by Dawn Kirby
“Not as well as I would have liked,” she told me. “The first time I met her was when the boys had rolled around in some poison oak out back somewhere. I tried everything I could think of. Nothing worked. They were in pretty bad shape. David was nice enough to call her and she knew exactly what to bring over.”
“Oatmeal,” I said for her. “I bet it felt great.”
“It did. Kale wouldn’t use it at first,” Raine said, chuckling. “He figured he’d let his little brother be the guinea pig. At that point I was ready to try anything.”
“You’re the little brother?” I asked surprised. He simply smiled in answer. Obviously bigger doesn’t always mean older.
He and May set the place settings on the table. She handed him the stuff and he placed it neatly. With the dishes in place he got down four glasses and filled them up with ice. Watching them work made me feel like a heel. Having people wait on me isn’t something I’m used to.
“Can I do something to help?” I asked.
“Not a thing,” May said happily. “You sit right there and relax.”
He put the glasses in their places on the table and May told him to sit back down. She made it pretty clear that she didn’t need or want any help with the food. We sat there quietly while she put each wonderfully appetizing dish neatly on the table. The aroma was so strong I could practically taste it.
A tiny sound upstairs grabbed my attention. Someone shut a door softly and was quietly walking down the hallway. Once his feet hit the stairs, his steps became quicker and louder. Kale’s minty scent broke through the savory kitchen smells. He was coming this way and it sounded like he was on a mission.
May was standing directly in front of the kitchen door making sure she had everything on the table, oblivious to the fact that Kale was headed right in her direction.
“May, Kale’s on his way in,” I warned quickly. “You might want to move.”
Not a second after she moved away from the door, it swung open violently. Kale strode in looking at nothing but the food on the table. He’d managed to catch the door with his palm right before it came back and smacked him in the face.
“You do realize you’re not gonna starve?” Raine asked.
“It’s a possibility. Have you seen yourself lately?” he asked, reaching over Raine for a roll. Raine knocked his hand away. “What’s got your panties in a wad?”
“You almost ran over Granny,” Raine informed him. “If Leah hadn’t warned her, you would have.”
“I was trying to be quiet,” he said defensively. “I figured you were still asleep.”
“If it makes you feel any better you were,” I told him, “Right up until you got to the stairs anyway. I’m guessing that’s when you smelled the food.”
“Hold on,” he said, waving his hand in front of him. “You heard me all the way upstairs?”
“My nose isn’t the only thing that works well,” I told him.
A big smile appeared on his face. He leaned over the table and looked right at Raine. “I told you she was pretty great, didn’t I?” he said happily.
“It’s a good thing too,” May said, slapping Kale on the butt. He got the hint and moved out of the way. “I don’t think I’d get around this kitchen very well with a broken hip. Then where would you be?” She sat down across from me and looked up at him. He’d pulled out a chair and was about to sit down. “Before you get started you can get everybody something to drink. I’ll have a glass of sweet tea.”
He acted like he’d been asked to go without food for a week. Reluctantly, and quite loudly, he picked up her glass and took it to the refrigerator. Once he filled it up, he tossed a can of Coke across the room to Raine. Kale got out two more and brought them over to the table. After he scooted May her drink, I was afforded the privilege of being handed mine.
Almost instantly I saw why she had made so much food. Politely but quickly, both men cleaned their plates and filled them again. May’s appetite was just as healthy. She managed to keep up with them bite for bite, though she didn’t eat quite as fast. Nobody spoke as long as there was food on his or her plates. I couldn’t blame them. The food was delicious.
“What else can you do?” Kale asked, pushing his empty plate away. He put his hands over his head and stretched. The way his back bowed up reminded me of a dog that just woke up from a long nap.
“She may not want to talk about it,” Raine told him in between bites.
“It’s alright,” I assured him. “I really don’t mind.” It was the truth too. I didn’t have to be careful around them. There wasn’t any fear of what would happen if I slipped up. For once in my life I could be myself.
“Okay,” Kale said leaning his arms on the table. I could see the happy twinkle in his eyes. “So you can hear a butterfly flap its wings in Japan, and you can probably smell the flower it’s on too.” I smiled because sometimes that’s exactly how I felt. “You must love it when you get sick. At least then everything gets plugged up.”
“I really wouldn’t know. I’ve never been sick before. Seeing how miserable it makes everybody else, I don’t ever want to be.” Flu season around the store was a mass of plugged up noses and an endless stream of Kleenex.
“Never?” Kale asked. I just smiled and shrugged my shoulders. “Wow, I’d kill to be that healthy.”
“I hated it when I was in school,” I admitted. “I didn’t have a clue how to fake it.”
They laughed as I got up to help May clear the table. She showed me where the dishwasher was and put me to work. I rinsed while she loaded. It felt great to be doing something normal.
“Honey, the sun’s just about gone,” she said quietly. “David has some things to share with you and Donovan will surely want to meet with you. Go on upstairs and freshen up. I’ll send up your clothes in a bit.”
For a little while I’d been able to forget about the dark cloud hanging over my head. Now it was back and threatened to unleash a storm the likes of which I’ve never seen. I mouthed a silent thank you to them all for a nice dinner and walked quietly out the door. Kale and Raine were inhaling ice cream and talking about my car. According to Kale, there were several phone calls made by Declan letting him know how smooth the ride was. He had really rubbed it in Kale’s face that he got to drive it first. He’d also taken the opportunity to see what it could do. I quit listening before I could hear how fast he’d taken a corner.
I entered my room to find that Raine had been right. The bed had been made while I was down stairs having dinner. The towels I’d used earlier had been replaced with two fresh ones. Hopefully, Julie tossed out my clothes instead of trying to get the bloodstains out.
I brushed my teeth and hair as quickly as possible and went back into the bedroom to wait for David. It was then that I noticed Julie had been nice enough to dig up a charger for my phone. It sat on the nightstand charging. Beside it was my mom’s ring. I’d completely forgotten about it till now. If I ever saw Julie, I’d have to let her know how grateful I was that she’d been thoughtful enough to return it to me.
I turned on the lamp and sat down on the bed, turning the ring over in hand. I’d only seen it in the light twice. The first time was when Mom showed it to me, and then again last night. The light illuminated it and I noticed an inscription inside the band. In all the times I’d held it before I never once saw it.
“It says ‘David, Mia, Forever,’” David said from the doorway. I smiled a little when he walked over to where I was. As soon as I saw his downtrodden face my smile was gone.
He looked like he hadn’t slept at all. His skin was so pale it was virtually transparent. The only color left on him was from his black suit. I tried, but there was no trace of his warm sandalwood scent left to smell. Mom’s death had hit him hard.
“It’s a beautiful ring,” I told him. Tears rolled down my cheeks. “She used to cry herself to sleep clinging to it.”
“I am so sorry things had to be this way. I would have loved to watch you grow up.” He took t
he small ring from my hand and looked at me thoughtfully. There wasn’t any light in his eyes. “Do you know what this is?” he asked me.
“It’s her engagement ring,” I answered.
He smiled at what could only be a wonderful memory. A hint of sandalwood wafted into my nostrils. “This is her wedding ring.”
My lungs deflated. The tears wouldn’t stop. Mom said they were supposed to get married, not that they were married. Why would she lie to me about something like that? It was one of the most important events of their lives.
“But—” I tried to say more.
“March first is our anniversary. Thursday was our twenty-third year of marriage.” He took my hand and laid the ring delicately back in my palm, closing his hand around mine. “Phillips is my last name, Leah. James is my middle name. Connolly was your mother’s maiden name.”
And the surprises keep coming!
“Why would you need to use your middle name?” I’d been confused before, now I was at a total loss to understand any of it. “Why would Mom tell me–” he put his cool finger on my lips.
“It was very important to both of us that you carry my last name, especially when I could no longer be a part of your lives. In business, I took up my middle name to keep both of you safe. In death, I took your mother’s name. No one knows we were married, and no one knows my real last name. It was one of many things we felt was necessary. If I had kept using my last name it would have led them right to you.”
“Why did you have to leave?” I asked urgently. “None of this makes any sense. I know you didn’t have an affair. She wouldn’t have been so loyal to you if you had.”
“No, I didn’t have an affair,” he said patiently. “It’s more complicated.”
I jerked my hand out of his and glared at him. His calm tone was infuriating. “Then tell me why! I know you’re not a killer or something awful like that. I’d be able to smell it on you if you were.” I pleaded with him to tell me the truth. I couldn’t take anymore. “What is it?! Why did you walk away?”
“I’m sorry to intrude,” Declan said, standing just outside my door. “Donovan needs to see ye, David. It’d be about Mia.”
David picked up my other hand and pulled something out of his pocket. He kept the small object covered with his hand.
“Leah, I love you with all that I am,” he said, with tears in his eyes. “I fell in love with Mia the minute I saw her. The night I found out you were on the way was one of the happiest nights of my life. I want you to know the night you were born, you saved me. There is nothing I wouldn’t do to keep you safe. Please believe that.”
“I do believe it,” I said, trying hard to stay calm. All I really wanted to do was scream at the top of my lungs and make him tell me what was going on. “Please tell me what happened.”
“In a few minutes you will know everything. I only hope you can forgive me.”
He let my hand go and smiled. A man’s wedding ring lay in the palm of my hand. It was studded with small diamonds, emeralds and sapphires. The inscription inside the band was the same as my mother’s.
“I can’t keep this,” I said, losing what little composure I had left. I pushed my hand back towards him. “It’s yours.”
“No, not anymore. Without Mia,” he stopped, choking back his own tears. “It belongs to you now. I hope you will come to cherish mine the same way you do hers,” he said softly. “I love you so much.” He kissed my forehead gently and quickly left the room behind Declan.
For what felt like hours, I stood there and bawled. My already wounded heart was broken. I’d lost my mother and it looked as though there was a good chance I’d lose my father soon, too. David held so much guilt and grief inside him that he’d made himself sick. Like living a life without my mom wasn’t worth living. This wasn’t what having him back was supposed to be like. The three of us were supposed to be fighting whatever this was together.
Now I find out they’ve been married my whole life! Even better, I had his last name and never knew it. What went so wrong with their lives they had to hide their own marriage? I stared down at the rings in each hand, half expecting them to give me an answer. My heart hurt so much I didn’t want to feel anymore.
“Leah?” Raine asked. He was standing in the hall, staring at me. All I could do was look at him.
When I didn’t speak, he hurried into my room. He eyes searched mine for an answer, but I couldn’t stop crying long enough to give one to him. In an effort to make him understand I held my hands up for him to see the rings. He read the inscriptions, his broad shoulders slumping with understanding.
“I didn’t know,” I said, looking up at him through the tears.
“It’s okay,” he said soothingly. “You didn’t know David was your dad until last night. Hell, Leah, none of us knew that they were married.”
He took the rings out of my hands and laid them on the nightstand. Wiping the tears off my face, he held me. The refreshing smell of rain washed over me. He gave me exactly what I needed. A place to cry. And I did.
I wasn’t upset about one thing. It was everything. My entire life I’d thought my dad was dead. The whole time he’d been alive and well just forty-five minutes away from me. Now my mom was gone. Murdered because of a secret I had yet to hear. I was so mad at them for hiding things from me, but at the same time I knew they were only trying to save me from something I couldn’t see.
It took several body racking minutes before I was able to calm down. Raine still held me tightly, while his fingers gently played with my hair. If he only knew how much that innocent action had helped me relax. I selfishly waited a few more minutes before I took a deep breath and patted him on the chest.
“I’m okay, now,” I said forcing a smile. I could see in his stormy eyes that he didn’t believe me. “Really, I’m fine. Go do your thing so you can show me where I need to be.”
“Are you sure?” he asked hesitantly, locking his arms around my waist. “I can stay a little longer if you need me too.”
I nodded and smiled gratefully up at him. He reluctantly turned me loose and slowly left the room. When I heard his door shut, I picked the rings back up and went to sit in the big, cushy chair by the window.
David thought it would take time for me to love his ring as much as Mom’s, but I already did. Holding both of them in my hand made me realize how much they’d lost. David lost us. Mom lost the wonderful life they could have had together. I’d lost the benefit of having them both. It wasn’t fair.
I decided to put the rings away until all of this was over. I didn’t want something so pure to signify their tragedy. That isn’t what marriage is. Once everything was settled, I could take them out again and see my parents the night I finally met my dad. The happiness and love they felt then, was exactly what a marriage should be.
I got up and put the rings in the nightstand drawer. Later, I’d ask May if she had an extra jewelry box I could use and keep them in. I shut the drawer just as my phone rang. Lost in thought, I answered it without checking the caller ID. One of these days I’ll learn to pay attention.
“Hello?”
“Hello, Dearest,” the man’s cold voice said politely. “How are you feeling on this fine evening?” When I didn’t answer, he kept on going just like he had the night before. “I was very sorry to receive word of your mother’s passing. I would like to offer you my deepest sympathy.”
At the mention of my mother’s death my body began to tremble. Luckily Raine came back in to take me to David. I gestured towards the phone so he’d know something was up. He hurried over and put his ear close enough to hear the man’s voice.
“I doubt her death bothered you all that much,” I said coolly. “You probably wanted something like that to happen.”
“I must admit, Dearest, it had crossed my mind,” he said. Raine put his arm around my waist. His hold bordered on painful. I didn’t take that as a good sign. “But, if you will remember, your safe return home was the only promise I made last n
ight. I cannot be held responsible for the actions of others.”
“My name is Leah, not Dearest,” I said boldly. His arrogance was maddening. “What do you want?”
“My dear, I will call you anything I please,” he said coyly. “To answer your question, I only want you.” That simple sentence absolutely terrified me. Raine’s body temperature rose.
“Why? There’s not one thing I can do for you.”
“Oh, you still have not been told,” he said sounding disappointed. “I am sorry to say this, but time has run out. The secret is out now and one way or another you will be found.”
“What if I don’t want to be found?” I spat bravely.
“Dearest, you do not have a choice,” he said darkly. “Your curious bloodline is far too interesting to ignore.”
Raine ripped the phone out of my hand and threw it onto the bed. I was as scared as Raine was angry. His body was so hot; it felt like I was standing next to a furnace. If I hadn’t known what he smelled like, I would have sworn a severe thunderstorm was about to blow in despite the clear skies.
“I’m scared, Raine,” I admitted. I looked up into a pair of vibrant gray eyes. “That man has called me twice now. I don’t know who he is, but he knows a lot about me.”
“You should be scared. Michael is pure evil,” he said, through tightly clenched teeth. “We have to find David. It’s time for you to know exactly what you’re facing.”
He took off so fast he ended up dragging me down the hallway. His vice grip on my hand forced me to run just to keep up. Thankfully he slowed a little when we got to the stairs. Breaking my neck wasn’t part of his deal with David.
Kale was laid out on the couch when we got to the bottom of the stairs, absorbed in the racing game he had going on the Play-station 3. His feet rammed against the arm of the couch stepping on imaginary foot pedals as the car on the game accelerated. His smile evaporated once he saw the look on Raine’s face. He dropped the controller and rolled onto the floor. A few seconds after he met us at the foot of the stairs, his animated car hit the wall.