*****071:

We were walking around the planetarium with the kids. Rein had fallen asleep in the stroller, but the other two were darting back and forth from exhibit to exhibit, getting into it--- or just running to be running. There weren't all that many people--- I'd have thought this was a major attraction. But I'd never been here and neither had Aubrey.

I had trouble keeping my mind on the exhibits. My whole being was concentrated on the phone in my pocket. At any moment my--- our--- whole life would change.

I didn't feel like hiking up the excitement level either, so I simply walked near Aubrey, and kept the munchkins in sight. Aidan and Keeva were close by. And Aidan had called for reinforcements as soon as he'd found out where we were heading. This part of being a celebrity was a pain. Behind Aidan, Kodey, and Boyd looked very much like body guards. If people hadn't noticed me, they'd notice those two and wonder right away who they were guarding.

I wasn't even thrilled when the planetarium director came to welcome us, take his picture with us, and give us a private tour. Aubrey graciously declined almost instantly, for which I was grateful, not even aware you could graciously decline something like that when they were going out of their way to please you, but she assured me that she found being a normal person to be way more exhilarating than being a celebrity.

My phone vibrated in my pocket and before I thought about it I had answered it, and too late realized I had perhaps wanted to screen this call--- if it was the call.

My heart raced and then thumped and then collided with my Adam's Apple.

"This is Rafe."

"Oh, shoot, I was calling Aubrey. Seriously, this is Hannah, is Aubrey available?"

Relief flooded me like a warm wash of rain. I even felt the flood when my senses returned. You'd never know on the outside that I was such an inner butterfly.

"Hey Hannah, yeah, let me get her. She's real close."

My thumb, in my awkwardness hit speaker as I handed the phone to Aubrey, who looked at me with questions, and I mouthed her niece's name. Her face noticeably reddened and I had to frown. Was something wrong with boy wonder and woman fantastico? Well, besides the fact that she'd initially told him he wasn't worthy of her, and had turned him down?

"Hey Hannah!" My wife's fake voice caught my attention, and we veered the stroller into a more private alcove where the two oldest children could push buttons on displays to their hearts content.

"You knew---!" Hannah's angry voice dissolved into tears. "You knew Abbie and Jeremy were dating! How long were they dating? How long? While he was with me? Aubrey, how could you do this to me?"

"What? No! Hannah! They aren't dating, as far as I know! And they weren't seeing each other for sure while you two were together."

"Ahhhhh!!!! I could kill her! That's how mad I am right now. She stole my boyfriend!"

"Your boyfriend! You dumped him quite a while ago. He was really busted up about it. You called him unworthy."

"No! No, I didn't! That was Ben and Shellie! I never said any such thing!"

"Oh, yeah, sorry. It's hard to keep things straight!"

"I'm your niece! I'm your Niece! How could you stand by and watch while they fell in love?"

"Fell in love? Look, I've been really busy for the last few days, and before that----."

"Mom called me, Aubrey. She says you knew."

"I haven't even talked to your mother." Aubrey's eyes were closed and she'd pinched the bridge of her nose.

"She says Abbie is still living with you and she's still your nanny, and you must have seen it happening. Jeremy proposed to her, and they're getting married! I will never be able to see my sister again. You just don't marry your sister's ex-fiancé!"

I held my breath as I watched Aubrey holding hers. I felt this weird sense of disconnect, and wondered how I'd answer this if it were me.

"No--- no--- that is kind of weird." Aubrey said slowly, but even I could hear the but coming. "But Hannah, you dumped him!"

"We kept talking, Aubrey, even after I gave his ring back."

"You didn't wear his ring."

"I know, but he gave it to me, and I could have worn it."

"But you had reservations. And you still don't want to marry him--- you just don't want Abbie to marry him either."

"You don't ever marry your sister's ex-fiancé. It's completely not done. Completely wrong." Hannah's voice was so convinced of her righteousness, I quirked a smile at Aubrey, who was holding her head in her hands. She peered at me as she held the phone in front of her.

"What can I say?" She whispered, one hand over the speaker.

"There's nothing to say." I shrugged.

"Hannah, I sincerely hope you can get through this. It's a terribly painful situation, and I don't blame you for being upset, truly I don't. My advice to you is to pray your guts out, and aske the Lord to take away the pain, and help you bear your burdens. You know, Rafe and I have been going through a hard time too, not exactly the same, but we have spent a lot of time praying, and going to the temple. Maybe that will help you!"

We both heard her sigh. "You sound like my mom, dang it. I'm calling Kell." And with that she hung up in pain wracked frustration.

I chuckled. "It really shouldn't be done, but it is done more than you think."

"Actually, I do know that. But it doesn't help her any. Wow!" Aubrey breathed. "I totally didn't know it had progressed that far that fast!"

"I know, right! Almost as fast as us."

"And very similar, if you think about it. They certainly knew each other three months, actually longer, before getting together."

I smiled tolerantly. "Yeah---- not. We had three months, that's true, but we didn't see each other during that time at all."

"Those were the days." I hummed pulling her close for a kiss before hurrying out of our alcove to catch Virgil and Felicity.

Aubrey caught up to us a few minutes later. She still held my phone, and now she held it out to me. Her face was slightly ashen. I took it, knowing who it was.

I turned away from Aidan and Keeva, and kept Aubrey's hand tightly glued to mine. "This is Rafe."

"Rafe—it's John Crimmons. I was just calling to let you know Madonna Darajan has dropped all the paternity charges she was starting--- or threatening to start since she never actually got her case off the ground. Your test came back negative, Besarion Darajan is not your biological son."

I rocked back on my heels, looking into Aubrey's stricken eyes fringed in dark mascara. I shook my head and she blew out her breath as I doubled over resting my hands on my upper thighs. I hadn't actually realized how keyed up I was. I stood up quickly and pumped my fist in the air, squeezing Aubrey to me again---- any excuse, right?

I clicked off. No words were necessary at all.

"How about a barbecue on the beach?" Aubrey invited.

"It's warm, enough." I stated and then retrieved our kids as we started out to the main observation decks together. Completely relaxed and completely in tune.

******