know that even I can still be surprised?” Dana began walking down the path to the front door, placing Bert on a plant as she passed and thanking him for listening. Before she could even climb the stairs, the rarely used front door opened.
“Mum! You’re back,” Max cried from the doorway. A yipping bark followed a second behind.
Dana watched as Max took the stairs carefully, staring in wonder at how much Max’s stomach had grown. “Wow,” Dana said, reaching out and touching the belly when Max was close. “You have certainly popped.”
Max rolled her eyes. “Why does everyone keep saying that? I’m pregnant. My tummy is supposed to get bigger.”
At twenty-six weeks along now, Max had a point, Dana thought. But the difference in the bump – as well as the strength of the kicks beneath her palm – had her feeling regret at having missed the moment when the ‘pop’ had happened. “I am sorry I was gone so long. I had things to take care of.”
“Mum, you don’t need to explain yourself to me. I know you’re busy. I’m just grateful I get to see you at all,” Max said, causing Dana to blink rapidly. “Now, come on. We still have time before dinner for you to tell me all about that kiss.”
Dana paused in mid-pat of Zombie who had jumped up against her hip. He was likely almost fully grown now even though his demeanour was still very much that of a puppy. “What kiss?”
Max rolled her eyes, dragging Dana along by the arm and into the house. “I know all.”
Dana allowed her daughter to lead her through to the kitchen and dining area, which was teeming with boisterous life. Rosa and Penelope were at the stove along with Jasminka, Beyden, and Axel. There appeared to be some kind of cooking lesson going on. “You have a son now, Axel. You need to learn to cook more than two-minute noodles,” Rosa was saying. Dana could not help but laugh at Axel’s wide-eyed look as he scanned the amount of pots and pans on the stovetop.
Turning to Max, Dana finally replied, “You do not know all. I know all.” At least, she had certainly thought so before her trip back to Otherworld. Now, she may be just as clueless as the rest of the population – which was a scary thought. “And I know for a fact you cannot read me. So how do you know about the kiss?” Max had never been able to see Dana’s soul any more than she could see her own.
“Kiss?” Cali’s head shot up like a bloodhound tracking a scent from where she was feeding Maxwell a bottle in the comfy chair in the corner.
“What kiss?” Celeste asked, walking closer.
Max grinned, “The kiss she and dad just had at the Lodge. Apparently, it was x-rated – triple x-rated – and the ground almost caught on fire where they were standing.”
“What?” Dana sputtered. “That is not true. How?”
“Aiden called me. We have a deal about this kind of stuff,” Max admitted. “Come on, ‘fess up before dad arrives here for dinner. He’s not technically living here anymore, you know.”
“What do you mean not living here?” Dana asked, startled.
“The new headquarters is practically complete,” Max informed her. “Those chadens don’t mess around. It has walls, a roof, and floors. Running water, heat, air con – all working. It has no furnishings and the rooms haven’t all been decided yet, but dad is having his suite fitted out as we speak. He has decided to stay in the area permanently and will live at the HQ at Eden with his Order.”
“Wow. That is …” Dana trailed off.
“Good?” Max offered, frowning in confusion from Dana’s hesitance. “It’s good, right?”
“Yes, of course it is. I am so glad he will be staying on. I guess it just makes me –” Jealous, Dana thought. She was jealous of the ease in which Mordecai could make this place his home. Make Max and her family his home. Which was extremely unkind and very unbecoming of a benevolent goddess, she knew. But she could not help her feelings any more than any other person in the room.
“Envious,” Jasminka filled in the blank. “You’re envious. I get it. I was jealous as hell when I first came here. And more than a little resentful when I thought I had to leave. But you know what solved that?”
“What?” Dana asked, giving the human doctor her full attention.