Echo (The Butterfly Series Book 3)

by Isabella Redwood

  ‘We should take the kids back to the house and you and Cross can talk with your dad. Should we call Mia?’ I began as Nicholi pulled me to one side.

  ‘There is no way I’m leaving you. No,’ he pleaded as I took both his hands to kiss them.

  ‘Nic, this is not the place for the kids. We are safe at the house and you need this time. Don’t let it be too late. You have things you need to say to him.’ Trying to instil the words he had said to me into him before it was too late.

  It was pointless. Nicholi left Cross at the hospital with Sophia, and we took the twins and JC to the house.

  Settling the girls down for a nap after their lunch, I sat with JC colouring while Nicholi watched us. Taking a peek at him, I could see how conflicted he was, the safety of his family versus, speaking to his dad for possibly the last time. The doctor had told us it was touch and go. I had to do something to prove to him I could protect JC and myself.

  ‘Nic, can I speak to you for a second?’ Leaving JC to colour I had to make him see before it was too late.

  ‘Please, don’t try and convince me to leave you here. It won’t happen,’ he began and I held up my hands. It was time for bad cop.

  ‘Do you really think after everything that happened I am some weak defenceless little woman who can’t stand up for herself? That I need you, to be my saviour.’ Pulling off the performance of a lifetime.

  ‘I survived, not because of you. Because of me. I am a fighter and if she ever came within two feet of JC, she would be dead. You need to go and if you don’t then you are not the man I love. A coward who hides behind his girl because he is too afraid to tell his dad he fucked up. Now go, Nicholi, or else I will lose all respect for you.’ Staring at the man I love with the vehemence way I had just spoken to him curdled my insides. I could not give in now.

  ‘I’m not going anywhere.’ Nicholi moved closer to me as I stepped away in unison.

  ‘You don’t get to tell me you don’t need me or that I’m useless. Trust me; if I wanted that, I would be sat at his bedside watching the man I once knew shrivel into oblivion. I belong here with my family and if he has taught me anything, it would be to learn from his mistakes. He lost everything and I will never make that same mistake. I’m not leaving you,’ enunciating every word as he pulled me into his arms and I wrapped myself around him.

  ‘I had to try,’ I began as he placed his finger over my mouth tracing the outline as his lips moved closer, the spark igniting and taking us all whole.

  ‘I know and I love you for it, but even if you don’t need me, I need you and, what?’ His eyes darted around the room as I fixated on the image before me.

  ‘Nicholi, you sure have a keeper there,’ winking at me as I tried to restart my heart.

  ‘Go,’ Nicholi mouthed, pushing me behind him as I reached to open the door.

  ‘Sorry, I really need to talk to her, Nicholi. You can go and take Jacob upstairs to his room. I have no desire or intention to hurt anyone. I just want to talk.’ She lifted her arms to show she had no weapons.

  My eyes followed the shape of her body, the bones visibly sticking through. She looked like death was just around the corner waiting for her and I knew she was no threat, not to us.

  ‘It’s okay, Nicholi, I want to talk to her. Take JC upstairs.’ He looked at me as though I had completely lost my mind and I reached for the gun he had in the safe by the side of the door.

  ‘See she is completely safe, Nicholi,’ she nodded respectfully as I aimed the gun at her and took the safety off.

  ‘Two seconds.’ He ran at Olympic speed with Jacob out of the door.

  ‘So, Larissa, ever heard of knocking?’ Staring at the person who looked nothing like the woman that had haunted my dreams.

  ‘People tend not to be very welcoming these days. Look, Alexa, we do not have long. You got the boxes right? The ones I sent you. This is very important, you have to remember, the key is.’ Before she could finish the door flew open again with Nicholi and my father thundering forward.

  ‘I will see to this, Lexi, go with him. On your knees, now,’ my father shouted so loud the echo ricocheted back and forth against the walls of the office.

  ‘Lexi, remember, you have to remember, I never wanted this, it was not my…’

  The shots rang out in my ears as Nicholi’s arms wrapped around me and threw me out of the room. We landed against the back wall and trying to reach forward, Nicholi grabbed my arms.

  ‘You don’t need to see that.’ He took my hand and pulled me up the stairs to JC and the twins.

  ‘We are going to the hospital.’ My voice was stern and unyielding as I carried the twins down to the car.

  ‘Lexi, you’re all safe now. She can’t hurt us ever again,’ my father shouted gleefully as I stopped, but did not turn to see his face.

  ‘Thanks,’ I uttered walking to the car and buckling the kids in with Nicholi behind me.

  ‘We are not coming back here again,’ he concluded as I pulled out into the driveway and left our demons sealed inside that house.

  We sat in the waiting room for hours, just passing the time with endless conversation about nothing. The weather, food, anything and nothing.

  Everyone too stunned to even process what had happened. Larissa was dead. It was over, yet a part of me knew it would never be, not until I could make sense of what she said to me. I had to remember and the boxes were the only things I could think of. Desperate to go through and try to figure out what she meant.

  ‘He is off the ventilator,’ Nicholi confirmed taking my hand and sitting next to me.

  ‘Lexi?’ startling at the sound of my name. He pulled me onto his lap wrapping me in the arms that could take away any pain.

  ‘I didn’t mean it. I always need you. I just wanted you to have the chance to say anything,’ he interjected before I could finish, kissing me.

  ‘I know, baby, I know. I couldn’t leave you and now it is all over. She is truly gone,’ he sighed with relief and I could not share the information she had imparted on me before my father shot her, not now.

  ‘He is here if you want to speak with him. I had told him you were at the house when he came earlier. I think he wants to tell you about the illness. Lexi, will you talk with him?’ Sophia pleaded and I nodded resolute that this needed to happen.

  ‘Come with me?’ I turned to Nicholi who looked at me completely incredulous that I would ever doubt it.

  We walked hand in hand to the parking garage where my father was waiting. Driving us to a coffee shop, I sat down still clutching onto Nicholi’s hand as we all ordered coffee.

  ‘I am so glad that I could be there today and put an end to your suffering,’ he smiled as though he was a true saviour.

  I swallowed away the hatred fuelling me.

  ‘Sophia told me about your illness. I’m sorry and I wanted you to know that. But it is too late for us. You know that.’

  He nodded and for the first time, I felt like we were really connecting.

  ‘I know, Lexi, I know. I have made awful decisions in my life, but I can’t change the past as much as you can’t. It would be a lie to say I would do things differently because I have always done what I thought was right.’

  The connection lost instantly. Like cheap dial-up that was oversubscribed.

  ‘I know. We need to leave, goodbye, Dad.’ Leaving five dollars on the table, I walked with my future husband and finally left my demons behind me.

  Re-joining Cross and Sophia at the hospital, Mia had also arrived and we all sat together waiting for news on Nicholi and Cross’s father.

  ‘What did she say, at the end?’ Sophia asked, clinging onto Cross tightly as I processed everything.

  ‘She said I needed to remember. I don’t know; she was rambling.’

  Nicholi interrupted edging closer to me and handing me the coffee he had just procured.

  ‘I think we just all need to move on. We have clung to the past for so long, and now with Larissa gone, we can focus on the
future.’

  Cross nodded in agreement and I could not fault how in control he seemed, especially at the news of his mother. It was as though he had already grieved her loss and I wondered whether I would feel the same when our father died.

  Sitting down next to Nicholi’s father, the man I had seen in the forest that day flashed before my eyes. Opening his eyes and looking around the room, Mia gasped as he focused on her and smiled briefly.

  Nicholi and Cross sat with him and I returned to Sophia’s home with the twins to get some rest.

  ‘I can’t believe it is finally over.’ I covered us up with the blanket as I lay down on the pillow, sleeping in the same bed, neither of us wanting to be alone, just like when we were kids.

  ‘Do you think we should just forget what she said?’ Not able to make any sense out of it anyway, it seemed hopeless and Sophia nodded.

  ‘I think we need to focus on the future. Too much time has passed so quickly, and we need to treasure every moment, not waste it on some lost cause that will no doubt lead to a dead end anyway.’

  I nodded and turned over, my whole being exhausted.

  I could hear someone enter the room, but the pull to sleep was too strong. I felt a gentle touch on my arms and opened my eyes to see Nicholi at my side with his hand outstretched.

  I took it eagerly and he led me to the guest room, holding me close as though we had been parted for days.

  ‘I missed you,’ he sighed, as our bodies responded to the proximity of each other. The nerve endings dancing in unison as each layer melded into one.

  ‘How is your dad?’ Finally able to piece words together after the welcome back we had intimately shared.

  ‘He is awake and talking. My mom stayed with him while Cross and I came back to get some sleep. I couldn’t be away from you any longer.’ He pulled me on top of him as he gently moved the fallen hair behind my ear.

  ‘After we have gone through the boxes, I just want to store them and focus on the future.’ I watched his expression and I think I saw relief there.

  ‘I really do feel like the nightmare is over. We will always have security as a paramount feature in our lives, but we would anyway. Other than that, I just want us to be a normal family, have our wedding and start trying again for a brother or sister for JC.’ He smiled so sweetly I felt my heart still. He was all mine.

  We were leaving to go back to Alaska soon and Nicholi had wanted me to meet his dad before we left. Opening the door, I saw Mia quickly release his hand as we entered. I smiled at her, encouragingly. I knew he was the love of her life and maybe now, there was a chance for them.

  ‘Lexi, it is a pleasure to meet you,’ Angelo took my hand and gestured for me to sit down.

  ‘Nicholi, could you please get us some drinks. I would like to speak with my daughter in law for a moment.’ Nicholi looked taken aback, but my smiling and nodding in agreement had him off to the vending machines with Mia helping.

  ‘It is great to see you so well,’ I began, but he interrupted.

  ‘Lexi, our past is intertwined in the worst possible ways and now with Larissa gone, I want to weave us a new future. If you can ever forgive me,’ he stalled and I stared at him in utter confusion.

  ‘Forgive you, for what?’ my heart pounding as the thought maybe he was the missing key after all had me edging further away from him.

  ‘I was unable to protect your family. She destroyed them as she did mine, and I was a hopeless bystander. For that, I only hope you can forgive me one day.’

  Relieved, I calmed a little and reassured him he was not to blame.

  ‘Angelo, Larissa said something at the end, that I needed to remember and…’

  The door opened with Nicholi and Mia holding an array of snacks and drinks and knowing I was supposed to be leaving this behind, I quickly changed the subject.

  We said our goodbyes and boarded the plane back to Alaska, hoping to have the summer we planned without any further surprises.

  I went through the boxes with Sophia when we arrived back. Other than provide us with family memories, photos, and our journals, there was nothing. At the bottom of the box was the jewellery box my father had bought me for my seventeenth birthday. Not wanting to dwell on it, with Nicholi’s help, we carried the boxes up to the attic and hid them away in a corner. Ready to move on, once and for all.

  **

  The summer passed so quickly and school would be starting soon for JC. Having sold the mansion house, we needed to decide on where we were going to settle after we were married. The Alaska home would be our holiday home, but we needed something more central for JC and Nicholi to work.

  After much debating back and forth, Nicholi had asked if I would consider moving back to Seattle.

  ‘It is such a great area, everything we need and the school district is perfect. What do you think?’ He took my hand and kissed it tenderly as I ploughed through the emotions of returning home.

  ‘Yes, let’s do it.’ I watched Nicholi overjoyed with the final decision and he grabbed us some paper so we could start designing our new home together.

  Sophia had returned with the twins and Cross as her due date approached and as the phone rang, I knew it would be them.

  ‘Oh, that is wonderful. Pictures, please. We will leave in the morning. Thanks, Cross.’ I hung up the phone and checked for the images.

  ‘He is here, Liam Seth Veneto.’ I cried with happiness at the picture of my new nephew, a double of his father.

  ‘He is adorable. Our turn next,’ Nicholi proclaimed as I hugged him close and we made love over our house plans.

  Packing up to leave was bittersweet. JC did not want to leave and neither did I. We would be travelling straight after our wedding shower and as things started arriving; our excitement levels were building.

  ‘I can’t wait to see everything you have planned,’ Sophia confirmed, as I watched Liam with his sisters over Skype.

  ‘I can’t wait to see him and you all too.’ I was ecstatic that they would be arriving soon and we were so close to our wedding now.

  ‘Have you broken ground on the house in Seattle?’ She was nursing Liam who had decided food was much better than technology as I smiled at the thought of our new home filled with a new baby.

  ‘Yes, Nicholi has said it has to be ready for when our honeymoon is over, so they are working round the clock in shifts. It is his baby and he is so excited about it.’ Watching his eyes light up at any mention of the house was such a joy after the last year’s events.

  ‘So we have news too. Cross is opening a new firm and we are moving too. You’re going to have company,’ she announced as I bounced with excitement.

  ‘You are moving to Seattle? Where?’ Having all my family together was my happy ending and I could not have hoped for more.

  ‘Around a thirty-minute drive from you and we will be moving just after you get back from honeymoon. Cross is thrilled with the new challenge and I get to be with my sister.’ Her eyes were glistening as she winded Liam and lay him down for a nap.

  Her phone ringing interrupted us and I left to tell Nicholi the great news finding him in the office, pouring over the designs, his new baby.

  ‘Hey, baby. I was thinking of changing the layout slightly.’

  I laughed and looked over his new ideas.

  We were getting ready for bed when I checked my phone and saw Sophia had left me a text message confirming their flight times. I remembered I had not checked the post and leaving Nicholi showering I grabbed my shoes and ran out to retrieve it. The wind was starting to pick up and the air felt crisp on my bare skin.

  Opening the box, I pulled out the mail and ran quickly back inside, rubbing my arms to warm up.

  The first letter was the final notice of Nicholi adopting Jacob and I felt the tears cascade down my face. He would be overjoyed. Tearing the next envelope, and noting the lawyer header, I read the letter and sat down, suddenly feeling weightless.

  Dear Miss. Thomas, you are invited to the la
st will and testament of Larissa Veneto.

  SIXTEEN

  DREAMS COME TRUE

  Scrolling through the internet site, I was completely engrossed and did not hear him enter the room.

  ‘Got you.’ Nicholi grabbed my waist as I almost hit the ceiling.

  ‘Gee’s you scared me.’ I looked at him with my most outraged face that melted into laughter within seconds.

  ‘Shopping for JC’s birthday?’ Nicholi asked as I nodded and turned to the computer.

  ‘What do you think of this? He needs a new bike and with us moving to Seattle, we can cycle to school together.’ I was feeling the pressure to find the perfect present since this will be the first birthday I had spent with him since he was a baby.

  ‘Anything you choose, he will adore, and you know that. Speaking of adoration, I would like to nominate myself as your number one fan, just so you know.’ He was teasing me with his eyes that were caressing my body without touch.

  ‘I’m sorry. I know I have been so busy with organising the wedding and packing up to move. Are you feeling neglected?’ Frowning with concern and he pulled me onto his lap.

  ‘I just can’t stop thinking about the honeymoon. Us, an Island, pure bliss.’ He closed his eyes as I kissed him and shopping was done for the rest of the night.

  It was the day before the shower, Sophia would be arriving soon with the new baby, and we were all brimming with excitement to see him. JC had made a card and I was just hanging up a banner when he started jumping around as the seaplane flew overhead.

  ‘Baby, you have a ton of packages on the mainland. I have requested they fly them over next,’ Nicholi shouted from the kitchen as I wrapped my arms around his waist.

  ‘Thank you,’ I hugged him close as JC bounded around waiting for the seaplane to land.

  ‘I can’t wait to tell him we are having a baby.’ Nicholi’s eyes were glowing and I could feel the love radiating out into mine.