author note...sorry about being so slow in the updates. Holidays start early around here as my birthday's a week before Thanksgiving! Will try to get more chapters in sooner...
9 The Whole Family
First came a tall, slender man with very strong shoulders, bearing an array of bags that smelled like the best Chinese food I could ever imagine. Following him was a small woman with a halo of amber-brown curls, and a teenaged guy with blue-black hair and the palest skin I'd ever seen on a person. "Time to eat, everyone! In the kitchen, pronto!" sang out the man.
"Hi!" the teen guy said, peeking in and seeing Xavier and me with his mother. His eyes grew wide as he took in the resemblance between her and me and he stopped cold. "Guys! She's here! Right now! And you won't believe…"
"We'll believe in the kitchen," the man said.
I looked at Naomi-mom, and she laughed, throwing up her hands. "That's Anton for you. Come rain or shine, we must obey the rules of civilized society. Come on, dear. You can meet the rest of the family in the kitchen."
"Amazed it's not the dining room," the teen guy said.
"Alex," Naomi chided playfully, coming to give him a hug. "You know Chinese take-out is an excuse to relax a little." In a whisper, "Don't give Anton ideas."
"I know what you said to him!" Anton called out.
"I know!" Naomi called back, giggling.
We entered the kitchen, which was in sparkling aquas, blues and greens, and found Anton laying out place settings as Freddi and an older woman were putting the food into nicer serving bowls. Rebecca had come back down, hair tied back in a ponytail, and was turning the napkins into cloth swans.
Anton looked up when I stepped in, and studied us silently, looking from Naomi to me and back. "Amazing," he finally murmured.
"Welcome to the family, kiddo!" Freddi said. "This is my mama, Rachel."
"Good to have Freddi, Naomi and Anton's babies all home," the older woman said.
Wait. What? I looked at Naomi.
"Well, yeah…Anton is Rebecca and Alex's birthfather," she said.
"And mine?" I found coming out of my mouth.
"Remember, honey? I said I lost him, my husband. I met Anton after that, and he helped me heal from my double loss…as best as I could with you out there where I couldn't begin to find you…"
Now I was confused. Echoes of "She really could have found you if you tried," were chased by, "How exactly are these three involved? Is he a sperm donor or a third lover? If so, how does that work?" followed by, "This doesn't make sense!"
"Right, silly me," is what I let come out of my mouth. "Long trip. I must be hungry. Can I help?"
I buried myself in work so I wouldn't have to think about things.