I nodded, not liking the sound of that very much. But things did go wrong sometimes, and better to know someone was standing by, ready to dive in, so to speak, in case the unthinkable happened.
After that everyone went out, leaving me alone in the exam room so I could get dressed. As I did so, I tried to keep myself from panicking. Twins. Two babies. Two tiny little people growing inside me. I had no idea how that happened. Twins did not run in the McAllister family. Yes, my cousin Brady and his wife just had twins, but she was the daughter of a twin, and it sounded like they did pop up about every other generation in her family.
I slung my purse over my shoulder and went out to see the receptionist. My next appointment was set for June 12th, and Connor and I walked out of the office into the bright sunshine, both of us a little unsteady on our feet.
It wasn’t until we were on Route 66 and headed toward his apartment that he spoke. “Before you ask, no, twins don’t run in the Wilcox family. I mean, I’m the anomaly because I was born at all, since all the other heirs in Jeremiah’s line were only children. But we really don’t have any twins in the extended family, either.”
“Same with the McAllisters,” I said. Twisting in my seat so I could see him better, I added, “So what do you think it means?”
“I have no idea,” he confessed. “This is where I really wish Marie would get back to me.”
We’d come up to Flagstaff the night before, and Connor had tried calling her, saying he wanted to talk. She hadn’t responded, which, according to him, was strange. Usually she got back to him within the hour when he called.
“Maybe she went away for the long weekend?” I suggested, and he’d only shaken his head and said that he’d never heard of Marie going away on vacation. Ever.
“Why did you want to ask her about this particularly?” I asked now. “Hoping for a vision?”
I’d been teasing him, just a little, but he didn’t smile. “Marie sort of acts as the unofficial family historian — keeps all the genealogical files, that kind of thing. So she’d know if there were some Wilcox twins out there that I hadn’t heard of.”
“Hmm,” I said, considering. It did seem kind of strange that Marie was out of contact, but I wasn’t going to let myself worry about it too much. “I’m sure she’ll call you back soon. It hasn’t even been a full day yet.”
He tilted his head slightly but didn’t say anything.
“Are you…okay with this? I mean, one baby is a big enough deal, but two….”
The distant look disappeared from his eyes immediately, and he reached over and laid a hand on my thigh, gave it a reassuring squeeze. “Of course I’m okay with it. Although it does figure that Angela McAllister the overachiever would be the first McAllister prima to ever have twins.”
“Bite me,” I replied blithely, and then we both started to laugh. The tension that had filled the interior of the car seemed to evaporate at the sound of our laughter, and I knew then that we were going to be okay.
* * *
Because of my appointment with the ob-gyn — and because it was supposed to be almost ninety in Jerome, compared to the upper seventies in Flagstaff — we’d already decided to stay at Connor’s place for the long weekend. Besides, I figured it would give me a chance to do some shopping in town and start putting together a wardrobe to accommodate my waistline, which I guessed was going to start expanding any day now.
Between shopping and going out to eat so I could keep the twins properly supplied with nutrients, I didn’t stop to think much about Marie’s disappearance, even though I knew Connor kept trying to get in touch with her. Several times I’d been tempted to call Sydney and tell her about the twins, but Connor and I had made a sort of unspoken agreement not to tell anyone quite yet. At any rate, she wasn’t all that available, as she’d gone to the Colorado River with Anthony and a bunch of his friends. Cell reception there was horrible, although she did manage to squeeze out a text or two, mostly to say they were having fun and wished Connor and I could have come along. Maybe next yr was her final comment. I didn’t bother to respond to that. If I were still around a year from now, I’d have my hands full with not one but two newborns, and playing in the Colorado River would be pretty far down my priority list.
Finally, on Sunday afternoon, Connor turned to me and said, “I’m going to call Lucas. Maybe he knows what’s going on with Marie.”
“Sure,” I told him. Although part of me wanted to ask what was really fueling his obsession over talking to Marie, on some level I thought I understood. Connor had spent his whole life thinking Damon would be running things, and that he’d be able to go on quietly living his life without a lot of interference. But with Damon gone, Connor found himself the head of the clan, in a position of authority he’d never anticipated. It was probably natural of him to go to Marie for guidance, since she’d apparently offered counsel to Damon during most of his tenure as primus.