Jesse is twenty-seven, and Suze is still twenty-two. Teresa is two years and eight months. Esmeralda and Estela are now one year old.
Smiling, I set the small cake in front of the twins. Jesse had Teresa on his shoulders, and the rest of our family was in a circle around the two birthday girls.
Esmeralda and Estela looked at each other, and then started smashing their little fists into the cake. I grimaced. "Great. This is going to be a disaster to clean up," I muttered. They were flinging it everywhere.
Jesse smiled at me. "Let them make a mess, Susannah. It's their first birthday. If you'd like, I'll clean it up once they're done."
"I'd like that a lot, thank you," I told him. I shook my head, watching my twins throw food at each other. And their uncles and grandparents. David, Brad, Andy, and Mom were pouring attention over the two girls, hardly even noticing the cake getting on them. Babies really do turn people into saps. It's amazing. Gina and Jake stood back, huge smiles on their faces.
I frowned. "Okay. What in the world are you two so happy about?"
Their smiles widened. Seriously, it was scary. "Oh, nothing, really," Gina said evasively.
I narrowed my eyes. This was starting to sound like the tone that Gina used when she was bored. Almost, but not quite. It was a little different, but I couldn't quite figure out how. I didn't think I'd ever heard her use that exact tone before. "Hey, Gina? How many years have we been best friends? What is going on? I do expect you to tell me."
She looked up at her husband. "Should we tell them?"
He nodded. "Sure, G."
She cleared her throat, getting everybody's – except the twins' – attention. I had a feeling that I knew what was coming. She just had that look about her. And she had said that they were going to try, practically as soon as the honeymoon was over. "We have some news. Jake and I are going to have a baby! I'm about a month and a half along."
Mom shrieked, pulling Gina into a tight hug.
I grinned. "I knew it. Jeez, why is everybody getting pregnant lately? First CeeCee, and now you."
Gina smirked at me. "You're next."
I shook my head vehemently. "Nope. No way. That is not happening again for a while, I promise, if it happens at all. We're happy with the three girls that we have now. We do not need to add any more kids."
Jesse ducked his head to hide a grin. I elbowed him lightly. When nobody was looking, of course.
The doorbell rang. Jesse and I both moved toward it. Teresa clapped her hands together. "Daddy, wun."
"Ahora no, carina."
She folded her arms and pouted. Ignoring her, I opened the door. "Well, that's a Suze face if I've ever seen one," Paul Slater said, looking at my daughter.
I grinned and leaned against the doorframe. "She does like to copy me a lot. I'm telling you, you never realize how much you swear until you have a child that loves to parrot what you say. What are you doing here, Paul? I thought you were back in Seattle. And who's the lady friend?"
The woman standing next to him was holding his hand, so she was obviously a girlfriend. She looked about nineteen or twenty, with pale skin and dark blonde hair. Her eyes were a really cool, blue-grey color.
"Oh. Suze, this is Anselma Osterhagen. Selma, this is Susannah de Silva and her husband, Jesse de Silva. And that must be little Teresa, their oldest daughter, though it's my first chance to actually meet her."
"Girlfriend, huh? How long have you two been dating? Where did you meet?"
"Susannah," Jesse said softly, "perhaps we should invite them in. They would be more comfortable in the living room, and maybe they would like a slice of cake."
"Cake?" Paul repeated, pulling Anselma inside. "Oh, right. Today is the twins' birthday, isn't it?" Jesse and I nodded. "We'll pass on the cake, but thanks. We just stopped by to chat."
"Have a seat, then."
The four of us sat down. Jesse took Resa from his shoulders and held her in his arms. She cuddled into his side. "Who dat, Daddy?" she asked, looking curiously at our guests.
"That's Paul. He's a friend of Mommy and Daddy's."
She gave Paul a toothy grin and waved. "Hi, Paw. I Tewesa. Who hew?"
He smiled, and he actually looked genuinely happy and entertained. Eight years ago, I would never have believed that Paul Slater would actually enjoy listening to a little girl who was only two and a half. "This is my girlfriend, Anselma. Teresa is a beautiful name. And how old are you?"
She held up three fingers and proudly said, "Dis many!"
Laughing, Jesse put one of her fingers down. "Not just yet, Teresa. In six months."
"And the twins are Esmeralda and Estela, right?"
I nodded. "I tend to call them Esme and Stela, though. And Teresa gets called Resa a lot. So, tell me more about Anselma. Where and when did you two meet? And are you still going to school in Seattle?"
"I'm actually moving back here. I've transferred schools. My grandpa changed his will, shortly before he died, and left his house to me. We got a lot closer in his last few months, thanks to you."
"And please, just call me Selma," his girlfriend added, in a thick accent.
"German?" I guessed.
She nodded, a small smile pulling at her lips. "Yes. I was born in America, but my parents had both grown up in Germany, and we visited my grandparents every summer. I spent the last year there, living with my mom's parents, while studying abroad for college."
"And I was dealing with a ghost who had some things that needed to be taken care of in Germany. I met Selma there. She helped me."
"I'm also a shifter. I've read all of Dr. Slaski's published works. I can't believe that he was Paul's grandfather."
"Anyway, we started dating, and…Well, I kind of…fell in love with her."
I was stunned. "You met another shifter? I thought we were the only three after Dr. Slaski passed away. And Paul Slater fell in love with someone? Real love?"
Paul rolled his eyes. "Don't act so surprised, Suze. Yeah, I fell in love with her. And guess what else?" he asked, his voice tinged with sarcasm. Jeez. Did he have to be rude about it? Oh, wait. He was Paul. "She fell in love with me, too. And of course we weren't the only shifters."
"Oh, shut up. How did you get her to fall for you? You didn't tie her up in a barn, did you? Because that so didn't work last time."
He rolled his eyes. "Ha, ha. That's a good one, Suze. No, I didn't. I've changed."
"I noticed. I heard from Jack that you're not going to be a criminal attorney, like you were originally planning. You've decided to become a prosecutor?"
He shrugged and, unless I was totally mistaken, look a bit embarrassed. "Yeah, so? I've had a change of heart."
Jesse and I grinned. "Ah, so the evil Paul Slater has discovered that he actually enjoys helping people," I said.
He sighed. "Yes. Now, do you I get to meet these twins or not?"
"Sure. Come on."
Esmeralda & Estela: No!
Suze: Please, just let me give you two a bath. You have a party in an hour. Everybody's coming over. Don't you want to look beautiful for them?
Esmeralda & Estela: No!
Suze: I swear, is that the only word you two know?
Esmeralda & Estela: No!
Suze: Girls, you have to have a bath, whether you like it or not. Now get over here.
Esmeralda & Estela: (getting up and running to the other side of the bathroom, giggling) No.
Jesse: (entering the room) Esmeralda Reyna and Estela Serena. Why are you not doing as your mother told you?
Esmeralda & Estela: (looking down) Sowwy.
Suze: Why do they always listen to you? It's just not fair.
