Her mother pointed to the table while warning her, “Don’t eat it all, we have to save some for those coming later.”
“Aw man, how many people are coming?” Maggie asked, groaning and rolling her eyes.
Heather smiled in amazement. Maggie had been separated from her family the day the nukes hit, and she lived in the subway tunnels for years. Only within the past year was she reunited with her family, but they acted like there had been no separation at all.
It looked like the whole family was there, almost. There were two Estros missing: Captain Liam Estro, Maggie’s mate; and Lt. Quinn Estro, their cousin. Also, Quinn’s mate Squirrel, who was called Hali now.
Thank God, because Heather had hated calling her that ridiculous name. Evidently Hali had gotten injured during the nuclear disaster and lost her memory. She couldn’t even recall her own name. Some asshole started calling her Squirrel, and it stuck. She’d finally gained confidence to pick a new name for herself.
Heather had known Hali for a long time. Hali had been a loner in the tunnels, trading among the tribes. She didn’t trust people easily ,and Heather could understand that. She was curious why the rest weren’t there. “Where’s everyone else?”
Mrs. James came over to stand next to her. “Liam had command of the fleet and needed to remain behind. Quinn is working as his second while Kyle is here, and Hali remained behind to look after Mrs. Gordon, who received another round of treatments.”
Heather looked around for Lily’s little boy but didn’t see him. “Did Thomas come?”
Mrs. James smiled. “He got bored so we sent him next door to play with our neighbor’s kids.”
The baby shower was for several hours where people could come and go whenever they wanted..She watched as people from the dome who knew the James family came to celebrate with them. Rachel and Kyle sat side by side opening presents. They really loved the quilt, and so did the other people there. Many asked if that was one of the items that would be available for trade, and Heather told them she would check with her people about it.
The sound of tinkling laughter made her frown as she glanced over to the corner of the room. Devlon stood there, talking to several women who were openly flirting with him. She had to fight her urge to go over there and tell them to back off.
“The Estro men have some strong mojo,” Maggie commented, coming up beside her.
She glanced at the younger woman, who glowed with health and happiness. She remembered Maggie from before the Drastans came, and the difference was like night and day.
“What?”
Maggie pointed over at Devlon and the women. “The Estro men are a pretty hot commodity. You might want to go over there and let the ladies know that Devlon is taken.”
Heather shook her head, “We’re not... I mean, we barely know each other.”
“Come on. I see the way you two look at each other. There’s a smouldering vibe going on.”
“I’m technically still married.” Why was she mentioning that? She hadn’t considered herself married to Mark in years.
“Why not end it officially?”
“How would I do that?”
Maggie shrugged. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” A shrill baby cry had Maggie sprinting off to the back bedroom.
Heather looked once more at Devlon before turning away. She walked over to Lt. Colonel James. “Sir, may I speak with you in private?”
“Of course, come with me out into the hallway.” David opened the door and let her exit first.
