JoJo’s arm and heads back towards the library. I follow behind, feeling like a wobbly third wheel.
We end up walking through the library to another room that is connected to it. This room has bare wood floors and a wall of windows facing out towards a large body of water.
“Where exactly is this castle built?” I ask Gabe as he pulls out JoJo’s chair for her.
“This island is part of the Thousand Islands in the Saint Lawrence River,” Gabe tells me.
“I’m guessing geography was never my strong suit,” I tell Gabe as I take my own seat at the table. “Where is that exactly?”
“It’s the river system that runs between upper New York State and Canada,” Gabe says as he sits beside JoJo.
“Ahh, now that I understand. Thanks.”
I look at the small round table adorned with a white tablecloth and a small bouquet of red and white silk flowers.
There’s a momentary silence, as none of us seem to know what to talk about.
“So,” I say, breaking the tension, “when do you think the baby is due?”
“We’re not completely sure,” Gabe says, placing his arm across the top of JoJo’s chair as he turns into her. “I guess you should have some tests run as soon as you get home.”
“ Oui ,” JoJo says happily. “I will need to know when our little bundle of joy will come into the world, so I can have his wardrobe ready.”
“So you already know it will be a boy?” I ask.
“I had a vision of him,” Gabe tells me with a proud smile. “He’ll be as handsome as his old man, too.”
JoJo giggles. “ Mon dieu ! I will have to beat the girls off of him with my yard stick if he is as handsome as you.”
Gabe chuckles. “Now someone should really take a video of that and post it on YouTube.”
“Oh, you,” JoJo says, swatting playfully at Gabe.
“What did I miss?” I hear Mason say as he comes into the room behind me.
I turn in my seat as Mason walks up to my chair. He leans down to give me a small kiss. Involuntarily, I hear myself sigh; I’m slightly disappointed his kiss didn’t last a bit longer.
Mason takes his seat beside me and reaches underneath the table to take my hand. He squeezes it slightly, as if silently telling me that he missed me as much as I missed him.
“So why was JoJo hitting you, Gabe?”
“I always miss the good stuff,” I hear Malcolm say as he walks into the room, rolling a silver cart with a soup tureen and four bowls on it.
“Oh!” JoJo says, sniffing the air as the aroma of the soup fills the room. “Is that my favorite of your soups, Malcolm?”
“Of course it is,” he replies, standing beside the table and taking the lid off the tureen, “but you’d better enjoy it while you can. I have a feeling food will be in short supply soon. I’m sure potatoes and kale will be hard to come by, much less sausage and heavy cream.”
“Then I will savor every mouthful,” JoJo promises.
“You cook?” I ask Malcolm, not hiding my surprise. “I didn’t peg you as the domestic type.”
“Well, you know,” Malcolm says, scooping some of the soup into a bowl, “I figured if I ever decide to settle down, I might need to know how. The Brand on our world taught me everything he knows, so I would be prepared. I might as well practice, in case I ever meet my soulmate.”
“I didn’t peg you as a hopeless romantic type either.”
Malcolm hands the bowl of soup to JoJo.
“Not hopeless,” Malcolm replies, “just hopeful.”
As I look at Malcolm, I find myself hoping that he does meet his soulmate one day, and that they share a love that transcends anything he can imagine for himself.
CHAPTER EIGHT
I soon learn that I’m a complete glutton at the supper table. While everyone else sips their soup, I down mine like a pig at a feeding trough. However, no one seems disturbed or offended by my eating habits, which tells me it’s just the way I normally eat.
As Malcolm serves us the second course to our meal, a ground-beef casserole with rice and
We end up walking through the library to another room that is connected to it. This room has bare wood floors and a wall of windows facing out towards a large body of water.
“Where exactly is this castle built?” I ask Gabe as he pulls out JoJo’s chair for her.
“This island is part of the Thousand Islands in the Saint Lawrence River,” Gabe tells me.
“I’m guessing geography was never my strong suit,” I tell Gabe as I take my own seat at the table. “Where is that exactly?”
“It’s the river system that runs between upper New York State and Canada,” Gabe says as he sits beside JoJo.
“Ahh, now that I understand. Thanks.”
I look at the small round table adorned with a white tablecloth and a small bouquet of red and white silk flowers.
There’s a momentary silence, as none of us seem to know what to talk about.
“So,” I say, breaking the tension, “when do you think the baby is due?”
“We’re not completely sure,” Gabe says, placing his arm across the top of JoJo’s chair as he turns into her. “I guess you should have some tests run as soon as you get home.”
“ Oui ,” JoJo says happily. “I will need to know when our little bundle of joy will come into the world, so I can have his wardrobe ready.”
“So you already know it will be a boy?” I ask.
“I had a vision of him,” Gabe tells me with a proud smile. “He’ll be as handsome as his old man, too.”
JoJo giggles. “ Mon dieu ! I will have to beat the girls off of him with my yard stick if he is as handsome as you.”
Gabe chuckles. “Now someone should really take a video of that and post it on YouTube.”
“Oh, you,” JoJo says, swatting playfully at Gabe.
“What did I miss?” I hear Mason say as he comes into the room behind me.
I turn in my seat as Mason walks up to my chair. He leans down to give me a small kiss. Involuntarily, I hear myself sigh; I’m slightly disappointed his kiss didn’t last a bit longer.
Mason takes his seat beside me and reaches underneath the table to take my hand. He squeezes it slightly, as if silently telling me that he missed me as much as I missed him.
“So why was JoJo hitting you, Gabe?”
“I always miss the good stuff,” I hear Malcolm say as he walks into the room, rolling a silver cart with a soup tureen and four bowls on it.
“Oh!” JoJo says, sniffing the air as the aroma of the soup fills the room. “Is that my favorite of your soups, Malcolm?”
“Of course it is,” he replies, standing beside the table and taking the lid off the tureen, “but you’d better enjoy it while you can. I have a feeling food will be in short supply soon. I’m sure potatoes and kale will be hard to come by, much less sausage and heavy cream.”
“Then I will savor every mouthful,” JoJo promises.
“You cook?” I ask Malcolm, not hiding my surprise. “I didn’t peg you as the domestic type.”
“Well, you know,” Malcolm says, scooping some of the soup into a bowl, “I figured if I ever decide to settle down, I might need to know how. The Brand on our world taught me everything he knows, so I would be prepared. I might as well practice, in case I ever meet my soulmate.”
“I didn’t peg you as a hopeless romantic type either.”
Malcolm hands the bowl of soup to JoJo.
“Not hopeless,” Malcolm replies, “just hopeful.”
As I look at Malcolm, I find myself hoping that he does meet his soulmate one day, and that they share a love that transcends anything he can imagine for himself.
CHAPTER EIGHT
I soon learn that I’m a complete glutton at the supper table. While everyone else sips their soup, I down mine like a pig at a feeding trough. However, no one seems disturbed or offended by my eating habits, which tells me it’s just the way I normally eat.
As Malcolm serves us the second course to our meal, a ground-beef casserole with rice and
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