Birth of Jaiden by Jennifer Malone Wright Read Free Book Online Page A

on a blanket on the
floor. Danielle sat Indian style right next to her.
    “ Hello.” He entered the
room and sat on the floor across from Danielle.
    “ Did you sleep well?” she
asked him.
    “ Yes, actually, I did. Did
she?” He nodded at Jaiden.
    “ She slept most of the
day. I think the exhaustion has already run its course.”
    They both gazed at Jaiden
while they spoke. She wore only a diaper, looked freshly bathed,
her red hair shone and her soft pale skin glistened.
    Alex’s body shook visibly
as a terrible thought occurred to him. How could this be the answer
to his prayers if he had to watch her grow old and die?
    “ Alex, you need to stop
thinking about all that.”
    “ I thought we agreed not to invade each other’s
minds unless it is absolutely necessary.”
    Danielle ignored him and
picked Jaiden up. She held her out toward Alex.
    “ Here, Alex, it’s time to
start learning how to be a father.”
    “ Danielle,” he whispered,
“I’m afraid of her. I‘m afraid that if I learn to love again she
will only be taken from me. I feel like I am setting myself up for
failure.”
    “ Now is not the time to
worry about these things.”
    Alex reluctantly cradled
the baby in his arms. Jaiden looked up at him with her beautiful
eyes and made a cooing noise. He touched his finger against the
palm of her thin hand; out of reflex, she clasped onto his finger.
Alex looked at Danielle and whispered, “Are you sure this is what
is right?”
    “ Yes, I’m sure. Victoria
will be here soon with a prospective witch for you to meet. Her
name is Isabella Preston; she is a strong natural witch who pretty
much raised her six siblings.”
    “ She does know I’m a vampire, right?”
    “ Yes. There is no need to
worry about that. Isabella is a good friend of Deanna’s; Deanna put
in a few good words for you.”
    “ And she understands that
she will have to live here?”
    “ Yes, Alex, and you can talk about all that
when she gets here.”
    He grinned at her with a
sparkle in his eye. “We get to go shopping.”
    Danielle laughed a loud
belly laugh. “You really are something else, Alex.”
    “ I know.” This might actually be kind of
fun, he
thought as he looked down at Jaiden.
    The door bell rang.
Danielle jumped to her feet. “I’ll go.”
    She returned a few minutes
later with Victoria and the most beautiful woman he had ever
seen.
    His gaze was first drawn
to her long, straight, blond hair which hung to the middle of her
back. Then his eyes moved slowly to meet her emerald eyes which
were surrounded by long, brown lashes. Freckles dotted the bridge
of her nose and cheek bones. Tall, slender, gorgeous.
    “ Why don’t we all have a
seat down by Alex?” Danielle held her hand out toward
him.
    Isabella immediately sat
down next to Alex without looking at him, but Victoria had to have
a fit about everything.
    “ Why would you make an old
woman like me sit on the floor, Danielle?”
    “ I’m not making you do anything. Sit wherever you
want.”
    Alex was amazed that
Danielle could be so patient with someone as unpleasant as
Victoria.
    “ I will,” Victoria replied
petulantly as she plopped down on the sofa. “So this is the child
we have heard so much about.”
    Alex couldn’t answer because he
was still staring at Isabella. They want this beautiful woman to live
with me for eighteen years .
    Suddenly, Danielle’s voice
saturated his head . Stop staring at her; you’ll scare her
away .
    Shifting his eyes and thoughts
over to Danielle, he thought, Sorry .
    Danielle nodded
acknowledgement.
    “ Isn’t she sweet?” she
said aloud.
    As if Jaiden knew they
were talking about her, she made more baby noises. Carefully, Alex
laid her down on the blanket.
    “ Alex, this is
Isabella.”
    As Victoria made the
introduction, Isabella turned to Alex and extended her hand. He
took it reluctantly for fear he would not be able to let
go.
    As their hands met, so did
their eyes; he could see a life of hardship and