Murders & Romance: A Psychic Detective Romantic Mystery (Isaac Taylor Mysteries Book 5) by Lashell Collins (ready player one ebook .TXT) 📗

“Well, I had to pull in somewhere so that I could properly comfort you.”

He reached out and wiped a stray tear from her cheek with his thumb.

“I’m sorry for falling apart on you.”

“Hey. What’d I tell you before, hmm? You don’t ever need to apologize for your pain. And you don’t need to hide it from me either.”

“I didn’t even know I wanted a baby until I lost ours. How fucked up is that?”

“It’s not. Not at all. ’Cause the same thing happened to me.”

Sidney wiped her nose and stared at him.

“What?”

Ike reached into his pocket and pulled out a fading light purple bandana-style handkerchief and handed it to her.

“I didn’t know I wanted to be a father before the miscarriage, darlin’. Yet here I am, wishing it were so.”

Sidney felt the tears sting her eyes again.

“Really?”

Ike nodded. “Really.”

Sidney stifled another sob, then she wiped her eyes and blew her nose.

Somehow, the knowledge that they were in this — the sorrow, and the heartbreak and the love — together made her feel like maybe everything would be okay.

She clutched the handkerchief to her chest as she maneuvered back into her seat and strapped on her seatbelt.

Isaac took hold of her hand and held it tight all the way home.

Once they got home, Sidney headed straight for the shower.

While she busied herself in there, Isaac went into the home office and fired up the desktop computer. Seated in front of the screen he glanced at the door. He could hear the water running in the bathroom, so he knew he had a few minutes. He placed a video call to his grandfather, Sterling Taylor.

“Isaac!”

The smile on the older man’s face seemed to radiate light, and Isaac wondered if his grandfather ever got truly good and angry at anyone. Somehow, he couldn’t imagine it.

“It’s so good to hear from you.”

“Hey, Grandad. How you doing?”

“Well, I’m doing just fine. How’s everything up there in Ohio?”

Isaac grinned when his thick Tennessee accent made the state sound like Ohi-ya.

“Things here are okay.” He hoped his voice sounded more convincing than he felt, but he had his doubts.

“And that beautiful future granddaughter-in-law of mine? I trust she’s okay after the loss?”

Isaac stared at his grandfather, mouth hanging wide open.

“Grandad, how…”

His voice trailed off and he let that question dangle in the wind because he already knew the answer.

“You saw that? But when?”

Sterling smiled. “Oh, I saw it a while back. Back before you ever came to visit me. In fact, I imagine that I saw Sidney long before you ever did.”

Isaac was dumbfounded.

There were suddenly so many questions he wanted to ask. So many that had nothing to do with the reason he’d reached out.

“I don’t understand. How could you see something about Sidney before you’d even met her?”

“Well, actually, what I saw was more about you than it was about her.”

Isaac sat with that for a moment, trying to work it out. But he’d come to his grandfather for a specific reason, and he had to stay focused.

But first…

“That first visit. You implied that, um…well, that there would be an actual baby at some point.”

Isaac’s voice was loaded with trepidation and uncertainty, and he took a tentative glance at his grandfather’s face on the screen.

“Did I?” Sterling sounded amused.

Isaac gave him a look. The kind that came with begging.

“Come on, Grandad. Don’t play games. Not about this. Not now.”

The amusement in Sterling’s eyes softened to genuine love and concern.

“Is that why you’re calling, son? For assurances?”

Isaac’s shoulders slumped on a sigh, and he looked down for a second. Sidney’s tearful confession on their drive home had rattled him. And yeah… he supposed he needed a little reassuring.

“I don’t know. Maybe.”

“Very well, then.” Sterling’s voice was steady and matter-of-fact. “You and your delightful fiancée will have a beautiful family, Isaac. All in due time.”

The sudden and unmanly knot in his throat surprised him, and Isaac turned away from the screen to try and get his emotions under control.

“Sidney will be all right,” Sterling continued. “And so will you. And the babies will be beautiful. Trust me. I’ve already seen them.”

Isaac wiped his face and sniffed before he dared look at the screen again. When he finally did, he shook his head.

“I wish to God that I’d had you in my life while I was growing up.”

Sterling’s sad smile nearly did him in.

“I know. But we can’t go back and change it. All we can do now is move forward. And I’m here whenever you need me.”

Isaac nodded. “I was actually planning to call to get your help on something work related. I didn’t even know I needed to talk to you about personal stuff. Not tonight anyway.”

“Oh, well, I’ll be happy to try my hand at police work if you want me to!” Sterling grinned. “Lay it on me.”

Isaac laughed. “I think I’ve got the police work under control.”

“Oh, shoot.” Sterling snapped his fingers.

“My question is about touching someone. You know how you said that I can choose whether to see the past or the future when I touch someone?”

“Oh, yeah.”

“Can you teach me how?”

“Why, it would be my absolute pleasure.”

They stayed on their call for another thirty minutes. By the time Isaac finished up his conversation and lesson with his grandfather, Sidney was out of the shower and curled up on top of the covers. He joined her in their bedroom, holding two Ibuprofen and a bottle of water in one hand, and a fully loaded ice pack for her face in the other. He handed her the pills and water.

She sat up and swallowed them down, and then softly whimpered when she placed the ice pack against her face.

Isaac sat on the edge of the bed, facing her and fuming.

“Pisses me off. I swear, when they pick this guy up, I’m going to…”

“Do nothing!” Sidney cut him off.

“Like hell! Once they’ve got him in a jail cell, I’m going to go down there and…”

“Isaac, please. I don’t want you getting