Chapter Forty

Same Time

Local 50's Diner

"What did you just say?" Mac asked him.

"Did say that out loud?" Harm asked, mentally slapping himself on the forehead for saying he wanted another child.

"You sure did." Mattie piped up. "You want to have more kids!"

"Well, yeah, I guess so. But let's not push it. Mackenzie is still only a baby, and we should get married first before we have anymore children."

The waitress arrived with their food and the family ate their food in companionable silence. After dropping his parents off at the airport, they headed back to the house. Jen drove Sergei in their car. They decided that since they were going to have to, for the most part, live together, that they should get to know each other.

"Jennifer, you must have the wrong house, my brother does not live here."

"Yeah, he does live here. It seems like we beat them home, do you want a two cent tour of the house?"

"Two cent?"

"Do you want me to show you around the house real quick?"

"Sure, I would like that."

Jen started off upstairs. "This is Mattie's room. She enjoys her privacy." She picked up a picture, "These are Mattie's biological parents. Her mother died in a car accident. She still has nightmares, but she won't admit it."

"I know the feeling," Sergei admitted softly.

They walked down the hall and Jen pointed out the guestroom and the master bedroom. "This is Mackenzie's room. Trish and Mac designed this nursery."

"Where is everything kept?"

"The diapers are in the closet in the pink lined wicker basket, her blankets are normally kept folded underneath the changing table, her bottles are in the kitchen, and her pacifiers are kept normally in Harm's pocket."

"This is a beautiful nursery. I had hoped that me and Galina would have children, but the rebels took that all away from me. Now all I have is Harm."

"I know the feeling Sergei. My life hasn't been the best, my mother died when I was young, my father didn't want me. I got into a lot of trouble, and your brother straightened me out. He was all I had. But now we both have Mattie and Mackenzie. His parents are great. This family is made up of people who had no family, who now have each other."

"Do we have each other?"

"We sure do."

"Thank you for making me feel welcomed here Jennifer."

"Sergei, you are very much welcomed. I will be here for you. Whenever you need to talk about Galina or your mother, I will be here to listen."

"Thank you."

"Sergei! Jennifer! We are home."

"We are upstairs." Jennifer called back. They walked down the stairs. "What took you guys so long?"

"We had to stop by the hardware store to make Sergei a key for the house and we had to stop by the feed store to pick up some food for the horses."

"You have horses brother?"

"Sure do. Do you ride?"

"Yes."

"Well, why don't you and Jennifer take the horses out? I would, but I am going to take the girls out for ice cream and then finish up some of the administrative cases I have."

"I would love to do that."

"Thank you for helping out Sergei."

"Well, we are after all brothers."

"Which reminds me, there are a couple of rooms you can have for a temporary room until you get set up. There is the guest room down stairs, there is the FROG, or you can have the pool house."

"FROG?"

"Furnished room above the garage. It isn't quite finished yet, but it is going to be an apartment since it has a separate entrance."

"Jennifer, where will you be staying?" Sergei asked.

"I'll take one of the guestrooms."

"Harm, I will set up in the guestroom downstairs so I can help with the girls while you are gone."

"Okay Sergei. We will go out tomorrow and pick out your own choice of bedding so it feels like your own room. I have to talk to Mattie about giving up her cool place to entertain her friends, but when I get back I am going to finish the FROG if you want. So you can have some independence."

"Thank you. I believe Jennifer and I will take out the horses now if that is okay with her."

"That works just fine for me Sergei."

Sergei and Jen drove down to the stables taking down the feed. Sergei had this far off look on his face. "You miss them don't you?"

"It has happened months ago. Galina was beautiful, but she was not what you would call my one and only."

"Then why were you married to her?"

"She gave me comfort when I needed it the most."

"How did you know she wasn't your one and only?"

"It may sound funny, but I always dreamt of a lovely woman, long brown hair, soft gentle brown eyes. A smile that would bring me to my knees."

"Galina was none of these?"

"She loved me, but she never smiled, she was always sad, always in mourning for her brother that died when they were young. I thought I could save her. I thought I loved her, but I grieved the loss of my mother harder."

"You are like your brother. Both of you think that you can save your women. You are destined to marry a strong woman who can help you through everything." She flashed him a smile. "Your brother is getting married to a Marine Colonel, certainly not a woman who is fragile. They lean on each other, and that is what makes them strong."

"Can I lean on you?"

"Yes you can Sergei." Jen smiled at him and engulfed him in a hug. "You are going to be fine." She held him as all the tears came flowing out. She suspected he was overwhelmed by his past and everything that happened in the past couple of months.

Meanwhile back at the house:

Harm and Mac went upstairs. "Is it true that you want more children Flyboy?"

"Yeah. I love Mattie and Mackenzie, but I feel like I have so much more love out there for more children. Think about everything we missed with Mackenzie, her birth, her first breath. I missed watching my wife growing big with a living symbol of our love." Mac reached up and silenced him.

"That had to have been the most beautiful words I have heard."

"Well, my mother raised a romantic son. So what do you think, should we allow Mattie and Mackenzie to keep running our lives, or should we work on having another baby?"

"We will definitely try to have another baby as soon as we are married. I want to be the mother of your children."

"You already are." He kissed her with his tongue sweeping inside her mouth. He deepened the kiss, and swallowed Mac's moan. "I love you." He sighed carrying her upstairs. He figured that they would make the most of the week and a half they had until they went out to the carrier and couldn't sleep in each other's arms.