Page 106 of I Married Kayog
“Right,” I said with sudden understanding. “If you want privacy—”
“Don’t be silly!” she exclaimed, looking at me as if I’d had one drink too many. “I invited you to tag along, remember? And I doubt you would get all weirded out by something as natural as a mother feeding her child.”
“Right again,” I conceded, although still confused as to why she wouldn’t do it then. “You worry someone might barge in?”
“No. I’m using this as an excuse to give my nipples a rest,” she admitted sheepishly. “Odessa is a bottomless pit. And when she latches on, she means business.”
I almost felt guilty for laughing, but her expression and emotions didn’t actually convey any distress.
“Fine, you little diva,” Malaya added while turning back to her daughter. “Breastfeeding it is, but only because today’s your christening.”
She leaned forward and nuzzled her daughter. Just as she was beginning to straighten, Odessa grabbed her mother’s face with both hands and caressed her cheeks.
“Oo lee oo,” the baby cooed.
I gasped, my blood turning to ice as I took an involuntary step back. Malaya jerked her head up to peer at me, the strangest emotions fleeting over her face. Under different circumstances, I would have wanted to analyze the conflicting feelings radiating from her, but I was in too deep a state of shock.
Surely I had misunderstood… right?
“What…? What did she say?” I asked, my voice shaking.
“She saidcoo lee coo,” Malaya replied, her gaze intense.
My knees nearly buckled beneath me. I hastened to a plush chair near the table, which I assumed she used to feed her baby while enjoying the breathtaking view of the landscape of Molvi through the large window.
“Linsea, are you okay?” she asked, approaching me with an air of concern.
“Yes. I… I… Where did she learn that?” I asked, my eyes flicking between hers.
Malaya licked her lips nervously and seemed to wage an internal war as she chose her words carefully. Why would she hesitate before answering such a straightforward question?
A loud knock on the door spared her from doing so. The newcomer didn’t wait for an invite, and the door immediately opened on a very worried Kayog. His eyes zeroed in on me.
“Is everything okay?” he asked, hastening to my side. “I felt your distress.”
“Yes, I’m fine,” I said while failing miserably at sounding reassuring.
“What happened?” he insisted, his gaze flicking between Malaya and me.
“Actually, it’s a good thing that you’re here so that I don’t have to repeat the story twice,” Malaya replied with a nervous chuckle.
Kayog and I exchanged a baffled look as she headed towards the door left opened by my mate’s sudden entrance and carefully closed it before looking back at us with that same strange expression.
“I’m afraid my daughter’s babbling triggered a strong response in Linsea,” Malaya said, avoiding eye contact as she went back to the baby.
“What kind of babbling are we talking about?” Kayog asked, confused.
“A word from a song I often hum to her,” she said, her eyes flicking towards me.
My blood turned to ice again, further confusing my husband while an impossible thought took root in my mind.
“You see, a few days into the fifth month of my pregnancy, I started having the strangest dream,” Malaya said while putting a bottle inside the warmer, despite having previously stated she would breastfeed Odessa.
“Strange how?” Kayog asked, tension filling his voice.
“Strange in that I was a baby bird. I believe I was a bird of paradise, although the colors didn’t match,” she added with anervous laugh. “My feathers were light brown, almost the same shade of my skin right now.”
The shock that rippled through my mate struck me hard. In that instant, I would have given anything to be able to read his mind.
