.She covered her face and started to cry. That was the way Alex found her. He checked Brutus for a pulse and then put an arm around her.
"I'm sorry sweetheart."
There was nothing to say. It was over. She laid her head on Alex's shoulder as he held her close. Tears coursed down her cheeks. Finally she took a deep breath and pulled away from him, wiping her eyes.
"I want to bury him up on the hill under that dogwood tree where he used to lay during the summer. That way he can still watch over the farm."
Alex patted her shoulder. "I'll get someone…"
"No," she interrupted him. "I want to bury him."
He hesitated, probably not liking the idea of leaving that chore to her. He was scheduled to work tomorrow, though and she didn't want to wait another day. Finally he sighed in resignation.
"Alright."
It was Alex who informed the children of the death. Whether it was the way he did it or they simply didn't understand, there was no wailing as she had anticipated. Natalie and Matthew were probably too young to understand, but Jonathan did. He said he wanted to help with the burial. Thinking he needed to say goodbye to an old friend, she agreed.
The next morning she had breakfast ready at seven. The entire family was at the table when her guests arrived for breakfast. Natalie and Mathew were in their high chairs, Destiny and Jonathan sat on either side of her and Alex was at the end of the table. Gerald took a seat closest to Alex and Aaron sat down opposite her, leaving the last chair for Rob. With nine people in the dining room, there was too much distraction to start the orientation. Gerald talked to the twins for a few minutes and then turned to Alex.
"How old are they now?"
"They'll be two on July 26th. Destiny will be five in October and Jonathan will be thirteen in November."
It was a good way to introduce them, and leave it to Alex to take care of it all in one sentence.
Rob glanced around the table and whistled, his gaze coming back to Carmen.
"You don't look old enough to have four children, let alone a teenager."
Alex eyed Rob, his expression unreadable. For a moment she thought he was going to say something to Rob, but his attention returned to the food on his plate.
It was probably best to ignore the remark, and she was able to do so without being rude when the doorbell rang. It was the sitter. Carmen invited her to join them but Jenny said she had already eaten. She turned her attention to the twins. Carmen glanced at Alex, who was watching Rob with a concerned expression. Following his gaze, she found Rob's attention was riveted on Jenny.