Turbulent Waves, page 26
“Baby, not the time for descriptive conversation.” Viv lifted her hips and finally let her go, so she could grab her hair and push her head more firmly against her. “Right there, don’t stop. God,” Vivien said and moaned so loudly she figured her parents would have a few comments later on.
She felt Vivien let go, and she immediately started crying. It had happened a few times before, but now it was like a dam had given way. “Hey…hey,” she said, coming up and taking Vivien in her arms. “Did I hurt you?”
“I wasn’t crying because I was in pain, honey. Sorry, it’s all this crap, and the baby is starting to drive my emotions. The thought of having to raise our baby alone was making me just a tad crazy.” Vivien used the sheet to wipe her face. “The whole time you were fighting her, my heart had stopped, and even though it was obvious you were a better fighter, one mistake…” She shuddered. “I want all this to be over.”
“It will be. My mother made me promise not to kill any of them unless it was necessary, but especially Daria and Bella. She has plans for them, and if she gets her way, this won’t be a problem again.” She kissed Vivien and ran her hand up and down her back. “I’m not saying life is going to be perfect, but we’ll make it what’ll make us happy.”
“I love you, and you’re right. The only thing that might ruin my happiness in the near future is you realizing my mother got you something to wear for the ceremony. Hopefully you’ll still love me when you realize you can’t turn her down.” They laughed at that, and if that was all she had to worry about, life would be easy from here.
“If the word lace is in any way included in the description, you’d better start running.”
“Don’t worry. I have ways of making it up to you.” Vivien kissed her before moving down the bed.
Chapter Twenty
The white dress Vivien and her mother had found was a simple silky sheath, clingy enough to accentuate the curve of her stomach. It had a slight train in the back, and her mom had ordered a small ring of blue fairy flowers for her hair that held the small veil in place. She looked pregnant, and she was glad. They would’ve gotten married anyway, baby or no, but she wanted to remember the fact that she was expecting. She turned to the side in the full-length mirror in her old bedroom at her parents’ place and stared at herself.
“Vivien Palmer, you’ve never cared about what you were wearing your entire life, so don’t tell me you’re about to start now.” Her mother was sitting on the bed, watching her with a smile.
“I love the dress,” she said, running her hands down her side. “It’s okay, right? You know Kai’s family. This doesn’t look very royal. I mean, it’s not that fancy.”
“All Kai will care about is if you meet her at the altar, and her mother might be a queen, but she owns a pair of jeans with a hole in the pocket.” Cornelia stood and kissed her cheek. “You’re already married, so I thought this time around it could be more relaxed. I’ll force the formal affair on Frankie and Marsha.”
“I promise I’ll help you with that, and all I care about is what Kai thinks anyway.”
There was a knock at the door. Her mother had picked the perfect place for a wedding, and it was time to go. “Hey, Dad.” She put her arms around her father and closed her eyes as he hugged her. Ever since their talk with Kai, when he’d asked for the truth of who Kai was, something in her parents had shifted, especially in her father. He was more demonstrative with his feelings, and it healed something in her that had been broken from the day he’d told her not to tell foolish tales. It was nice to have him back.
“You look beautiful.” He held her hands and looked into her eyes. “I know you’re not my little girl any longer, but your mom and I are here for you and Frankie, no matter what. Remember that—and also not to take shit from anyone.”
“I’ll remember.”
“The thing that popped into my head this morning is you telling me, right after you delivered your last project, that you wished you ruled the seas or could meet the person who did.”
“I did say that, and you doubted me when I told you I believed that job was held by a woman. I was right.”
“You were, and it’s time to go and meet her at the end of an aisle.”
She and her mother had visited the Longue Vue Gardens often when she was a child, and tonight it was open only to their guests. The lawn at the back of the house was spectacular and perfect for a wedding. She waited with her father until Kai’s parents were seated with her mother. Marsha and Frankie were their only attendants and had agreed to her mother’s plan—dress was casual, but everyone was color-coordinated in different shades of blue like the sea that had brought them together. Her mother was only willing to relax to a point.
“Thanks for doing this. I’m sure you’d have chosen something on the beach with just the two of you and a justice of the peace, but I think every father dreams of walking his daughter down the aisle.” Her father kissed her cheek and squeezed her hand. “She’s a lucky woman.”
“Thanks, Daddy, and I think bringing Kai here was the first step in making all of us okay.” She stood on her toes and kissed him back. “You did that by dragging her away from that job in the North Sea, so in a way, we’ve all been lucky.”
She placed her hand in the bend of her father’s elbow and started their walk to the canopy of flowers, where Kai and the priest were waiting. Kai’s smile was all she could see, but she did notice the relaxed white linen shirt and loose pants Kai had on that matched the simplicity of her dress. Her mom had kept her promise to keep it simple while still capturing who she and Kai were as a couple. Kai might’ve been royalty, but she wasn’t pretentious.
The rest of the ceremony wasn’t long, and their vows were repeated much like they were at their first wedding, and then it was time to kiss, and she relished it. She’d loved both ceremonies they’d had, but this one was more about friends and family gathering because two people met, fell in love, and decided to spend the rest of their lives together. There wasn’t a lot of pomp and circumstance, but there was laughter and a fun atmosphere that Kai seemed to be enjoying as well.
“Ladies and gentleman, I present to you Kai and Vivien Merlin,” the priest said.
The party started after the applause, and the guests hit the bar while she got Kai alone for a minute. “Do you think all these people will notice if I drag you behind a tree?”
“Not yet, Mrs. Merlin. I want to dance with you, and I promised your mom we’d be good about taking pictures.” Kai kissed her again until she jumped a little when Vivien pinched her ass.
“Come on, the sooner we start, the sooner we get to sail away.”
She knew some of the guests were business partners of her father’s, but she was too happy to care when she and Kai shared the first dance before her father got a turn. An hour later, they were sweating and laughing with their friends. More than one of her old college friends appeared interested in getting to know some of the guards better as things slowed down.
“Call us and tell us you arrived,” her mother said to Kai when it finally came time for them to leave.
“Yes, ma’am,” Kai said.
“Tell me, Your Majesty,” Marsha said as she and Frankie walked with them to the waiting car.
“No, we’re no longer allowed to keep serfs,” Kai said. “You can visit anytime without having to feed me.”
“Not what I wanted to know, wise guy. I had a question about these gills.” Marsha touched behind Kai’s ear and pulled her down so she could whisper in her ear. Whatever she said made Kai blush as she answered in kind. “Even in the bathtub?” Marsha said so that everyone could hear.
“It could be a puddle, but yes.” Kai looked at Frankie’s blush and shook her head when she joined Marsha in laughing. “Have fun experimenting, just don’t forget to feed him. It’s not as intense if you’re dehydrated and starving.”
They waved one more time from the boat as they set off downriver toward the spot they’d explored together when they first met. “Think we’ll find treasure?” she asked Kai as she stood in front of her with her hands on the wheel.
“I already did. The next two weeks are more about getting you naked and doing things to you that you can’t share with Marsha.”
“I love the way you talk to me.” She watched as Kai set the autopilot and sat her down. It didn’t take long for the sky to light up with stars and for the temperature to drop enough to make it comfortable. “I’m looking forward to our time off.”
“I am too, love. Are you ready?” Kai stood and lifted the sails once they were in open water. The boat jerked forward, and it cut a wake that seemed to leave civilization behind. For the time being, it was just the two of them.
“For this, and everything that comes.” Vivien stood in front of Kai and placed her hand on her abdomen. Their lives would never be completely their own because of who Kai was, but she was looking forward to this child as well as any others that they’d be blessed with. She hoped their reign would last a thousand years and always be remembered as a time of peace and innovation that melded their worlds to make their homes better.
Her dreams now centered on Kai and what they’d found together. With the goddess’s blessing they’d have years to share, love, and build on the world they’d create together. She was ready for whatever came next.
Epilogue
Five months later
“Push, Highness,” Dr. Jac Dalton said for what seemed like the five millionth time that night. Vivien glared at the woman, and if she had the strength she’d have punched her.
She’d been miserable for the last couple of months and was convinced she was having a forty-pound baby. That morning when her water broke, she wanted to celebrate—it was finally over. Now she wasn’t so sure, since the kid acted like she was content to stay where she was.
“One more, love,” Kai said, holding her hand.
“The next person who tells me to push is getting exiled to the desert.” They’d come back to the queen’s retreat with both sets of parents along with Frankie and Marsha as her due date neared. Galen had been nice enough to offer when she realized how important it was to have the family together when the baby was born.
They needed to share this, after the public trials of Bella Riverstone and the small number of accomplices who’d helped her gather information on Kai’s family. If they’d wished for death, Galen wasn’t in a giving mood. Daria, Bella, and the rest of the troop of fools were loaded back on the remaining ship on the moon. They programmed the navigation system to return to Atlantis, while also making it impossible to change course. Once it arrived, it would self-destruct, wiping away the path to Earth with it.
Their people had worked on erasing all traces of the coordinates of Nessa’s path as well as wiping all mention of Nessa’s voyage from the Atlantean ship archives, since the ship was connected to the systems on the planet Atlantis. Even if the planet Atlantis continued to sustain life, no records would remain. The likelihood, though, was that the original civilization of Atlantis was already gone, and the ship returning to it would find nothing but a planet void of life. And then the ship would self-destruct, leaving no further enemies to deal with from among the stars.
Some of the people who’d come with Daria appeared relieved when Galen passed judgment, and surprisingly the only one who’d begged to stay and be given another chance was Bella. Galen had denied the request. Once they confirmed the ship had arrived on planet Atlantis, Galen had ordered communications stopped between the two rulers and those frequencies purged from their system. It was time to let go of the past.
“Breathe,” Kai said softly. “You’re doing great, so listen to me.”
She’d been in labor for hours and was exhausted. “What?” She kept her eyes closed and took some deep breaths.
“My mother loves this place. Did you ask her why it was so special to her?”
“No, I meant to, but it slipped my mind.”
“When she got close to giving birth, she came here and waited. She wanted to give birth in the deepest part of our ocean, so I’d know the depths of her and Mama’s love for me.” Kai kissed the side of her head and placed her hands on her abdomen. “The story I’ve been told all my life is that I was born in this room under a sky full of stars and calm seas. When I finally came out, she said she cried and made one wish.”
“What was it?”
“We’ll have to be holding our little girl before I can say the words.”
“Sneaky, honey.” She sat up a little and bore down with the little strength she had left. It took four more pushes before she heard the cry of a baby, and the sound did make her cry. She hadn’t seen her yet, but she was already in love.
“Your daughter, Highnesses,” Jac said as she handed Kai the baby.
Kai gazed at her face for a moment before laying the baby across her chest. “She’s beautiful.”
“Oh,” she said, touching the baby’s face. “She looks just like you.” The dark hair and long body didn’t come from her. “Welcome to the world, Callan.”
“Your mother and I wish you love, adventure, and calm seas,” Kai said. “Go and seek them all until you find your happiness on the compass of your life. We will love you until the end of times.”
The beautiful words made her heart swell with love for the most wonderful woman in the world. “I’m glad you and Callan will have this place in common.” The baby started crying, and Kai helped Vivien sit up so she could feed her. “Are we ready for this?”
“Like you said, love. For this and everything to come.”
About the Author
Ali Vali is the author of the long-running Cain Casey “Devil” series, the newest being The Devil Incarnate, and the Genesis Clan “Forces” series, as well as numerous standalone romances, including three Lambda Literary Award finalists: Calling the Dead, Love Match, and One More Chance.
Originally from Cuba, Ali has retained much of her family’s traditions and language and uses them frequently in her stories. Having her father read her stories and poetry before bed every night as a child infused her with a love of reading, which she carries till today. Ali currently lives outside of New Orleans, where she enjoys cheering LSU and trying new restaurants.
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