Ward's Castle

God, I hope he can’t read minds because right now I’m watching Lila gaze fondly on Beau and imagining what it would be like if she was pregnant.

“Does Anya, the child mind reader, have a sibling?”

Beau wrinkles his nose. “No. She doesn’t want one either. Neither do I.” Beau’s face grows stony. He folds his small arms over his chest and glares at the television.

Lila laughs, but it’s a tinny, odd sound as if she doesn’t find this funny. “I’m not pregnant, Beau, so there’s no worries there.”

“Not you, Lila,” Beau lets out a loud sigh. “You’re my sister. It’s him.”

Beau points an accusing finger at me.

“Me?” I point to myself. “Why am I in this?”

“Because Mrs. Wilson at school says that there’s no way you aren’t going to get married and have babies soon.” Beau pins me with narrowed eyes. “Is that what you do at the office all day? Get married and have babies?”

I almost choke to death swallowing my laughter. I glance at Lila to share my amusement with her, but she’s not smiling. Instead, she’s looking pissed off. Does she think I’m going to abandon Beau for some random woman? Set up house without him?

“Nah, Beau. I read a lot of papers. Take phone calls. Have meetings. There is no getting married and having babies at my office. You can come sometime when you’re done with school and watch me. I am woman-free there. In fact, the only female I spend any time with is right here.”

Beau swivels toward his sister. “You mean Lila?”

“I do.”

Beau falls silent for a minute and then pipes up. “Okay. You can marry Lila. I’m okay with that. But no babies. I don’t like babies.”

This time when Lila’s eyes meet mine, there’s a flare of something sensual, something…adult.