Chapter Fourteen

“You’re her mate?”  Abby asked as she uncrossed her legs and stood from the couch.


“I am,”  Annie said, looking down away from her sister as Abby came closer to her.


“I’m so glad you have someone who will love you the way that you need to be loved.”  Abby said.


Annie let out a breath as she looked back up at Abby.  


“You mean you’re not mad at me?”  Annie asked as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.  Looking over at her sister, she watched as Abby pushed her glasses up.


“The past is the past Annie.”  She said grabbing her twin’s hand.  “Beau and I were never going to work out, what happened between you two was just the push I needed to leave.”


Annie’s heart twisted at her sister’s words. She hadn’t meant to hurt her.  She’d truly believed that she had loved Beau.  


The feelings that Annie had for Candy showed her it was a pale imitation of love.  How she felt for her mate was earth shattering, compared to the pale flame of the feelings that she’d had for Beau.  


Abby pulled her towards the door.


“Where are y’all going?”  Eli drawled out as he, Candy, and Dev watched the two women head to the door.  


“I’m pissing Dev off by being here.”  Abby said looking over her shoulder at Eli.  “Annie and I are going to go catch up while you guys practice.”  


Annie looked towards Candy as her twin pulled her away.  She gave her a small, tight-lipped smile and Candy nodded her head, watching the two women leave.


“So are we actually going to practice now?”  Dev asked as he picked up his bass guitar.


“I guess so.”  Eli said as he moved to the mic stand. “Now that you’ve scared them off.”


Candy looked back and forth between the two men before moving to her drum kit.  She was glad that finding her mate hadn’t changed the easy rhythm they had developed.  


“I guess I’m the only one not getting spanked tonight.”  Dev said with a pout.


Turning both Eli and Candy glared at the green-haired man.  


“What, tell me I’m not wrong?”  


***


Annie followed behind Abby as she pulled her down the hall and into the brightly lit kitchen.  Pack members dipped their head to Abby before doing a double take to look at Annie.


Hiding her face behind her hair, she let her twin lead her to an empty table.  


“You rest, I’ll get us something to eat.”  Abby said as she stepped away.  


Sitting down at the table, Annie watched her sister move towards the fridge. She pulled out some leftovers and Annie felt her stomach grumble at the thought of food.  


She knew that she had to eat; it wasn’t just about her anymore.  It was about her babies; she had to take care of herself for them and for Candy.


“So how did you find out about Candy being your mate?”  Annie asked as she walked back carrying two bowls filled with a thick soup and a roll placed to the side.  


“When Sam brought me back here, she wouldn’t let him in.  I think he knew before I did.”  Annie said as she watched her sister sit the bowls down and then move back to the fridge and grab two water bottles.  


“He does tend to notice things that he shouldn’t.”  


“Especially when it comes to you.”  Annie said as she looked down at the bowl.  Her stomach growling louder.  She breathed in the steam and felt her mouth water at the appetizing scent of the fragrant broth.  


“Annie, I’m sorry.”  Abby said as she sat down.


“What?”


“I’m sorry, I know that he was your way out.  I didn’t realize that he-”


“Abby don’t.  It’s like you said, the past.”  Annie said as she picked up her spoon. 

“We both got away from there.” Abby said, taking another spoonful of soup to her lips.


“I know, but mom and dad-”


“Didn’t come looking for me and were ready to marry me off to someone I didn’t love.”  Abby scowled as she tore into her roll.  


“They didn’t, I mean.  I didn’t…”  Annie paused as she thought about her words.  How was she supposed to tell her sister that they hadn’t remembered her, that her twin had slipped from everyone’s mind but Annie’s?  “Abby, something happened when you left.”


“What do you mean?”  Abby asked as she swallowed down her mouthful of food and twisted open the bottle of water.


“No one could remember you.”  


“What?”  Abby coughed out, choking on her water.


“When you left, it was like you’d never been there and no one remembered you.”  Annie said as she moved her spoon around the bowl.


“Sam had mentioned that he was shielding me.”  Abby said as she got her breathing back under control.


“I thought I was going crazy at first,”  Annie said, “Then a few days ago, it was like a switch was flipped and everyone remembered you again.  They had…  Mom and dad treated me like I was going crazy.” 


“I don’t want to talk about them anymore Annie.” 


Annie nodded as she lifted up a spoonful of soup and brought it to her lips.  The warm, thick broth made her close her eyes as she savored the garlic and cubed beef.


“So you, you’re having a baby?”  Abby asked as they ate.


“Three of them.”  Annie said as she picked up the roll.  Tearing off a piece and dunking it into the stew, not looking up to meet her sister’s gaze.


“What?  No way?”   Abby smiled.


“Yeah, Doc did an ultrasound this morning.”  Annie pulled out the sonogram and slid it across the table to her sister.


“Three babies.”  


“Three of them.”  Annie nodded as she watched her sister study the photo.


“I’m going to be the favorite Aunt.”  Abby clapped her hands together as she bounced in her seat.


“You’re their only aunt.”  Annie teased, her shoulders relaxing at the knowledge that her sister wanted to be in the babies’ lives.  


“The guys are going to have so much fun being uncles.”  Abby said with a smile as she handed the sonogram back to her sister.


“Guys?  I mean, I know you’ve got more than one mate…”


“I’m mated to four men.”  Abby said as she nervously bit her lip.


“Four men…”  


“Four.”  Abby said with a nod.


“I guess you’ll have lots of help if you babysit.”  Annie said with a slight smile as she took another bite of the soup.


“Not if, when?”  Abby said biting her lower lip already mentally thinking of all of the things she would buy to help spoil the triplets.