She smiles as she walks out the door. “It’s grand, isn’t it?”
I decide I’m done working for the day. If Ava’s feeling better, then I want to do my part to keep her feeling that way. We both needed the time to mourn for our child. I’m not sure the mourning will ever end, but we can’t let it consume us. My child is gone forever, and that is something that will be with me my entire life. I decide since this is our home, maybe I can add a small tribute to our small angel.
Walking out into the living quarters, I see Ava and Skylar are in deep conversation. The doors and windows are open to let in the fresh air. They used to be secured tightly to keep out the evil that roams outside of the house. Ava still thinks that Brett is in jail. If she knew he bonded himself out, I’m sure the windows and doors would be closed and locked. I thought about telling her, but I can’t. I don’t want her to worry. His days of harming Ava are numbered.
“Do you girls need me for anything?” I ask.
They both look up from their tablet. “No, where are you going?”
“I thought I would run down and see if Drew needed help, run to the store, and then head over to check on Nichole and little Connor.” I watch as Claire and Marshall pull up outside.
Ava looks behind her as they park their car. “Would you mind asking Dad to go with you? Mom can help us with the wedding plans.”
“No, I don’t mind. Are you going to be okay here?” I hate to ask, but I need to know.
She looks at me, searching my eyes. “I will.”
I walk over and kiss her.
After we say our hellos, Marshall and I leave, leaving the girls to work their magic. “Ava’s doing better than I expected,” he says.
“I know. I was worried about her.”
He readjusts his seatbelt with his right hand. “I’m not just saying this because Ava is my daughter, but she’s one of the strongest women I know.”
“I agree. Nothing keeps her down for long.”
“Has she said anything about the baby or trying for another one?”
“We’re sad over the loss. I didn’t know you could love something so much in a couple of months.” I stop at the red light. “I think we may need time to adjust to the loss before we plan for another baby. To lose a child is devastating, even if it is through a miscarriage. It wasn’t just a miscarriage, it was a murder. If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll make Brett Emerson pay for this.”
Marshall says, “I could kill that bastard for what’s he done to Ava. And if Connor wasn’t already dead, I would take him out, too.” I understand completely what he’s saying. When I don’t say anything, he says, “When Claire and I lost Ava’s twin, we were devastated.”
“Wait? What? Ava was a twin?”
“She was. Claire miscarried one twin, but not the other. Ava’s been a fighter since before birth.”
“I had no idea. Does Ava know this?”
“Yes. I don’t know if you’ve noticed the angel in the flower bed at our home, but it’s a memorial to our beloved child we lost.”
“No, I’m sorry. I don’t recall seeing it.”
“It’s okay. It’s just a small porcelain angel. Unless you know it’s there or its meaning, you probably wouldn’t notice it.”
Ava’s a twin. That amazes me. “I’ll have to pay more attention to it the next time I’m there. Do you know if it was a boy or a girl?”
“We do. Ava had a twin sister. If she would have been born, we would have named her Eva.” He smiles at the memory.
“Ava and Eva.” I smile.
“The names were Claire’s idea.” His smile fades. “I wanted more children after Ava was born, but Claire was too afraid.”
“I can understand.” Someone didn’t cause their miscarriage, it was an act of God. “I’m sorry for your loss,” I finally say.
“Thank you.”
Ava had a sister and I never knew about her. I guess this isn’t something you talk about. We drive past a place that makes tombstones and I get an idea. “Do you mind if we stop?”
“No, I have all day.”
We walk in and I’m happy to see they don’t just sell tombstones, they also sell cement and porcelain angels, engraved rocks, walking stones, and several other items. I decide on purchasing one large engraved garden rock. The miscarriage is still fresh in my mind and this purchase isn’t an easy one to make. Marshall helps me to come up with the right saying. Well, Google and him. It was tough for him, too.
When we arrive at Tybee Island, Drew and his dad are hard at work. Marshall and I get out and admire the work they’ve done. When Drew told me his plan, I just couldn’t envision it. But after seeing the handmade catamaran made into an outside bar, I realize it’s amazing. There is no room inside the boat for patrons, so the customers will all be gathered outside around the boat on the barstools.
“Whose brilliant idea was this?” I ask honestly.
Drew looks up and wipes the sweat off his forehead. “You like it?”
“Yeah, I really do.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that.”
“We came by to see if you needed any help,” Marshall says.
“If you’re offering, we’re accepting,” Daniel laughs.
I feel like shit for not offering my help sooner. “Sorry, I should have been here sooner to help you.”
Drew stops and looks at me. “With everything that’s been happening, are you serious? You have enough going on.” He thinks for a minute. “To be honest, I’m surprised to see you here now.”
“In case you didn’t know, there’s a wedding about to go down in the very near future.”
He smiles brightly. “I know. Skylar called and asked me how soon I wanted to get married.” He wipes away more sweat. “I told her I just needed a shower and I’ll be there.” Everyone laughs. “It’s funny how quickly things can change.”
He’s talking about being reunited with Skylar, but my mind goes to the rapid loss of my baby. “It is. I’m glad you guys got it all worked out. I’ve never seen her so happy,” I say sincerely.
“She rocks my world. Now we just need to set a wedding date. I’m ready now, but I guess she wants to see if I get spooked again.”
We all start setting up lower shelves inside the boat. It’s only big enough for two people and the supplies they need, so Marshall and I work from outside the bar, handing them the items they need. The bar is a unique look and I can see this is going to be a big attraction with the tourists and the locals. Daniel explains how they had to remodel Xander’s boat to make it work as a bar. Drew also said they once thought about having it as a floating bar but soon changed their minds. He didn’t think serving swimmers alcohol while still in the water was a good idea. I hide my laugh at the vision of drunken swimmers. However, a stationary boat that serves beer, wine, and a few mixed drinks could be a gold mine.
I invite Daniel over for dinner. Since the girls are busy with wedding plans, it only makes sense to stop by and grab food for everyone. The inn has always been the gathering place, and I never want that to stop. I call Ava and give her a heads-up. She was already planning on having everyone stay for dinner. This doesn’t surprise me. I also invite Nichole and little Connor to come over. Little Connor is adjusting to Nichole and his newly extended family. I’m sure Nichole never dreamed of raising a child in her later years, but she seems happy.
Dinner is filled with love and laughter. The upcoming wedding, the completion of the carriage house, and the grand opening of the bar and the bakery all call for a celebration, not to mention that Daniel and Rachael are moving to Savannah permanently.
“With the near completion of the bakery and the bar, I think we need to set a date for the grand opening,” I say. “You know, have the Mayor there, have the media there, and make it a big deal. It’ll bring in a lot of attention to the new businesses.”
Nichole laughs. “I was just thinking of posting something in the paper and calling it a grand opening.” I’m not surprised by her response. I can
see why she doesn’t want to be in the limelight. “I want to at least wait until our name change is in effect.”
“Name change?” Ava asks.
“I didn’t tell you?”
“Nope.”
“Connor and I are changing our last names.”
Ava seems excited. “To what?”
“I’m going back to my maiden name. It’s time. Plus, I want little Connor and me to share the same last name.”
“I think that’s amazing. What’s your maiden name?” Ava asks.
Nichole kneels down in front of Connor. “Do you want to tell them your new name?”
“Connor Andrews.”
“Nichole and Connor Andrews?” Ava says. “I like it. It sounds good together.”
“Thank you. It should be legal any day now.” Nichole stands and looks around the room.
Ava watches Nichole. “Congratulations. You’re really doing better, aren’t you?”
“I am and Connor and I are planning on great things for our future.”
I wrap my arms around Ava’s waist. “Us, too,” I say.
When everyone leaves and it’s just Ava and me, I say, “I didn’t know you were a twin?”
“Yep, I had a sister.”
“I didn’t know that. Ava and Eva.” I smile. “I’m still shocked my wife is a twin.”
“Sadly, not many people know that.”
“I bought you something today.” I walk out to the truck and get the gift I bought for her earlier today. I hand her two items.
“This one’s heavy.” She laughs as I place the heavy stone on her lap.
“It is. It’s for the flower bed at the carriage house.”
She removes the tissue paper that’s protecting the stone. The large stone reads, “While some babies learn to crawl, others learn to fly.” It has a picture of two baby angels with feathery wings and a halo hovering around their heads.
“Is this Eva and our baby?”
“It is. I thought it seemed appropriate.”
She cries. “I love it.”
“I’m glad. We can place it in the garden tomorrow. Now open the other one.”
I watch as she removes the item from the gift bag. “Oh.” She looks confused. “It’s a the Explorer cereal bowl.” She lines her brow as she looks over at me.
“I got it for you because I think you’re adorable.”
“Thank you,” she says in confusion. Finally she asks, “Is this supposed to mean something?”
I hide my laugh. “It is.”
“I don’t get it.”
“It’s a Dora bowl.”
We both laugh when she finally gets the meaning. “A Dora bowl… adorable. I get it, that’s hilarious.” She leans in and kisses me. “I think you’re adorable, too.”
The next morning, Ava is outside, setting the stone I’d bought for her in the flower bed at the carriage house. She’s dressed in jeans and a pale pink sweater. It’s a sunny spring morning. I don’t go out and help her, but I admire her from the window. She carefully places the stone where she wants it and brushes the mulch away from it. I watch as she looks up at the sky and brushes away her tears before she stands and brushes the dirt off the knee of her jeans.
I know I shouldn’t, but I keep thinking if I had told her about my feelings for her in college, all of this could have been avoided. Ava would have only been loved and she never would have endured the nightmare that became her reality. Brett and Connor never would have entered her life, causing such chaos.
She’s never told me the entire truth of what her life was like with Connor. I wanted to know, but I didn’t want her to relive those memories. I know it was bad, and I can only imagine how bad it must have been. Guardian columnist Lindy West once wrote, “The world is not currently a safe or just place, and people you love are almost certainly harboring secrets that would break your heart.” I memorized that quote because I felt it contained wisdom.
When she sees me, she waves. I smile and wave back. Opening the door I walk outside and join her. “Enjoying the morning?”
“I am. Do you want to see the carriage house with me?”
“Sure, I’d love to.” We walk into the house and it’s nearly done. “The foreman said we can move in next week.”
“That soon?”
“I know, can you believe it?”
“We’ll finally be living alone,” she says. “Is it odd that I’ll miss Skylar and Drew?”
“Since we’ll still be on the same property, yes, it is weird.”
She giggles. “I know, right? But I’ll be glad to finally have some alone time with you.”
I kiss her. “Me, too.”
As soon as we walk into the house, she walks away from me and walks into what would have been the baby’s nursery. “Maybe when the doctor clears me, we can try to have another baby.”
I lean against the door frame and say, “You want to start on a family right away?”
“I didn’t know I wanted a baby until I was pregnant. Now that I’m not pregnant, I’m sort of lost without it.” She turns to look at me. “I’m not looking to replace the child I lost because I know that will never happen.”
I feel like she’s trying to tell me the reason why she feels like this. She doesn’t need a reason to want to have a child so soon. “I’d love to fill this house up with babies.”
She looks up at me and smiles. “Maybe we can have one baby at a time.”
“Or two at a time. I’m good either way.”
“I love you, you know that, right?”
“I do.”
“As soon as the doctor clears you, I’d like nothing more than to start working on a family.”
On Saturday, we have a cookout and call it a house warming since the carriage house is finally finished. Ava and Skylar even rented a jump house for little Connor. Marshall works the grill, Drew tends the makeshift bar, and Ava’s job is to mingle with our guests.
Slowly but surely, our lives are getting back to normal. Laughter and smiles replace the hatred. Love and kindness replace the sadness, and family and friends fill our lives.
The phone to the inn rings and I answer it on speakerphone. “Thank you for calling Rose Garden Inn. How may I help you?” I smile as I watch little Connor in the jump house.
A familiar voice is on the other end. “My business there isn’t done.”
The blood in my veins rush to my head. Everyone stops what they are doing and looks at the phone I’m holding in my hand. With white knuckles, I squeeze the phone tighter. Marshall’s the first one to speak. “You won’t get a second chance, Brett.”
Drew says, “Your days are numbered, dickhead.”
“Bitch, you better sleep with one eye open. I’m comin’ for you, asshole,” Skylar says with hatred in her voice.
I look at Nichole and Ava. They both look fearful as they run into the house crying. The phone goes dead while I’m still holding it. I look around the yard before running after Ava and Nicole. I silently vow to end this, once and for all. I note to myself that I need to call Marshall.
Guess Who
The next day, the police call and inform us that Brett is dead. He drowned after bailing himself out of jail. The police said that the drowning was an accident. He had been drinking, and he fell out of his boat.
I knew that Brett had drowned, but I know something that the police don’t know. The drowning was not an accident. I murdered him.
It was easy. Brett lives on Lake Mayer. I drove there near sunset and left my car a few streets over, then I walked to Brett’s house. I made sure that I parked legally because I didn’t want a parking ticket that would show that I was in the area.
Getting into Brett’s house was not a problem. We share the same security firm to protect our homes, so I know the ins and outs and what to do to get inside without being detected. Once inside, I found Brett drinking and watching television. I was able to quietly sneak up behind him, one cautious, quiet step at a time, and using chloroform, I was able t
o render him unconscious. I used latex gloves so there would be no fingerprints to connect me to this crime.
I then dragged his unconscious body to his boat in the back of his house. I had driven by and cased the area before finalizing my plans to kill him. I knew drowning him would be believable. Boating accidents happen all the time. Although life jackets are required on boats, it’s not required that boaters wear them.
I struggled to put Brett’s unconscious body into the boat. It was late at night, and no one was around. Then I steered the powerboat from his private boat dock out into the deep water and waited until Brett began to regain consciousness, then I shoved him overboard and steered the boat a short distance away until Brett, who was groggy and unable to swim, stopped shouting for help. I let the motor idle to help cover up the shouts. I stood inside the boat so he could see me. I wanted him to know who was responsible for his death. I wanted him to see me smiling as he struggled to stay afloat. It wasn’t a forced smile. Knowing he would never be able to hurt anyone again brought me much happiness.
Once his drunken shouts stopped and he was no longer splashing in the water, I jumped from the boat and swam to shore. I left the boat’s motor running to make it seem like a true boating accident.
All that remained to do was to put on the dry clothing I had in my car and then drive home.
I knew that the police would think that Brett had fallen out of his boat and drowned. They would probably find the boat in the middle of the water first, and then search for the body.
I did this alone with no accomplices. The trouble with accomplices is that they increase the risk of getting caught. I intend to tell no one — ever — what I did. I hid my newfound happiness from the others until they got word of Brett’s demise.
I don’t know what will happen on Judgment Day. I hope that God grades on a curve.
Seeking the Future Page 14