Blue Moon

Chapter 22

Isaac and Andrea walked the dog through the park on their way to their early evening meeting with the extended family. It was fast becoming a daily routine for the past few months. Isaac would watch over Sammy while Lyla and Lennon ventured out for dinner. He didn't like that someone was going to die but understood that there was little choice. His grandson was a vampire and Isaac was not going to turn him away because of it.

Stopping at the entrance to the park, Isaac looked at the peculiar scene. Well, half of it was peculiar.

Lennon was holding Sammy's hands as he walked around the play equipment, kicking sand up as he laughed. It was an infectious laugh and often reminded Isaac of Eloise. Hearing Sammy laugh was bittersweet.

The oddity in this scene was Lyla. She was on the park bench, looking thoroughly beat. A jar of pickles sat on the seat beside her, open but uneaten. She couldn't eat them, and he had no idea why they were there.

His eyes narrowed, remembering life approximately seventeen years ago.

"Honey?" Andrea whispered. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. Come on, they're probably starving."

Hand in hand, they walked over to the park bench. Sammy screeched when he saw his Poppy but loved the furry one much more. He couldn't walk for himself yet, but the little one was fiercely determined and pulled Lennon along. The furry one might leave before he got to hug him.

"Lyla, are you okay?"

"Yeah," she groaned.

"What's with the pickles?"

"Needed to smell them. I miss pickles."

Lennon lifted Sammy over the edge and moved to Winston. The dog wagged his tail eagerly, lapping his hot wet tongue over the bright pink cheeks of his favourite little person.

"I remember a time when you ate pickles constantly."

Isaac smiled at Lennon, thinking that the poor sod had no idea the world of pain he was about to enter.

"She practically inhaled them. Shame you can't have them now, eh?"

"Yeah," she groaned again.

"My sister ate pickles when she was pregnant." Andrea offered.

"So did Lyla," Isaac said with a grin directed at Lennon.

For a moment, he frowned, lifting Sammy up into his arms. Casually he flicked his hand out, pointing at Lyla. Isaac nodded slowly and was on the verge of laughter. It was something worth enjoying, no matter what Lyla thought about it. She'd told him after their divorce that she wasn't having any more children. She was done. The years passed and he thought that determination softened, eager to give Eloise a sibling. Now that she'd endured losing her, Lyla was back on the no children path. They had Sammy to raise and their time was devoted to him now. End of subject.

Except, it was not the end of it.

Lyla lifted her head, seeing the happiness on Lennon's face. In an instant, she realised how selfish she'd been. He wanted children. She could see his devotion to Sammy and now understood that he was taking what was offered without complaint. Lyla wished that Lennon had said something. At least they could have talked about it.

The scent of something gross lifted. Lyla turned to see that Winston had moved to the side of the bench and had cocked his leg. Instantly she got off the seat and ran to the bushes, heaving until there was nothing left.

"Well, I'd say congratulations are in order," Isaac said, giving Lennon a playful smack on the shoulder.

He was still staring. Contact with the world was lost. Passing over the leash to Andrea, Isaac took his grandson out of Lennon's arms, giving him a gentle flick of the head.

"Earn your brownie points by helping out."

Lennon wandered off, leaving Isaac to entertain the boisterous child. Sammy screeched happily as he was lifted into the air, giggling and babbling his own language. Brought back to Poppy was met with a large raspberry blown on his chubby cheek, creating more of that infectious laughter.

Settled into Isaac's arms, Sammy gripped his shirt, screeching loudly and flicking his legs around. He wanted back down, but Poppy wasn't having it. It was cuddle time.

Half an hour later, Isaac was in the middle of pushing Sammy on the swing when Lyla returned. He assumed she'd fed, though, given she was suffering; it might not be that tantalising to her. Lennon was a few steps behind, still looking as if he'd won the lifetime lottery. He smiled, remembering the day that Lyla took the test and confirmed she was pregnant with Eloise. It was a day that he could never forget.

Just like last time, Lyla looked terrible. She was pale, lethargic and struggled to remain upright. Lennon slid in beside her, wrapping his arm around Lyla to help her along the path. Feeding was the same as every other night in this past week. She didn't really want to feed but knew that she had to. Lennon assumed it was her mind wrangling with empathy, but now he knew the truth.

The path to finding a meal and the return came with a discussion about the possibility that was likely to be true. They'd been having a lot of sex and assuming that they'd be like every other vampire, a one in a million chance, astronomically rare. The conversation dealt with Lyla's emotions and thoughts. They ranged from thoughts of a repeat of Eloise to it being unfair to Sammy. Lennon listened and nodded, offering his thoughts when prompted but inside, he wanted to scream it out to the world. It was the one thing that he never told anyone, not even Adley. He wanted this.

Lennon knew that it came from losing his parents and being raised in an orphanage. He didn't have a family, and as much as he adored Sammy, it wasn't the same. Lennon would walk the planet for that kid, just to keep him happy and safe, but deep down, he wanted a child of his own.

Lyla sighed, stopping to look at Lennon.

"We're going to be okay."

She nodded, wanting to give him something more but not finding anything of value within her. Lost was a good term to describe her mood at the moment.

"We've got the structure; we can unload if you need time out. Those two crazy cats over there have said that they'll take Sammy overnight now that they understand his feeding regime. We just have to keep to the schedule."

Lennon wanted to roll his eyes, understanding why Lyla and Isaac disagreed over his work schedule. Isaac said he wanted to be around for Sammy but he was always busy or out of town.

"We're going to be okay," he repeated.

Lyla wrapped herself into his arms, sighed with a hint of pain but in the end, she knew that she was better. It had taken a few months to get here, but finally, she was happy.