Defiance (Significance #3)(36)

In fact, I wasn't up for the puppy love I knew was in their brains, so I just shut everyone out but Caleb.
Good idea. Are you ok?
Yeah, I'm just shocked. I would have thought someone younger would have imprinted. And I'm afraid that someone might be angry. Like Dad stole their chance to imprint with whoever that is over there.
No, they won’t think that. If anything this will force them to see that the imprints will come back if they'll just pay attention to the change that has to come. That's all they want is the imprints. This will change everything, Maggie.
He was sincere and even in awe. I hoped he was right.
"Maggie," Dad called and I looked up to see him watching me. He smiled a little and came my way. The woman came with him, of course. "Maggie, I, uh…"
"I heard," I said. It seemed it was all I could say.
"Hi, Fiona," Caleb supplied and shook her hand politely.
"Caleb, hello," she said and laughed this embarrassed little breathy laugh. "I'd never thought I'd feel this strange. I thought I'd be ecstatic…and I am," she said hurriedly and smiled at Dad, "but this is also very embarrassing. I feel like I've just realized that I forgot my shirt or something."
Dad's eyes drifted to her chest on instinct of talking about shirts and he flushed before looking away quickly.
"This happened right here in front of everyone?" Caleb asked her and it sounded as though he almost didn't believe it.
"I know," she said and laid her hand on my dad's arm. They both sighed a little and I could have fallen over from the sweetness of them. "It's strange. I mean, I'm 34, I never thought I'd imprint. I'd given up on that and we were dancing and he was showing me this twirl thing and…it just happened." They looked at each other. "It just happened."
  
Dad smirked. My eyes bulged. What? My dad does not smirk. "It's alright. Maggie told me all about what happened with Caleb when they imprinted. I understand. It's a little strange to be put on display like this, but it's ok." Then he turned his attention back to me and seemed to remember that I was there. "Oh, I'm sorry. Maggie, this is Fiona. Fiona…this is my daughter, Maggie."
"Yes," she said, "the Visionary, I know. So nice to actually meet you," she stumbled over her words and fidgeted her fingers nervously. "I wish I'd met you before these circumstances. And I'll just be upfront and honest, I have no idea what to do with you. Should I bow? Should I kiss your fingers? Or should I continue to stand here awkwardly and hope that you don't smite me for imprinting on your father."
Caleb and Dad were silent. I pressed my lips together. It didn't help. I burst out laughing and tried to cover it with my hand, but no use. Dad was the next to follow. Fiona was last, as if she didn't know if we were laughing at her or with her. So I threw her a bone and hugged her. She was going to be my freaking step mother!
"Fiona, I'm not going to smite you," I joked as I leaned back and hugged Dad to me. "Dad, I'm…so happy for you," I whispered to him.
"Me, too," he answered. "I thought I was going to have to live in the shadow of your mom the rest of my life."
"Dad," I groaned. "That's the saddest thing I've ever heard."
"It was," he said and chuckled. "I'm ok, though. Don't worry about your old man."
"I still can't believe this happened. Do you realize that you're the only 42 year old who has ever imprinted?"
"Hey!" he said and laughed. "You could have kept that number between us," he joked.
"Oh, it's fine," Fiona said sweetly. "Older is better with wine and men."
I was still reeling. I decided to let the noise of the room in so I could feel out the mood. I wanted to see if people really were upset about it or willing to maybe be more open to change as long as they got what they wanted in return; the imprints.
The mood of the room slammed into me and I held back my smile. Yes, there was jealousy, yes there was longing, yes there was even a little anger, but the general thought was people wondering what the Jacobsons, and now my family, were doing right. And they were walking the line of throwing everything out the window that they'd always known if the imprints would come back.
And Dad's thoughts were finally in understanding. He finally got my crazy need for Caleb, that it wasn't just hormones and teenagers. Fiona was humbled and literally jumping in her skin. All she wanted to do was get my dad out of there and be alone, to feel for real what it was like to have a significant without a couple hundred people staring at you.
"Hey, we're gonna go to bed," I told them since my dad seemed to be waiting for me before he'd do anything else. "I'm so tired. We had so much stuff go on today, and I'm sure you're both ready to be away from all these people." They both nodded and slyly glanced at each other. "But, uh…Bish and Jen are in my room."
Dad blinked. "Bish and Jen are in your room…what?"
"Sleeping," I answered wryly. He released his breath. "They fell asleep on the couch and we left them there, so..."
"Ok, well." He didn't know where to go or what to say without being presumptuous."My room is on the second floor," she offered and smiled. "We can just get over the awkwardness now, I guess. If we don't sleep together, we'll regret it in the morning."
"Yes, I know." He clucked his tongue. "Ok, let's go. Goodnight, Maggie. I'll…see you in the morning."
"Night, Dad," I said in amusement.
"Wow," Caleb leaned down and said.
"Yeah, wow," I said through my yawn.
"Come on, I have the perfect spot." He went into the kitchen quickly and then to Rachel and told her that Jen had fallen asleep in my room. He asked could she keep Maria with her tonight. She was, of course, delighted. We left the Bish part out since no one knew about them and no one knew about the vision I had of them, either.
"Are we sleeping in your room?" I asked as he towed me down the hall.
"I assume my room is charmed as well," he answered and pushed my back to the wall by my room. "Stay."
I complied with another yawn as he went inside and came back out with a pillow and blanket.
"Are we camping?" I joked.
"Yep," he said and grinned as he led us.
Once we reached the stairwell, I knew exactly where he was taking me. I smiled as we climbed the stairs. Once we got to the balcony, where two unpleasant instances had occurred today, I noticed that Caleb went a little faster.
He held my hand and helped me over the ridges of the rooftop. We reached the greenhouse and he set to work on getting it all straightened out. He opened the skylight and then laid the blanket and pillow out before beckoning me to him. I lay down with him, reveling in his warmth.
"We could have just slept in your room," I said as he pulled the edge of the blanket over us.
"I'm not spending another night somewhere where you'll be hurting by morning." He kissed my forehead. "It goes against everything in my body to do so."
I nodded and agreed. "You don't think Fiona's room is charmed?"
"Nah," he said and pulled something that crinkled out of the pillowcase. "I don't think they'd have made him charm all the rooms, just the ones where they thought they'd have a problem."
"A problem," I scoffed and snuggled closer as I smiled at what he was holding. Oreos. He twisted a cookie and held it out for me to lick it. I laughed as I did and then let him put that half it in my mouth, his fingers touching my lips. I chewed and then he held another one out for me. I licked it and then he finished it, his chews noisy and cute as it crunched. 
"So, was that all you did when you snuck out? Get my dad?" I asked.
His mind closed and he popped the blanket where my butt was with his hand. "Stop trying to figure out if I've bought you a house yet."
I smiled up at him. "I wasn't," I said innocently. "Just curious. You were gone a long time."
"It's really hard to make plans and do research for houses when there's no phones, no internet, and no cell service," he said. "But don't worry. I've got a plan that will work out."
"Not even a hint?"
"Not even a hint," he said amused.
"And what about the wedding?" Caleb's heart jumped under my head and I bit my lip. "You're the Champion now, so who's gonna perform the ceremony?"
"Oh…" He'd almost forgotten already that he was the Champion now. "Dad still will, I guess. Not sure what protocol is for that time of situation, but I'll fight to have Dad do it. He wants to, I know it."
"Yeah. So your dad knew when he told my father about your kind that he could possibly be removed from being the Champion and he still did it?"
"Of course." He rolled a little to put me under him. "You're not just marrying me. You're marrying my family. My dad has loved you since he set eyes on you." He laughed and leaned further down. "He would do anything you ask him to, you're just too modest to even think about asking him."
"Hmm," I grumbled. "Well, I want your dad to marry us, too, so I'll just tell everyone to screw off if they have a problem with it."
Caleb laughed, his chest shaking against mine. "You’re so funny. But you're right. If you can't use the Visionary card on something like that, then what can you?"