"And you're my mother?"
Aria cupped Fox's cheeks, looking into his eyes. "Yes. Just as you gave birth to this beautiful little girl, I gave birth to you."
“Can I ask a weird question?”
Aria smiled. “None of your questions are weird.”
“Am I dreaming all of this?”Did I agree to some science experiment?Fox didn’t think that was appropriate to ask, so he expounded on his question.
“No, this is real,” Aria answered.
“Do you know what happened on the day of my accident?”
Aria sighed. “I don’t know much other than you were on your way home from the wine store. You wanted to help out with the last couple of customers we had, but I told you to head home and rest. I could tell you were tired, and for the first time in a long time, you agreed.” Her lips trembled. “You hugged me and said you’d see me at home. Your dad and I had just closed up the store when we got the call you were taken to the hospital.”
Fox listened to Aria intently, not finding anything suspicious about what she told him, but he had a feeling that Aria was leaving something out.
Maybe I’m suspicious for no reason. I should be more concerned that I would voluntarily want to get pregnant. Aria said I got tired of waiting for a mate. What kind of reasoning is that? But then again, it sounds like me. If there’s something I want, there’s no stopping me from going after it, damn the consequences. Fuck, maybe I didn’t die after all, and the life I lived before was all a dream.
"I'm sorry," Fox whispered.
"Why?" Aria took Genesis from his arms, putting her down in the bassinet.
“Because I didn’t listen. I should have waited, and it seems I’ve caused you so much trouble.”
“Oh, baby, you are never a bother to your father and me. Mischievous maybe, but you and Zev light up our lives in so many ways.”
"But I can't...I don't know who you are. I want to trust that you’re not lying to me."
"You will in time."
Aria leaned down and kissed him on his forehead. Fox felt a slight buzz coming from her touch. It was comforting, and it was as if he could feel the truth of her words washing over him.
“Can you feel that? That buzzing?” Fox nodded. “You and I are the only ones in the family who can. We’re empaths, Fox. We’re not as strong as most empaths, but it comes in handy sometimes. You can always tell when I or anyone else is lying simply by touching them. Lips and words can lie, but emotions never will.”
Okay, that’s freaky as hell.
Aria leaned back and looked at Fox, then a sleeping Genesis. "You should get some rest. I’ll watch over you both."
Fox nodded and relaxed on the bed—closing his eyes, trying to get some sleep. His mind was a mess after everything he'd encountered so far.
Fox peered up at the three people staring down at him; two males and a pregnant female. They all looked different, so he could only assume they weren't related. Fox took a quick observation, pulling out his mental notebook, writing down their features. The female had chocolate brown eyes and deep waves of dark purple hair, matching her light-medium complexion. She wore a white dress that gave her an ethereal appearance.
One of the males had blue eyes and jet black hair that was too perfect to be natural. He had to admit the guy was gorgeous with a muscular frame fitting snugly into a white button-down shirt and dark pants.
The other male had green eyes and disheveled dark brown hair as if he'd been continuously running his fingers through it in worry or agitation. From what Fox could tell, green eyes wore a black hooded sweatshirt and black bottoms fitting over his swimmer’s body. All three people were handsome and seemed perfect in their appearance, which was a bit unsettling.
"Who the fuck are you people?"
The man with the green eyes gasped and looked as if he was about to shout at Fox, but calmed down, taking a deep breath before he spoke.
"How are you feeling?" Green eyes asked.
Fox looked at him as if he had a screw loose. "I woke up in a hospital. How do you think I'm feeling?"
"No need to be so damn rude," green eyes hissed.
"All right, you two. No need to get snappy with each other," blue eyes interrupted. "You guys are family, not enemies."
