Chapter 88
"Vincent, how do you think the old man will react if I just show up?" Devin asked as the three of them walked along.
"I am sure that he will be overjoyed to have you home again Devin," Vincent answered.
"Now hold on there! I haven't said anything about coming home! I have an apartment in the city and am perfectly happy there. Maybe I should just go back up now…dropping in like this might be a bad idea."
"But Devin if you don't intend to show your face Below how will you be the best man at my wedding?"
Devin stopped in his tracks. "Best man? Wedding? When? Who? Wait a minute… CATHY? And she's pregnant! Wow, things do change in twenty years! Congrats baby brother! I bet the old man flipped when he found out you had knocked up…ummm got Cathy pregnant…and before the wedding too! For shame Vincent!" he ended on a laugh slapping his baby brother on the back.
Vincent just stood there staring at his brother in shock. Devin had always been an irrepressible boy, but the man he had become seemed to have learned nothing of her someone should behave in polite society. While he was trying to process just how to answer Devin's shocking comments, the situation was taken out of his hands by Catherine.
"I am afraid you can blame it all on my seductive ways," she said. "However Vincent was strong enough to resist me at least until we were engaged."
"Just how long have you been engaged?" Devin questioned.
"Long enough," Catherine replied patting her still flat tummy.
"Well little brother all I can say is you sure know how to pick 'em! Living in a hole in the ground and you still manage to snag the prettiest girl in the city!"
"Catherine is a beautiful woman, not just a pretty girl, Devin," Vincent corrected.
"So I see why you chose him over me Radcliff. He has all those manners and things the old man must have drilled into him."
"First, I didn't choose Vincent over you Je…Devin, because I've been engaged to him longer than I have known you. Second, I would have chosen him any way because he is kind, gentle, and doesn't use a false name! Third, I am going to make sure that Jenny hears about that 'prettiest girl' comment!"
"Why would Jenny need to know that Catherine?" Vincent asked.
"Because your dear old brother there started dating her as soon as I found out I was pregnant."
"I do not under…wait, you said a man at your office had been asking you out…" Vincent looked at Devin inquiringly.
"Guilty as charged Vincent. But, come on, can you blame me? She is one hot cookie!"
"Devin!" both Vincent and Catherine exclaimed at once, but there was a definite difference in their tones of voices. Catherine's was upset and slightly hurt at being reduced to a mere object, while Vincent's bordered on the edge of anger.
"Hey! I just call them like I see them!" Devin protested holding his hands up as if in self defense. "Anyway, I am happy for the two of you and can't wait to be your best man! Do you know yet if I am going to be Uncle Devin to a boy or a girl?"
"It's way too early to be able to tell that and we haven't decided if we want to know yet anyway," Catherine told him.
"Okay, that's fair. Why don't we get on our way now? I could sure use a soak in one of the hot bathing chambers, or if that isn't' an option head home to my own tub," Devin started rubbing his stomach that had take more that a few blows.
"I am sure you can bathe Below, Devin, but you should have Father look you over first."
"Oh hey, I don't want to bother him with this! Let's not mention it to him, huh Vincent?"
"Je…Devin, you're hurt and this is partially my fault!" Catherine exclaimed. "Father won't think less of you for getting hurt trying to help me!"
"You don't know him like I do, Cathy…" Devin started to protest.
Catherine interrupted him, "I do, Devin. I know him now, you only know him from years ago. People change in twenty years, as you said yourself, Vincent did."
"Yeah but he was only a kid then, and the old man was old even then! He hated me then and I don't see that that would have changed in the time I was gone."
To be continued….