knew how much of a toll it took. She was looking forward to a little alone time and shut-eye herself. “They’ll both be much better after a good sleep!”
“I think we all will,” Declan added, making Myles nod in agreement.
“Amen to that.”
It was well past midnight.The hospital was quiet, with only the occasional beep of a machine to break the pensive silence. Rosie’s room was lit with the soft glow of a moon-shapes night-light—a gift from Cillian and Saoirse that she’d requested to keep with her until they took the babies home. It was a peaceful scene, and with her babies both in the nursery she was finally able to relax. Or at least she would have been able to, were it not for the rather pressing matter of a murder investigation to deal with.
The other members of the Council had filtered in one by one, emerging from the tiny ensuite bathroom in Rosie’s room like it was the architectural equivalent of Mary Poppins’ carpet bag. Everyone gathered around the bed quietly, and Declan took care to put the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on the outside of Rosie’s door and lock it before they really got down to business.
“Are you sure it’s okay for us to be here?” Ivy asked hesitantly.
