Chapter 22

Jack called Mr. Bell one night about a week later and said he would be over to share the latest on the investigation. Colleen and I picked him up and we three met him at the office.

Jack walked in like a victorious, returning Roman general. His expression was pure joy, and he looked like he couldn't wait to make our day. It didn't take long, because he dropped a set of photos on the table and said, "The man who ordered Beth Morse's murder died in a tragic 'accident' late last night.

"He apparently walked out on his rear deck, and toppled to his death, falling about fifty feet onto sharp rocks. Oddly enough, he had a jump drive on his person that detailed a great deal of illegal and violent activity, giving the investigating officers plenty of evidence to use against supposedly legitimate businessmen, who supported their crimes."

He waited for Mr. Bell to react. He was so busy waiting for Mr. Bell's reaction, he missed me turning bright red, and clenching my fists hard enough to break bones. I was suddenly furious. Nearly out of control, but holding it in, I turned away so as not to get Jack's attention.

Jack patiently waited for Mr. Bell's orders.

... and waited.

Mr. Bell looked at Colleen and me, and jerked his head toward my office. Once behind closed doors, he hugged me and said, "I know how this has affected you. Thanks for staying calm. Colleen and I will finish up with Jack. You stay here and get yourself under control."

They left me alone, which allowed me to show some emotion. I'm not sure which was more profound, the unresolved violence in my heart, or the sadness as I thought about Beth Ann. The one thing I was sure about was that Mr. Bell was a genius. He knew exactly what I was going through and acted perfectly to help me deal with it.

I went somewhere in my head because the next thing I knew Colleen had her arms around me, and was softly talking. "Baby, I know it hurts. I know how badly it hurts. It hurt us that bad when you died and we got through it. You'll get through it too." She was far more worried about me than I was, so I kissed her to let he know I was listening and we went home.

Benjamin met me at the door, as he always does when I arrive home, and seemed to know I was upset. He looked around for someone to growl at, but seeing no one, opted to stick by me all evening. Colleen filled Rebecca in on our news, and she crawled into my lap to sympathize with me.

What I was feeling is hard to explain. Part of me was thrilled that the person who had my mother killed and ordered my death was experiencing the full nature of judgment. It worried me that I was so willing to embrace violence as the answer to my tragedies.

Rebecca sensed my confusion and said, "What they did to you was horrible. It's Ok to want them dead. Don't torture yourself for being glad he's gone. That man, whoever he was, earned what he got, and if everyone knew how evil he was, there would be a lot more people thrilled that he doesn't exist anymore.

"Baby, you have to let it all go. It's going to be all right. I promise."

Benjamin must have felt the same way, because he took that instant to lick the back of my hand.

Just once.

He gave me one little lick to let me know that he was there, and that he loved me. Between Colleen, Rebecca, and Ben, I felt like the most loved person on earth.

For a while life was orderly. We worked out terms on the ball team, and began the process of having it all put on paper. Colleen suggested a law firm in New York that had experience with the kinds of contracts we were writing. They came on board quickly and got us moving in the right direction.

Millie, Rebecca, and Colleen spent days together, picking out wallpaper, baby furniture, paint colors, and making decisions about how to care for our two children, once they arrived.

With the master bedroom taking up most of the second floor, we turned my study into a nursery. It was perfect for two newborns, and was located right beside our room. Rebecca and Colleen hired a contractor that Mr. Bell knew, to make a few alterations for us, including turning the bedroom and bathroom into a nursery that flowed into the bath, with a special vanity that was really a baby tub, made for bathing newborns. The lavatory was big enough to comfortably bathe a baby, but shaped to keep them from slipping down into the water. We could keep it after the children grow out of it, in case we have more babies, or grandchildren someday, or have it easily changed back.

Millie spent as much time in our house as Colleen and Rebecca. It was so much fun watching them bond, work, and make decisions together. Mr. Bell and I were pretty much out of the loop, and had to ask nicely before anyone filled us in on the new decisions being made.

We were fine with that. In fact, we were ecstatic. Colleen began to show well before Rebecca, but I thought it was because of her shape. There is no back space on Colleen's form. She is straight as an arrow, and any change in her abdomen would be immediately visible. Rebecca had more center than Colleen, and I suspected it would be the second trimester before we noticed any changes.

There was one BIG change. Rebecca and Colleen were insatiable. We made love for hours every night. I was in paradise, as my ladies reacted to the hormonal changes. Apparently pregnancy pleased them immensely.

Each night, after sex, exhausted, sweaty, and wet with their juices, I spoke to our children, in their mothers' wombs. One night I was absent mindedly stroking Colleen's breasts and chatting with our son, "James Brian," I said. "You are getting to be a big boy already. I see your mommy's tummy making room for our big boy. We can't wait to meet you, so get big and strong, and know you're loved."

"You have a playmate waiting to meet you. His name is Benjamin." At the sound of his name, Ben raised up, laid his nose on top of my hand, which was stroking Colleen, and waited to see what was on my mind. "Your playmate is right here. He is as anxious to meet you as we are, and he promises to protect you as you grow up, making sure that you and your sister, Millicent Jane, are happy, healthy, and safe."

I moved my hand from Colleen's chest to Rebecca's furry friend and said, "And you Millicent Jane, are the apple of my eye. I can't wait to hold you in my arms. Benjamin is just as happy about you coming to be his other best friend, as we are. He is right here and wants you to know he thinks about you all the time." I scratched Benjamin on the head, then patted both of my ladies on the tummy, kissing and fondling them as we relaxed before bed.

"Remember that we love you both, and will love you more every day of your lives. Now get some sleep and we'll talk tomorrow."

When I looked up, Rebecca and Colleen were staring at me in awe. "That was so beautiful," Colleen said through tears.

"It really was, David." Rebecca was choked up, also.

"We've made a few decisions about what to tell my mother, and want your reaction," Rebecca took charge. "I HAVE to go see her and share the news in person. I just can't call and drop this kind of news on her.

"Would you be willing to come with me and let her get over our age difference, all at once?" She was nervous about asking, but I was so proud of my ladies, I was willing to walk to Texas to meet her mother, and said so.

"Oh, David. Thank you so much." I got hugged, kissed and then we discovered that after sex, sex is just as good as sex. Rebecca surged against me as I stroked in and out. Her cries were loud, and unrestrained. It made me think that our lives were going to change in that regard, too. Once the children came, noisy, anywhere sex would end. We would have to plan our adventures, like a military campaign.