This was her secret. This was why she was haunted by the past. This was why Vito making a sudden appearance in her life had made her crumble.
“That’s all understandable behavior, Nana.”
“Understandable. Understandable doesn't make her death any easier to bear. If I’d warned her to go home, if I’d convinced her to go anywhere but stay with Vito, she might still be alive today.” A deep shudder consumed Nana, but he held her tightly and didn’t let go.
“Did Vito kill her?” Of course, it could have been an overdose, but George suspected it was more than that.
“Essentially.” She looked up at him, her eyes locked with his. “Just as I essentially killed her.”
“An overdose then?” George asked.
Nana shook her head. “One of Vito’s soldiers, a man named Hut. I don’t recall his real name.” She pressed her lips together as she put the memories back together, memories she had no doubt relived countless times, before ripping them into tiny pieces and throwing them in the trash, only for them to put themselves back together again.
“He killed Marianne?”
She nodded once. “Vito gave her to Hut in return for a job he’d done. Gave her away as if she were an object, not a child who was lost and needed help.”
“And where is Hut now?” George asked evenly.
“Dead.” Nana shook her head. “He died in a prison cell before he got to trial.”
“How did he die? Suicide?”
“No, in a fight with another inmate. The other guy was already in for murder and they got into a fight. The inmate pulled a knife and killed Hut.”
“Was Hut guilty? Did he confess?” George asked.
“No. No confession. But the evidence was there. He got high and strangled her. No one else left or entered the room until I went in and found her.” Nana broke away from George and went to stare at the droplets of water hanging in the air above the pool. “It could have been me. I was so selfish, all I kept thinking when they took the body away was that it could have been me.”
“But it wasn’t.” George stood beside her, staring at the water. “What happened wasn’t your fault.”
“It was.” She nodded emphatically. “It was.”
“Nana, you were young. You were scared. I can’t imagine what that was like. But you were not responsible for one human being taking the life of another.” He wanted to convince her, to show her that she was a victim here, too. “Vito used you. And I’ll make damn sure he never uses you again. Or anyone else.”
“I was going to leave Chance Heights, you know. The night we met, I’d made up my mind that the best thing I could do was leave the kids and not taint them with my presence. I didn’t want Vito to get a hold on them.” She lifted her hand, making a clawing motion. “He gets under your skin and inside your head and you can’t shake him off. He finds your weakness and uses it against you.”
“But you beat him. You got away. You didn’t end up dead like Marianne.” George’s words finally cut through the dark cloud surrounding Nana.
“After they arrested Hut, I left. I packed everything I owned into a suitcase I found in a dumpster and left. I had nowhere to go, and then I saw the advertisement for a live-in mother’s helper. And I came to Chance Heights. I left the old me behind. I had a second chance and I grabbed it with both hands and didn’t let go.”
“And that’s the person you are today. Don’t let Vito drag you backward. Don’t let him destroy you.” George’s temper flared.
“He knows where I live. What if he tries to hurt the kids?” Nana placed her hand over her mouth. “He made remarks about Sage. He saw her at the airport, sent me a photograph of the truck.”
“You were going to leave to protect them.” Now he understood why she would walk away from the people she loved. People who loved her as a mother. And a mate.
“Yes. The thought that I brought Vito into their lives kills me.” Nana’s cheeks were streaked with dried tears, but something about her had changed. A fire flashed in her eyes as she spoke about the children. She was letting go of her guilt and preparing to fight for what she wanted.
“That’s more like it.” He grinned. “You need to channel a mama bear.”
Nana turned away from him and bent down to scoop handfuls of water up, which she splashed over her face. “The shock of Vito contacting me screwed with my head.” She stood up, her hands on her hips. “You’ve reminded me that if I want to protect the children, I have to be here, in Bear Creek. If Vito is playing with me, if he does return, I’m ready for him.”
“Are you going to tell Sage, Luke, and Marcus all this?” George asked. “If you do, I’ll be there at your side. If that’s what you want.”
“Thank you, George, you are a sweet man. But I think this is something I need to do alone.” She placed her hands on his cheeks, they were cold from the pool, but he didn’t notice. “Thank you for helping me find the way through all this.”
“My pleasure.” He drew her closer and lowered his head to kiss her soft lips. Nana moistened her lips and slipped her hands over his shoulders and crossed them behind his neck, sending shivers down his spine.
Their lips met, and Nana pressed her body close to his, clinging to him as he slid his tongue along her lower lip. She tasted of chicken salad and wine, mixed with the salt of her tears. She sighed as their kiss deepened, and opened her mouth so their tongues could entwine, just as their bodies would entwine when they mated.
Tension grew inside him, and he hardened, his need for her evident as they held each other next to the waterfall. All thoughts of studying the flow of the water down the mountain were gone as his pulse drummed like a raging current through his veins. All that mattered was Nana and the way she felt in his arms.
“We should get back.” Nana took a step back, breaking their embrace and their kiss as she turned to start packing up the picnic. George watched her for a moment and then knelt to help her. “Sorry.”
“For what?” he asked.
“Cutting our afternoon short.” She gave him a crooked smile. “Now that I’ve decided to tell the children, I want to get it over with.” She blew out a breath in a huff. “Maybe after…” She looked away and then knelt up, cupped his face in her hands and said, “Maybe after I could come over. Give them all a chance to talk it out without me there.”
“Why don’t you see what happens? If you want to come over, just call. But if not, if you want to stay with them…well, I’m flexible. Okay?” He stroked her face, and she leaned into him.
“Okay.” She nodded and then grinned mischievously. “Are you always this understanding?”
“Yes. Pretty much.” He packed the last of the food into the picnic basket and then stood up. Between them they folded the picnic blanket and then Nana placed the wine and glasses in the cooler bag.
They stood together on the bank of the pool, George wrapped his arm around her shoulders and Nana rested her head on his shoulder. At that moment the past and the present didn’t matter, they were two people alone in the world, no one, no thing could touch them.
And if anyone tries, I’ll tear them apart, his bear said matter-of-factly.
If I don’t get them first, George said in return.
They walked back down the mountain, hand in hand, taking their time, enjoying each other’s company. The tension that had accompanied them up the mountain trail was gone, blown away on a mountain breeze. The connection they shared was deeper, built on trust and a belief in each other. They could face whatever life threw at them and conquer any problem together.
Together they were strong, invincible.
Which made it harder for George to drive Nana home and leave her there to face her children alone.
“I’ll be okay,” she assured him. “They’ll understand. I was stupid to keep it from them.”
“Call me if you need me, Nana.” He stood outside the car, holding the passenger door open for her.
“I will.” She slid out of the car, her hand in
his. “Don’t worry.”
“Hey, Nana, you’re back.” Sage came around the side of the house with an armful of blankets. “We didn’t expect to see you until later. Is everything okay?”
“Yes.” Nana looked up at George through her eyelashes, and then stood on tiptoes and kissed his cheek before whispering, “I’ll call you later.”
She stepped away from him, but he held on to her hand, drinking in the sight of her until color rose in her cheeks. “I’m here for you no matter what.”
Her mouth twitched at the corners. “Not right here? Because that would be creepy.”
He chuckled. “I’ll wait along the road a ways instead.” He winked as he walked away and got back in the car. With a wave, he drove away, leaving her alone.
He missed her presence almost immediately. But one last look in the rearview mirror showed Sage approaching Nana. He had to give them space to work it all out.
Chapter Thirteen – Nana
“George left.” Sage came and stood next to Nana who stared after his car. “Didn’t he want to come in for coffee?”
Nana shook her head but didn’t take her eyes off George until his car turned a corner and disappeared from view. “Not this time.” Nana took a deep breath and added, “Are Luke and Marcus around?”
Sage’s expression showed her concern as she answered, “Yes, they’re out in the back yard.”
“Can you round them up and meet me in the kitchen?” Nana asked.
“Okay, now I am worried.” Sage shifted the blankets in her arms and turned to face Nana. “Has something happened?”
“No.”
“Something you aren’t telling us?” Sage’s face clouded over. “Are you ill?”
Nana placed her hand on Sage’s arm. “No. It’s nothing like that.”
“Then what?” Her daughter. So young, so fierce, so concerned for the woman who raised her.
“When I came here…I wasn’t the person I am today.” Nana tried to keep her voice even.
Sage’s head snapped back. “You’ve never spoken about your past.”
“No.” Nana met her daughter’s eyes. She wasn’t going to hide anymore. “But I’d like to. I think you should know who I am.”
Sage looked toward the house and then back to Nana. “No matter who you were, we all love you.”
A stray tear trickled down Nana’s cheek and she brushed it away. “I hope so.”
Sage stepped forward and dragged Nana into a tight hug. “We all know you didn’t come from a happy place,” she said quietly.
“What do you mean?” Nana paled at the implications of that sentence.
“Marcus remembers the conversation Mom and Dad had that day.” Sage averted her eyes for a moment, before taking hold of Nana’s hand and looking her in the eye. “We don’t know the details of your life. Mom and Dad never knew. They didn’t research you or anything.”
Nana swallowed with relief. “When I came here, it wasn’t hard to see I didn’t fit in.”
Sage’s brow creased. “You absolutely fit in, we all loved you from the first day we met. You’re fun and hardworking. I remember Mom once…” Sage blew air out from between her pursed lips in an attempt to control her emotions. “Mom was reading me a bedtime story, there was a princess and a prince. I told her I wanted to be a princess.”
“I remember. You wanted to be a princess who helped other people fight the dragon instead of relying on Prince Charming.” Nana had spent many hours listening to the stories Sage told about kickass princesses.
“Mom told me that a real-life princess is always willing to learn and grow and help other people. She used to tell me princesses should be more like Nana, able to move on and not let their past hold them back.” Sage sniffed loudly. “Mom and Dad were very proud of you, Nana.”
Nana shook her head, “You were too young to really remember.” Nana didn’t want to dismiss Sage’s words, but she was nothing special. She certainly wasn’t a role model.
“I was old enough.” Sage turned toward the house and as she did, she reached out for Nana’s hand. “Come on, let’s go find those boys. If you want to tell us about your life before you came here, we’ll listen, because it’s important to you. But it won’t make us love you less.”
“You don’t know that,” Nana replied.
“Yes. Yes, I do,” Sage said resolutely, and Nana believed her. She believed that the unconditional love she felt for the children was reciprocated. Why she’d doubted that fact she didn’t know. Perhaps because Vito had made her step back into the shadows of her past. But she wasn’t that lost girl anymore. From the moment she set eyes on Chance Heights, she had been in a happy place, and she was never going to give that up. Not without a fight to the death.
***
“And this Vito followed Sage to the parking lot?” Marcus gripped the shovel in his hand, looking as if he would soon be using it to dig Vito’s grave.
“Yes, he sent me a photo.” Nana bowed her head in shame. “I should have told you sooner.”
“That explains why you were so odd the afternoon you came back,” Sage said. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Nana hesitated, and Marcus’s face clouded with anger. “Because you didn’t want us to know about your past.”
“No.” Nana shook her head. “And yes.” She gulped down the swell of tears in her throat. “He said that if I left, if I did what he wanted, then he’d leave you alone.”
Luke huffed loudly. “You were going to go with him. To protect us.”
“Vito is my problem, he’s from my past. I don’t want you tainted by that, you are such good people.” Nana knew she could make them understand, but she hoped they would one day forgive her.
“You are part of this family,” Marcus said firmly. “Walking away does not make this right. If one of us had a problem, if we’d gotten into trouble at school, would you want us to just disappear? Running away doesn’t make things right.”
Sage placed a soothing hand on her brother’s clenched bicep in an attempt to calm him down. “Nana was doing what she thought best.”
Luke moved closer to Nana and put his arm tenderly around her shoulder. “And shouting does not make any of this any better.”
Marcus turned away and rubbed his jaw. “I’m sorry. I lost my temper.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.” Nana shrugged. “I got scared and fell back into the person I used to be.”
“But that’s not you anymore and you’re not alone, and we’re not kids,” Sage said firmly. “So what are we going to do?”
“Nothing,” Nana said. “At least hopefully nothing. The last text Vito sent me said he was going to leave me in peace.” She looked back toward the house, picturing George’s car driving away. “He knows about George. Maybe Vito didn’t want to go through my three grown children and my boyfriend to get to me.”
Marcus huffed and shook his head. “Boyfriend.” Sage dug him in the ribs. “Sorry. It’s gonna take a while for me to get used to having another man around.”
“I know. But you will have to get used to him.” Nana’s cheeks flushed pink. “I like him. I like him a lot. I’ll admit when he first walked into my life, I tried to shut him out. But that’s more to do with not wanting him to get caught up in my troubles.”
“Now that those troubles have passed, you are going to give George and the mating bond a chance, aren’t you?” Luke asked, hugging her closer. “Because I speak for us all when I say we want you to be happy. You deserve it. You deserve to be loved by a good man and George is a good man.”
“I know.” Nana looked up at Luke. “So are you, and Marcus.” She reached for her eldest son’s hand. “And Sage deserves the best of men.”
“She’ll never be happy, no one will ever live up to me,” Marcus joked, lifting the mood.
Sage’s eyes widened. “You, big brother, are the stubbornest man I’ve ever met. It’s going to take a certain kind of woman to deal with you.”
“I’m in no rus
h,” Marcus lied. “I still have plenty of work to do here.”
“Such as implementing George’s ideas?” Luke asked and earned himself a scowl. “You know they’re good. You also know you have to let him in. He’s gonna be part of our family whether you like it or not.”
“So you might as well like it,” Sage told Marcus.
“Shall we go eat?” Marcus asked, digging his shovel into the ground with one hand, and then pulling Nana toward the house. “I’d just like one more dinner with my family before we all fall in love and go our separate ways.”
Marcus’s words showed his true feelings. He was scared of losing what they had. As Nana glanced at Sage and Luke, she knew they felt it, too. Their tight-knit little family was about to be broken apart and put back together in a different shape.
“We’ll always be there for each other,” Sage said as she and Luke peeled potatoes and Nana cut up vegetables. Marcus seasoned a roast chicken and put it in the oven.
“We will,” Marcus said. “At least I’ll be here. Whenever you need me.”
“Oh, I think you’ll find love soon enough,” Nana told him.
“A special kind of love. One that’s all-consuming,” Sage added.
Marcus laughed. “Do you still believe in all that true love stuff, Sage? I thought you grew out of waiting for your prince charming to come along.”
“I’ve always believed in love. It’s hard not to, when the one thing I remember about Mom and Dad is just how much they loved each other.” She sliced a potato in half, and then wiped her eyes as the other people in the kitchen fell silent.
“Come on.” Luke wiped his hands and went to the fridge, where he wrapped his hand around a cool bottle of elderflower wine. Straightening up, he fetched four wine glasses and poured each of them a glass. “Let’s drink to the future. To all our futures. I know one thing for sure, Mom and Dad are looking down on us and hoping we all get our happy endings. No matter what they are.”
“To happy endings,” they all chorused.
They finished preparing dinner and sat around talking over old memories. Occasionally Nana caught Marcus looking at her in an odd way, but she didn’t challenge him on it, not until they were left alone to wash the dishes.
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