LIAM (Book Two)

TWENTY-FIVE

Given the thought and mixed emotions of Seema discovering my pregnancy had just made it worse. I didn't want her to know about the baby, and never. She may be my grandmother, but something about her feels off. That is what Effie felt about having a sixth sense, but she has been through a lot with her. It's not emotional to have this type of empathy. And Devin, something about him made the back of my neck hair go up. Whatever affected Liam that day on the cruise is affecting me too.

That guy gives me the creep.

I had myself stayed at Effie's house while I cleared my head. I would've done that at home, but I decided to lay low here for a while. Effie said everybody went out. Her sister is at work, and Ares is with Logan and the boys. Rex and Don are at the shop. Seth is hanging out with Terry, still pasteurizing him. The poor man. I don't know why Terry won't give him the uppercut. He got a soft spot for Seth. Logan and Ares are baby-shopping for the first time. Effie wants Logan, for the first time to choose the clothes and toys with Ares' help. It was either shopping duty or diaper duty. The boys picked something less dangerous. As for Liam, Effie wasn't sure about where he went off to, but I guess he's with some bimbo.

I sighed and heard footsteps walking up behind me, adding to soft baby coos.

"Are you okay, Lil?" Effie sat on the rocking chair in the nursery room while feeding Zara. The sound of a baby sucking on a plastic nipple sounded so wrong I was about to think about that night... in the alley...with you know who...who was you know what-

"Yeah," I snap myself from my nasty thoughts. "Just... wanted to hang out with you and Zara. How does it feel to be a mother and a high school student?"

"Not easy," Effie chuckled, rocking the chair back and forth in gentle movement. "But I can understand how my mom and Logan's mom work their butt off taking care of more than one kid. And I'm raising one, that is all into one."

"You're not ready to be a mom yet."

"So are you," she said with a smile. "I mean, you're going to give birth. At least for me, I don't get that experience. But I've seen it happen. This lady in her thirties visited her mother when her water broke at the housing. There was no available staff or doctor around, which was weird. So, I watched my sister do the impossible. She helps that woman through her labor, and the blood almost got to me."

"But Athena isn't a midwife."

"No, it was her first time."

I lift my brow. "If it was her first time, then..."

"The internet."

We both laugh as the nursery gets quiet, and Zara is no longer sucking on her bottle and is in a deep dreamland.

"No, really, what's going on? Didn't you meet up with your grandma?"

"Seema," I sighed. I didn't want to call her grandma. "And yeah, I was, but..."

"But?" Effie put Zara in her cute white and pink crib with a pink canopy like a little princess. Effie leaned down and kissed her daughter, and said." Come, let's go talk in my room."

I follow her and Logan's room. Effie closed the door, and I sat on the single-seated recliner couch in the corner of their room as my best friend sat on the bed. "Okay, let me ask again. Are you okay?"

I let out my third sigh. I slump on the couch, resting my back against the pillow, and stare at nothing but the light gray painted walls with white vine design.

"She knows."

"Who knows?"

"Seema."

"About what?" Effie asks.