Bex relaxed and lowered his hand, and then bent down to kiss my forehead. “She’s been like that for months. You couldn’t tel ?” he asked Jared.
“I uh…I could tel something was different. I assumed it was the baby.”
“It is the baby,” Bex smiled. “Bean is sharing angel juice with Nina. I haven’t taken it easy sparring with her for weeks.”
“What?” I said.
“What?” Jared repeated.
Bex rol ed his eyes. “Remember that time she threw me on my back?”
Jared’s eyes dashed to mine. “She real y did that?”
Bex frowned. “It hurt, too. I just didn’t say anything because I assumed you knew, and this was one of those things you didn’t want to talk about.”
“He is so like that.” Claire said.
Jared was instantly angry. “You were sparring with her on your level? She’s pregnant, Bex. Are you insane? What if you hurt the baby?”
I looked down at my protruding bel y and gingerly rubbed it with my fingers. “Bean is giving me abilities?”
Bex shrugged. “Bean’s ful -on angel, Nina. You’ve got more power than we do, I bet. That’s why you could hover during your dreams and climb the wal s and stuff. You were pregnant then, weren’t you?”
Ryan laughed once. “What? She’s Spider-Man, now?”
“That’s what I said!” Bex beamed. “Love Spider-Man.”
Jared frowned. “You should have said something.”
Bex laughed once without humor. “She’s your Taleh…not to mention your wife. I thought you knew!”
“You didn’t think I’d mention it if I had?”
“No! That doesn’t sound like you at all !” Bex snapped.
“He’s right,” Claire said. “Being forthcoming isn’t your strong suit.”
Jared turned on his heels, crossing his arms. His biceps bulged over his hands. “I guess you knew, too?”
“Obviously not!” Claire said. “It was my idea to punch her!”
“Wel , let’s brag about it,” I said flatly.
Silence overcame the room while the new knowledge set in. Jared’s eyes bounced around different points on the floor while his brain processed a mil ion thoughts a second.
A loud bang sounded from across the room, fol owed by a vibration in the floor. Claire was lying on her back, looking up at Ryan with a shocked expression.
He smiled. “I told you I wouldn’t give up.”
Her face flashed red, and I waited for her to send Ryan flying across the room again. But the flush of her cheeks returned to a warm tone, and her eyes softened. A slow, smal smile turned up the corners of her mouth. Ryan, without caution, kneeled beside her. His eyes left hers, and then transfixed onto her lips. He leaned in closer. I waited for Claire to grab him by the throat, or kick him in his nether region, but she slowly closed her eyes.
“What in the hel happened in here?” Cynthia shrieked, slamming the door behind her.
My mother’s surprise entrance took my attention away for only a moment, and when I looked back, I could see a familiar frustration in Ryan’s eyes.
I smiled.
“Someone had better answer me,” Cynthia said.
Realization fluttered in Claire’s eyes, and she glanced in my direction.
“Karma,” I said with a knowing grin. She had made a hobby of interrupting Jared and I when we were fal ing in love. It was refreshing to see her reaction when the same happened to her.
“Oh, shut up,” she said, pushing herself to her feet. She grabbed Ryan’s hand and helped him to stand. “I apologize, Mrs. Grey.”
“You did this,” Cynthia said. Her words were more an accusation than a question. “I expect everything to be in order by tomorrow morning.” With that, she left for her bedroom.
Claire surveyed the destruction. “It’s going to be a long night.”
“I’ll help you,” Ryan said.
Claire left for the kitchen, and returned holding a large garbage can. She carried it in one hand, picking up the splinters of wood that covered the floor with the other.
“Have fun with that,” Jared smiled, taking my hand. “We’ll be at the oak tree at first light.”
“Oh?” I said with a smile.
Jared glanced at his little brother. “You’re coming, too.”
“I am?” Bex said.
A wary frown touched Bex’s face as his eyes darted between Jared and me. I could tel that he was hesitant to be excited. “Why? Isn’t that, like, your breeding ground?”
Jared rol ed his eyes. “I want to see what Nina is capable of.”
“Sweet!” Bex said, clapping his hands together once. “You ready to spar, Sis?” His hands rubbed together.
A broad smile widened my face. “Oh. It’s on.”
Chapter Ten
Matches
Jared and I walked upstairs. I went through the motions of my nightly routine in a daze, trying to concede to this new reality. Knowing I had a lot to prove in the morning, it was difficult to sleep. Final y I forced my mind to slow down, and managed to close my eyes for a few hours before the sun breeched the horizon.
Once my eyes fluttered, there would be no fal ing back asleep; no sleeping in. I was wide awake, and my body screamed to get out of bed and get to the oak tree. I didn’t bother with a shower, knowing I would be sweaty and covered in dust and dirt within the hour. An oversized t-shirt of Jared’s barely stretched over my bel y, but it would suffice. I was real y showing now, and the thought crossed my mind at how ridiculous I would look, swol en and awkward, while Bex attacked me with gorgeous precision from every angle.
Jared and I met downstairs, where the others were stil cleaning. The only person not smiling and joking about the night before was Ryan.
“What?” Jared said, smug. “You don’t think Nina can take Bex?”
Ryan pointed at me, but looked at Jared. “She’s stil pregnant.”
Bex laughed once. “Don’t worry. Bean’s tougher than I am.”
Claire thought I should start with Ryan, however. Ryan held out his hands. “What the hel is this? Beat The Shit Out Of Ryan Week?”
“I didn’t think you’d mind, since you’re always insisting upon getting yourself hospitalized,” Claire said.
Ryan’s face screwed into disgust. “That was uncal ed for.”
“The truth hurts, baby.”
He smiled. “If you’re going to talk to me like that, you can insult me all day long.”
Claire pul ed her car keys from her pocket, and then pul ed on Ryan’s hand. “I meant that you’re a baby. It wasn’t a term of endearment.”
“Yeah, right.”
Jared squeezed my hand. “The oak tree it is. Are you sure you’re okay with this?”
“Does it matter?”
“Yes. I would like to see what you can do, though, don’t you?”
I thought for a moment. I had always admired the abilities of the Ryels, but having my own never occurred to me. My damsel in distress days could be over, and I liked that.
“Do I get a shot at you if I beat Claire?”
Jared shrugged. “Sure, but—”
“Then yes.”
Jared pretended to be offended. “That wasn’t very nice, honey. Not nice at all .”
I hooked my arm around his and nuzzled against him as we walked to the Escalade. “A little exploratory domestic violence doesn’t mean I love you any less.”