Forever(67)

Thayde took me completely by surprise and bought a few acres of beachfront land in Bora Bora. Construction commenced the week he bought it and we were looking forward to moving to our new home. Ezen and Tiesa bought a small 2,000 square foot home right next door to us and spent their entire honeymoon there. When it was finally over, they returned to Vero and took Fallyn with them.

I imagine the question on everyone’s mind would be: what was it like being half mermaid and half vampire? It wasn’t so strange. My powers were precise, crystal clear and super-human. I also didn’t need to eat which was a relief as I’d never got entirely used to eating raw fish. I was still somewhat leery of the worms, no matter how much Thayde played it down.

I continued to eat enough for the baby. She grew quickly and by the fifth month, I was waddling around our rental home wishing she’d just arrive already. Don’t get me wrong, being pregnant was wonderful, but the last month was not one I’d care to repeat. No matter how many times people tell you you’re beautiful, it’s hard to believe as you always feel like a turtle that’s been flipped onto its back – legs and flippers desperately rotating as you attempt to extract yourself from everything: a bed, a chair, the car – you name it. What a pain!

My love for Thayde continued to grow, especially since I knew I could survive without him if I had to. It freed me to love without fear. We were rarely apart and with the day of Leigh’s birth nearing, he was never more than a few steps away.

It was the night before Leigh arrived that I found him sitting alone on a large stone in the middle of the garden. The rental house balcony looked down upon its tiny plot of earth and I watched from above as he looked out across the ocean.

Tottering down the wooden steps, I placed both hands underneath my large belly holding Leigh as I walked across the warm grass.

“What are you up to?” I called. He turned, the pale moon highlighting the sharpness of his cheek.

“Come here, baby.” He held up a hand.

“Are you okay?” I asked, as he lifted my hand to his lips.

“Yes,” he pressed my hand to his face. “Just wondering what life will be like with a newborn.”

“I’m sure it’ll be another adventure for us,” I laughed and he smiled up at me. Taking my belly in his hands he lightly rested his forehead against it.

“Are you coming out of there any time soon?” He called. I giggled and wrapped my arms around his head, holding him against me.

“That would be very nice. I already feel like a beached whale.”

“Oh, baloney – you look lovely.”

Taking his face in my hands, I shook my head.

“That’s something everyone says to pregnant women.”

“You’re beautiful,”

“No I’m not,”

“You are. You make a very pretty beached whale.”

“Thanks a lot!” Thayde ducked away from my playful slap and stretched.

“I suppose we should go in.”

Before I could answer, a tiny sound like the ringing of a bell tinkled.

“Did you hear that?” He looked around my enormous belly and stood.

“I did,” I said and the bell tinkled again. “What is that?”

“Fairies,” he answered, pointing to a hibiscus tree. One flower was aglow in soft purple light.

“Fairies?”

“They are extremely shy,” Thayde whispered. “You never see them.”

The light grew as a tiny figure stepped from behind the flower’s petal. I could only see its outline because the light was so bright.

“Hold out your hand,” Thayde instructed.

Suddenly the light sparked as the fairy shot from the flower, alighting on my palm. When she landed, her light dimmed, revealing a fragile, delicate girl. With skin like porcelain, she looked nearly transparent. A pale blue dress made of the tiniest pieces of silk hung loosely on her thin shoulders. Her fragile wings flitted a few times and she jutted her sharp little chin upward as she looked me over.

“Peace to your people,” she said, her voice barely audible. “I am Catie Nicole. I bring a gift for your daughter.”

“Thank you,” I stammered.

“Hold out your hands,” she ordered Thayde and he did as he was told. With a quick flick of a hair-thin wand, a small box presented itself in his hands.

“We eagerly await her birth,” Catie Nicole announced and stepped up into the air, hovering above my hand. “She is a special child.”

“Thank you,” I repeated.

“Peace to your people,” she said and evaporated, leaving a sprinkling of purple glitter in the air.

“Wow,” I breathed.

“That’s unheard of! You never see them!” Thayde’s shock mirrored mine. We looked like codfish.