My phone rings and I see Tim McCoy’s name pop up. I hit answer and put him on speakerphone.
“Tim, I need Mara’s address. I’m going to California.”
“I… What?”
“Text me her address.”
“Dominic… Okay. I’ll send it over.”
“Do you know what’s going on?”
“They threatened her,” he says in a low voice. I nod as I drive down the highway. “Dominic,” he continues, “They threatened to put your business on the black list. That’s why she agreed to go with Vincent.”
“What? What do you mean?” I ask. My heart drops to my stomach and I struggle to understand what he’s talking about. I hear Tim McCoy take a deep breath.
“They needed my approval to pass the business on to her and her husband. That arrogant ass, Vincent.” I can hear the venom in his voice as he says Vincent’s name. “So they told her they’d drag your name through the mud.”
My heart starts thumping. I try to speak but my voice barely comes out “And she agreed?”
“She did,” Tim says. “Dominic, she loves you, you know.”
I try to answer, but I can’t. I nod my head as if he can see me, and finally he speaks again.
“I’ll send you that address.” He sighs. “Thank you.”
“No, thank you, Tim,” I finally manage to say. The phone clicks and I put it down on the passenger’s seat. I grip the steering wheel and blink my eyes until they clear.
She loves me.
She did this for me?
I can hardly believe it. She’d put herself in that position… she would actually marry a man that doesn’t love her, and give him the family business? She would do that just so I would be able to continue making furniture?
I feel grateful and ashamed at the same time. I don’t deserve this. My ears are burning and my heart is thumping as I try to keep my eyes focused on the road.
My phone buzzes and I see Tim’s name pop up with an address. I glance at it and take a deep breath.
I’m coming, Mara.
The rest of the drive seems to take an eternity. After a few more miles, I turn on the radio to try to drown out my thoughts. I’ve never been more sure of any decision. I know I need to go and see her.
I think of Vincent’s weasel face and the anger starts to flood my veins. If he happens to get punched in the nose, then so be it.
When I get to the airport, it’s late at night. I walk up to the counter and take a deep breath.
“I need a flight to San Francisco,” I tell the lady behind the desk. She looks at me and raises her eyebrows before tapping on her computer.
“I’m sorry sir. There aren’t any flights until tomorrow morning. The earliest I can get you there is 8:00am, San Fran time.”
“That’s fine. Here’s my card,” I say as I hand her my credit card. She nods as if this is the most normal thing in the world. Within a few minutes, she’s printing my ticket.
“Can I book a car from here as well?” I ask.
“The counter over there will be able to help you,” she says as she hands me a boarding pass. I nod in thanks and take the ticket, walking over to the desk.
Once everything is organized, I check the time. I have five and a half hours before the flight leaves, so I might as well try to get some sleep. I find a row of seats and lay down, trying to fit my huge body on the tiny chairs. It only takes a few minutes for the sleep to make my eyelids heavy. In a few hours, I’ll be seeing Mara in person and I can tell her everything that I want to tell her.
I’ll tell her I love her.
I’ll tell her to come back to me.
I’ll tell her I don’t care about the business, that all I want is her.
I’ll tell her everything in my heart and I’ll never let her go.
When I drift off to sleep in the airport waiting lounge, I can hear her laugh. I can smell her perfume and I can see her smile painted on my eyelids. My heart slows down and I finally feel like things will be okay.
Chapter 42 - Dominic
The flight is uneventful. It takes just over four hours, but it feels like an eternity. My whole body is aching from the uncomfortable sleep and the tiny airplane seats, and I feel like I’ve aged ten years overnight. As the wheels touch down, I look out the window and a wave of nervousness washes over me.
I’ve never done anything like this.
When I file off the plane with my carry-on bag, the nervousness fades away. By the time I’m getting into the rental car, I’m focused and ready.
As I drive towards Mara’s address, my heart starts to beat a little bit faster. It’s not the angry, outraged heartbeat that I had yesterday. It feels like it’s beating for her – like the only reason for me to be here is to tell her everything that’s in my heart.
The GPS in the rental car guides me until the houses get bigger and the gates get higher. I frown as I look at these mansions, stuck together with no room to breathe. My cabin back home is one tenth of the size of these places, but I have all of the Adirondacks as my backyard.
I wouldn’t trade that for anything.
The voice on the GPS tells me that my destination is on the right, and I look at the tall black wrought-iron gate leading up to a big house. I pull up to the gate and press the buzzer.
“Yes?” Says a voice on the other side.
“I’m here to see Mara McCoy,” I say.
There’s a pause, and then the voice comes back. “She’s not here right now.”
“Where is she?” I answer. My eyebrows knit together and I check the address. It’s definitely the right house, but where else would she be? It’s not even ten o’clock yet.
The voice doesn’t answer. Instead, the black gate swings open and I drive through.
I try not to let the intimidation overwhelm me as I drive up to the house. Did Mara do this for me? Or did she really want to live here? It’s huge and luxurious, and she’d obviously be living a life of wealth that I’d never be able to provide for her.
I shake my head and ignore those niggling thoughts. I stop the car in front of the wide front steps. As I get out, the front door opens and a man appears. It’s not Vincent, and he’s wearing a crisp white suit with black pants.
“I’m William,” he says. “You’re here to see Miss McCoy? Is she expecting you?”
“I, uh… No,” I answer. I suddenly feel foolish. I’m wearing a flannel plaid shirt and old jeans, and I haven’t shaved my beard in days. I don’t belong here.
William nods to me and motions for me to come in. I climb the steps and swallow as I cross the threshold and enter the huge house. He leads me to a room off to the side and I sit down on an expensive-looking leather chair.
“Would you like something to drink?”
“I’m fine,” I snap. “Where’s Mara?”
William chews his lip and glances out the window. “I… I’m not sure, sir.”
I frown. “You’re not sure? What do you mean, ’you’re not sure’.”
“If you leave your name, I can tell either Miss McCoy or Mr –”
“How long has she been gone?”
“Since yesterday,” he answers.
My eyes widen and my heart drops to my stomach. I pull out my phone and dial her number. It goes straight to voicemail and I look at William. “Where the fuck is she!”
Something is wrong. I can feel it. I can tell by the way William is staring at the ground and shifting his weight from foot to foot.
“Tell me goddamn it! Where is she?”
“She left yesterday morning. She seemed… upset.”
I take a step towards him. My mouth is dry and my heart is beating hard. “Tell me where she is,” I say in a low voice.
Suddenly William looks scared. He shakes his head. “I don’t know,” he whispers. “She took the car.”
My phone rings and I rush to pick it up. It’s Tim McCoy, and when I answer I already know something is wr
ong.
“Dominic,” he says, breathless. “Are you in California?”
“I can’t find her, Tim. She’s not at home and they don’t know where she is.”
“There’s been an accident,” he says as his voice cracks. “She’s in the hospital.”
“What!” I yell, glancing at William.
“They just identified her and called me as her emergency contact. I’ll send you the hospital name.”
“I’m on my way.”
I brush past William and rush out the door. I plug the address that Tim sends into the GPS and rush to turn on the engine. My tires squeal as I accelerate back down the driveway. I curse as the gate swings open all too slowly, and finally turn off and leave that awful mansion behind me.
My mouth is dry. My knuckles are white as I grip the steering wheel. My heart is thumping and all I can hear is Tim’s voice.
There’s been an accident.
I should never have let her go. If she hadn’t come here – if she’d have just talked to me, or talked to her father – this wouldn’t have happened. If I hadn’t spent the evening smashing up that nightstand and drinking myself to sleep, I could have found her and spoken to her.
I drive as fast as I can along the blue line on the GPS until I get to the hospital. I rush to the reception and ask for her. I’m led along winding hallways until I cross swinging doors with three awful words above them: Intensive Care Unit.
She’s in the ICU. My heart drops and I try to hold back my panic. It’s not until I see her laying in the hospital bed that I let myself sob. There are tubes sticking out of her mouth, her arms, her stomach. She’s got bandages on her head and her leg is in a cast. There are machines beeping and nurses milling around.
Her eyes are closed, and I grab her hand as I sit in yet another uncomfortable chair. I put my forehead down on her hand and let the tears flow from my eyes. They soak the blue blanket on the hospital bed and I just sit there and sob until my eyes run dry.
A nurse puts her hand on my shoulder and I look up through tear-filled eyes.
“Is she going to be okay?” I manage to say.
The nurse swallows and her lips purse into a thin line. “She’s in critical condition,” she answers. “We’ll know more in a few hours.”
“Please,” I beg. “Please, just tell me she’ll be okay.”
The nurse nods. “We’re doing everything we can.” She squeezes my shoulder and I turn back to Mara, stroking her hand and letting the tears fall from my eyes.
Chapter 43 - Mara
I wake up to the sound of heated voices.
“She’s my fiancée! Get this man out of here!”
“Sir, please calm down.”
“He has no right to be here!”
I frown as I try to understand why that voice is bothering me. I try to remember who it belongs to, and why I don’t want to hear it. I try to open my eyes, but I can’t get them to open. It’s like my body doesn’t belong to me anymore. I hear that voice again and it sends fear radiating through my chest.
“Get him out of here!”
“Sir, please calm down, or we’ll have to remove both of you.”
“She never wanted to be with you, you bastard,” another voice says. My heart starts beating faster and I pray that he’ll say something else. I want to hear that voice again. That’s the voice I want to listen to.
“You used her. You have no right to be here.”
“I have every right to be here! You should be holed up in the mountains, back where you belong.”
“Fuck you,” the voice says again. “I love her more than you could love anyone… or anything.”
My eyes fly open and I take a deep breath in. “Dominic!” I call out. I struggle to focus my eyes and the voices stop. Someone takes my hand and the voice is next to me now.
“I’m here, baby, I’m here. I’m right here.”
I look at the shape beside me and blink a few times until my vision clears.
It’s him!
“Dominic,” I breathe. He’s staring at me with his eyebrows drawn together, stroking my arm and holding my hand as he crouches next to me.
“I’m here.” He kisses my hand and then brings his lips to my forehead. “I’m here.”
I breathe in that familiar smell and close my eyes again. “Dominic,” I breathe.
“You were in an accident,” he says softly. “You’re in the hospital. You’re safe now.”
I don’t understand what he means, and I don’t understand what’s going on. All I know is he’s here, he’s holding my hand and kissing my forehead. He’s brushing the hair off my face and whispering to me. I can feel him and smell him and see him.
He’s here.
I take deep breaths as I try to make sense of what’s going on.
“Mara, darling,” the other man says. I frown, turning towards him. It’s Vincent. He’s wearing a three-piece suit, and he looks stiff and uncomfortable. I shake my head and look back and Dominic, trying to keep my breath steady and my eyes on him.
“Mara, look at me,” Vincent says.
“Go away,” I croak. My throat hurts and it’s hard to speak. It barely comes out above a hoarse whisper. “Get out.”
A nurse appears and puts her hand on Vincent’s shoulder. He brushes her off and stares at me with fire in his eyes.
“I’m your fiancé!” He says. “Don’t tell me to leave!”
“It’s over,” I croak. His face contorts into a snarl and he spins around, brushing the nurse’s arm away. He stomps out of the room and I let out a deep breath. I close my eyes and squeeze Dominic’s hand. I focus on the soft stroking of his hand over mine, and the gentle sound of his voice until I drift off to sleep again.
When I wake up again, Dominic is curled up into a chair that’s much too small for him, snoring lightly as he sleeps. I watch him for a few moments and a smile drifts over my face. As if he can sense my stare, he wakes up and immediately leans forward.
“Mara! You’re awake!”
“Yeah,” I croak. My voice still sounds like a toad.
Dominic smiles and tears start to fill his eyes. “I’ve been so worried about you,” he whispers, leaning down to kiss my hand. He strokes my cheek and shakes his head. “So worried.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I came to tell you that you didn’t have to do this. I found out about the deal you made with your mother and Vincent. Mara, you don’t need to protect me. I’ll be fine. Don’t ruin your life for me.”
I try to smile and it feels like my lips are cracking. Dominic puts his forehead against mine and kisses me.
“I love you, Mara.”
Even though my whole body is aching, and I can’t move or speak or breathe without something hurting, his words make me feel like I’m floating. I smile, ignoring my cracked lips and let the tears flow from my eyes.
“I love you too, Dominic.”
“Come back with me,” he whispers. “Be with me.”
“I will,” I answer. My heart beats a little bit faster, and the machines around me beep along with it. Dominic squeezes my hand and kisses my lips. For the first time since I left Lang Creek, I feel at peace.
A knock on the door interrupts us, and my father pokes his head through. Concern is lining his face and he rushes to my side.
“Mara,” he breathes. “My God. I came as soon as I could.”
“I’m fine, Dad.” I lie. “Thank you for coming.”
He holds my other hand and I close my eyes, feeling the love of my father and Dominic radiate through me. I open my eyes again and turn to my father.
“Where’s Mom?”
My dad looks away from me and glances at Dominic. He shakes his head.
“Don’t worry about that,” he says. “Just focus on getting better.”
I frown, trying to understand him. “What do you mean? Where is she?”
“We can talk about this later,
Mara. You need to heal.”
“Dad,” I say a little bit louder. “Tell me what’s going on. I’ve been kept in the dark my whole life.”
My dad looks at Dominic and takes a deep breath. “I confronted your mother after Dominic spoke to me,” he says slowly. “She admitted what she was doing with you and Vincent. I told her I’d never pass the business on to you if you married Vincent. I told her I’d give it to Dominic, instead.”
“What?” Dominic interrupts. My dad shakes his head.
“It’s true. I’d rather you have it.” He pauses. “She left, Mara. I don’t know where she is. She drained our accounts and took the insurance payout, and she left in the middle of the night. I found out about your accident a few hours later, and I came as soon as I could.”
I stare at my father for a few moments and then close my eyes. My heart is breaking, and a tear rolls down my cheek.
She left?
Do we mean nothing to her? She just took our money and ran?
As if he can sense my pain, Dominic squeezes my hand.
“Mara, we’ll figure it out,” he says in a low voice. I open my eyes to look at the love of my life and nod my chin down. “You hear me?” he continues. “We’ll figure it out. Just get yourself better and come home with us.”
“Home,” I croak as I try to smile. “That sounds nice.”
Dominic leans over and places a soft kiss on my lips. “I love you, Mara McCoy.”
“And I love you, Dominic Clarke.”
Epilogue - Dominic
It takes a couple weeks for Mara to get strong enough to fly, but I don’t mind. Tim and I take turns at the hospital, and otherwise I explore the nearby area.
Southern California is nice, but it’s not home. I miss the lush pine trees and jagged peaks. I gaze over the Pacific Ocean and take in the rolling hills, and I sigh. I turn away from the ocean and get back in the rental car, heading towards the hospital.
Tim and Mara are waiting for me at the entrance.
“Wheelchair!” I exclaim as I get out of the car.
Mara rolls her eyes. “They made me take it. I don’t need it,” she says.
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