Even In Darkness (Between) Read Online Free PDF Page B

loud as his prediction became clear. “Like us, you mean?”
    “Aye. Like us.”

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 5
     
     
    The mood back at the MacKinnons’ house was festive and joyful, in stark contrast to the worry buzzing around my skull. Relatives were arriving in a steady stream, bring ing with them shouts of greetings, hugs, and gifts by the crate-load. I remembered seeing some of them at the wedding, but as Ian introduced me and we shook hands, I knew there was no way I would remember all of their names. One little girl seemed fascinated with me. She looked to be about three years old, with pig tails, a round face and huge brown eyes.
    “I’m Celia,” she announced, blinking up at me through thick lashes.
    I squatted down to her level. “Hi, Celia. I’m Lindsey.” Being a single child and not having spent much time around kids, I wasn’t sure what the correct protocol was from here. Do we shake hands? Hug? Just smile at each other? I waited for her cue.
    Celia pointed to Aiden, who was standing beside me, a sweet smile touching his lips. “Did you really marry him?”
    Laughing, I assured her that I had.
    “Why?” she pushed.
    Her question caught me off guard. Were kids always this forward? She was too funny. Of course, the answer was simple. “Because I love him.”
    She nodded thoughtfully, then brightened. “Would you sit next to me at dinner?”
    Apparently, we were BFFs now. The grin on my face was starting to ache. “I’d love to .”
    “She’s not bothering you, I hope.” A woman I could only assume was Celia’s mom came over and put an arm on her shoulder.
    I stood up from my crouched position. “No, no. She’s adorable.” The woman introduced herself as Helen and we shook hands.
    “We’re gonna sit together at dinner,” Celia announced proudly.
    “Oh, you are, are you?” her mom replied. “Well, we’d better get you washed up and ready then.” With an apologetic smile to me, Helen took the little girl’s hand and turned away. Celia waved to me frantically as if somehow I’d forget our date.
    I waved back.
    Aiden’s hand slid down my other arm until his fingers intertwined with mine. The worry and stress that had been weighing me down lifted just enough that I could release the tension in my shoulders. I still had no idea what we were going to do—if there was anything we could do—but at least Celia had taken my mind off our discovery for a minute.
     
    When it came time for dinner later that evening, I tracked down Joanne MacKinnon to let her know of my promise to sit next to Celia. I was afraid that there with this many people, we’d have assigned seating and I didn’t want to break the little girl’s heart.
    “Celia is Mark’s niece. Isn’t she a sweetheart?” Joanne said with a glowing expression. As I nodded, she said, “Here’s what we’ll do. You and Aiden can sit next to me and Mark, then I’ll put Celia and the rest of her family down that side.” When I thanked her, she looked me over with motherly concern. “Are you feeling better now?”
    I had to rack my brain for a moment to figure out what she meant. She couldn’t know about the fight I’d had with Aiden or the hell transporter, could she? Am I that easy to read?
    “You said you weren’t feeling well at breakfast,” she supplied.
    Relief coursed through me. “Right. Yes, I’m feeling better, thanks. Must have been something I ate last night.” When her face creased in a frown, I quickly added, “At the bar. Bar food. Not your food. Your food’s great.” Okay, I felt like the world’s biggest dork.
    She touched me on the arm. “Well, I’m glad to hear you’re better now, no matter the cause.” With a gentle squeeze of her fingers, she left to take care of the dinner preparations.
     
    Christmas back home had always been a pretty small event, since I didn’t have any siblings or a large extended family. We usually went to my grandparents’ house and they all sat around