Page 46 of Black Mark's Heart

I watched as that rocket crawled under Darius's piano. "The time has gone so quickly." I put my hand to my abdomen. It had only been a week since I found out I was pregnant, and I still couldn't believe it. I was still to decide if I was really unlucky or blessed. "I can't believe I'll have another one early next year." I'd told her straight up I was pregnant again and who the father was.

Rebecca smiled. "Close together is good, Mora, as it doesn’t give you the chance to get used to sleeping or not having to change nappies again." She smirked, "I thought I was done with all that. Henry was a surprise."

"You leave the kids at home for this trip?" I asked.

Rebecca shook her head. "Dare took the day off and took them to the zoo so I could go to my meeting."

I hesitated, wondering if he would be home soon. When Rebecca rang last night and asked to see me and meet Jacob, I had been more than happy to do so, but I was extremely nervous about coming to Dare's place. I'd suggested a local coffeehouse, but Rebecca said with Jacob crawling, it would be better to meet where he could scamper around. I couldn't argue with the logic, and Jacob was having a ball exploring Darius's apartment.

"We flew in yesterday and have to fly home tonight, so he wanted the time with the kids," Rebecca carried on.

"What was the meeting for?" I asked casually.

"One of the local jewelry stores wants to stock my jewelry, so I needed to meet and discuss prices. It could finally be the break I need," Rebecca explained. "Speaking of which, I have something for you." Rebecca pulled out a ring box and handed it to me.

I frowned, opening it to find a ring that matched my wedding set. "What's this for?"

Rebecca looked down at my hand. "I noticed you still wore your rings when I saw you last year. Traditionally, Dare should have given you an eternity ring when you bore his first child, so I made this for you." Rebecca grinned. "Try it on."

I took the ring from the box and slipped it onto my finger. It sat flush with the engagement ring, mimicking the wedding band. "It's beautiful, thank you."

"Are you going to keep seeing Darius now?" Rebecca asked.

"We sort of have this ‘fall onto each other’ arrangement," I explained. "If we somehow cross paths, we tend to fall onto each other."

Rebecca chuckled. "And how will you explain baby number two then?"

I swallowed. The truth was that I didn't know the answer to that. I watched Jacob pull himself up to standing using Darius's piano stool and start touching the keys on the piano. I chuckled. "He even favors his father's instrument," I said more to change the subject.

Steffen walked into the room, a smile playing at the side of his mouth. He walked over and picked Jacob up, sitting him on his lap and letting Jacob play with the keys. Jacob laughed and banged on the keys.

Rebecca laughed. "A prodigy in the making." She sipped her tea. "Does he like the recordings?"

"He does. Thank you for those. He won't go to sleep at night without either Dare reading to him or playing the piano."

"It's good that you've done that, so he'll know his father's voice," she complimented.

I blushed. "Truth be told, some nights I listen to it too, especially the songs he sings. He missed his calling with that voice."

Rebecca sighed, "No, he doesn't have the confidence to play for others, and that is why he only plays when he thinks no one else is home." There was sadness in Rebecca's eyes. "Our mother played. She was very talented."

"How is your father?" I asked seriously. I knew he'd been heading downhill since their mother passed.

Rebecca looked at me, surprised. "He didn't tell you?" I looked at her, confused. Rebecca blew out a breath. "Dad passed away in October last year. The night you sent those texts to Dare was the day of the funeral. Dare was certain you must have sensed he needed you, and he jumped on a plane to come and find you. I thought that must have been when you two smoothed things over."

I shook my head, tears springing into my eyes. "I was in labor with Jacob when I sent those texts. I just needed to tell him..." I closed my eyes on the tears. "I had to let him know I still love him."

Rebecca reached across the table and patted my hand. "It breaks my heart you two can't be together, Mora."

"Trust me," I patted her hand back. "It rips mine apart, especially now." I put my hand to my still-flat belly and looked to where Jacob had escaped Steffen and was trying to climb the stairs to my old room. "I hate that he's missing all Jacob's firsts, that he’s not there to read to him in person at night and that he's not there with me."

Jacob scooted up the stairs as the house phone rang. I stood up. "I'll get him, Steffen."

Steffen smiled and went to answer the phone. I chased Jacob up the stairs. He stopped at my old bedroom door and turned around, smiling at me.

"Hey, gorgeous boy. You want to see mama's old bedroom?" I asked with a smile. Jacob smacked the closed door. "Okay." I picked him up and opened the door, expecting to find the bedroom empty. It was exactly as I'd left it.

The bed was still made and, except for my cello and knick-knacks, it was like I'd never moved out. I went to the window and looked out at the view. It was still amazing.

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