I was having trouble accepting the fact the Trevor was dead. It was ironic actually. Everyone had believed I was a widow and now I actually was. As I remembered the happy moments Trevor and I had spent, sadness washed over me and I shed tears for the man he could have been. Though I was glad he wouldn’t be able to threaten me or Natalie anymore, I was deeply saddened that his life had to end when he was so young.
I thought about all that had happened in the last twenty-four hours. Even though it had ended in tragedy, I felt proud that I had been able to defend myself as well as I had. And Greta was my hero.
But how had she gotten out of the backyard?
I climbed out of bed and went into the bathroom. In the mirror I saw a ring of bruises beginning to form on my neck. After showering, I put on a turtleneck, then changed Natalie and fed her. Carrying her in my arms, I went downstairs.
The front door was still broken, but mostly closed, keeping out the majority of the cold air. Marcus was asleep on the couch, a blanket pulled up to his chin. I smiled, grateful to have him in my life. Though we’d had a few rocky moments, he’d been there at the most important times and he was becoming a good friend. I left him to sleep, then set Natalie in her baby seat while I made breakfast.
As I waited for the first batch of pancakes to cook, I had a thought. I pulled open the silverware drawer, then lifted the tray and looked underneath. The paper where I’d written the alarm security code was gone.
Trevor must have taken it when I was unconscious.
Again, I wondered what he had planned on doing.
He’d already taken the baby by that point, so why did he need to disable the alarm? Was he planning on coming back and getting rid of me?
The idea filled me with horror. Although his death was terrible, I was grateful I had survived.
Closing the drawer, I pushed the thoughts aside, not wanting to speculate on what might have happened. What actually happened was awful enough.
When the pancakes were ready, I gently shook Marcus and invited him to eat. He stretched, then sat up on the couch. “Is it time to get up already?”
I laughed. “Only if you want some of my delicious pancakes.”
“I definitely do.”
We sat together at the table and ate a leisurely breakfast. As we finished eating, I thought about Greta and hoped I would have her back soon. “One thing that’s been bothering me, Marcus,” I said as I carried my plate into the kitchen. “How did Greta get out of the backyard? She’s never gotten out before.”
“Let’s see if we can find out.” He pushed away from the table.
After taking Natalie out of her baby seat, I followed Marcus as he went into the backyard and walked to the gate. It hung open. We looked at the latch and saw it had been broken.
“I’ll bet Trevor broke that at some point last night,” I said. “He was probably in a big hurry and didn’t realize he’d broken it.” I paused. “I wonder why he was even back here.”
“Maybe he was looking for the breaker box to cut your power.”
“Yeah. Maybe he thought it would keep the alarm from working.” I controlled a shudder as I recalled the panic I’d felt when I’d realized the alarm wasn’t working. “But he disabled it anyway.”
“Well, I guess I’ll fix the gate latch when I fix the front door,” Marcus said.
I smiled. “What would I do without you to fix all these things?”
He grinned back. “I guess you’d be living in a broken-down old house.”
Later that day Marcus had fixed both the front door and the gate. I had the alarm company come out and fix the alarm. They told me it looked like the wire had been cut, which would normally set off the alarm, but then Trevor had apparently punched in the code, which kept the alarm company from knowing there was a problem.
Ten days later the man from animal control brought Greta back, saying she’d passed the rabies quarantine. She leapt from the back of the truck and rushed up to me, her tail wagging.
“You’re such a good girl,” I said as I squatted next to her and wrapped my arms around her.
Over the next few weeks Marcus spent more and more time at my place. Though it had taken him a little while, eventually he became comfortable holding Natalie and began to really enjoy playing with her.
The detectives finished their investigation and concluded that I had rightfully used self-defense and that Greta was not a threat. They had also discovered that the two hundred thousand dollars Rob and Trevor had buried was money they had won gambling. They gave half of it to Rob and the other half to me, with the understanding that I would have to pay taxes on it. I really didn’t want to have anything to do with it, but I decided it should benefit Natalie, so I placed it in a trust for her to receive when she grew up.
When they’d asked Rob why they had buried it, he had said they’d been drinking and all he remembered was having the money and then it was gone and Trevor had claimed he’d lost it gambling.
As time went on, Marcus and I developed a strong bond, but neither one of us wanted to rush in to anything. We were both still trying to recover from past relationships and just wanted to enjoy spending time with each other without the pressure of expecting anything more.
One spring afternoon, when Natalie was four months old, she woke from a nap and I brought her down to the backyard. It was April and the California weather was perfect. I spread a blanket on the grass and lay her on her stomach in the middle of it as Greta picked up a ball and dropped it at my feet. Natalie lifted her head and watched as I threw the ball for Greta. A few minutes later Marcus came through the back gate and joined in our play. I tossed him the ball and he threw it for Greta, then I sat on the blanket and put Natalie on my lap so she could see better.
As I watched Marcus throw the ball, he turned and smiled at me. Warmth filled my heart and I could see us being a family together. When I smiled back, he came and sat next to me, then wrapped his arms around me.
He leaned close and nuzzled my neck. “You smell good,” he murmured.
I turned my face to his and our lips met. We kissed each other eagerly, and when we pulled apart and gazed into each other’s eyes, something new seemed to pass between us.
Maybe we’re ready to take it to the next level after all. My smile widened, and he smiled back, his incredible green eyes sparkling, and I knew he felt it too.
Love At Last
Lily’s Story, Book 3
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Love At Last (Lily’s Story, Book 3)
Copyright © 2014 by Christine Kersey
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
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Chapter 1
Four months after my husband nearly strangled me to death, I received a letter from his mother. Standing next to the mailbox, I stared at Marcy Caldwell’s neat handwriting on the envelope, and recalled the lie Trevor had told her about me after our wedding when she’d discovered a bottle of vodka had been stolen from her house. Lily has a drinking problem. When I’d tried to explain to her that it was actually her son who had the problem, she hadn’t believed me.
I hadn’t spoken to her since I’d gone into hiding from Trevor. And I certainly hadn’t been in contact with her since my dog had saved my life by crushing Trevor’s windpipe. Adrenaline pulsed through me as the unpleasant memories assaulte
d me.
What does she want?
With shaking hands, I tore open the envelope and read the letter as I stood in the street.
Dear Lily,
It has taken me a long time to gather the courage to write to you. I don’t know all the details of what happened between you and Trevor, but regardless, John and I would really like to get to know Trevor’s child—our grandchild.
On the Fourth of July we will be having our annual family get-together and we would like to invite you and your baby to join us. It will be John and me, along with Trevor’s brothers and their families. I’ve included a check to cover the cost of your flight. Please let me know when your flight will be arriving and we will meet you at the airport.
Looking forward to seeing you and the baby,
Marcy
I looked in the envelope and pulled out the check, then felt guilt lance through me. In the six months since I’d had Natalie, I’d never so much as sent Trevor’s parents a picture of their grandchild. In truth, I’d hardly thought about them at all. I’d only met them twice—on the Christmas I’d accepted Trevor’s proposal, and at the wedding. They’d been kind to me when they’d seen me, and I’d had hopes Trevor’s parents could become my surrogate parents. But I’d left Trevor and gone into hiding so soon after the wedding that I’d never had the chance to spend time with them.
I walked back up the gravel driveway to the house and thought about the invitation. The get-together was only a few weeks away, so I needed to decide soon if I would go. I pictured myself and Natalie arriving at the airport, and then seeing the faces of Trevor’s parents. Would they truly be happy to see me? Did they blame me for their youngest son’s death? What if things got uncomfortable and I wanted to leave?
“I could just drive there,” I muttered as I walked into the house, pausing to listen for the sound of Natalie waking from her nap. All was quiet, and I closed the door and locked it—a habit I’d developed since moving there—then sat on the couch. I reread the letter, visualizing Natalie playing with her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, and knew I had to go. John and Marcy Caldwell were Natalie’s only living grandparents and it wasn’t fair to them or Natalie to keep them apart. I had fond memories of my grandparents, and I wanted Natalie to have the same kinds of memories.
I grabbed my laptop and pulled up Google maps. It was a seven hour drive to their house in Las Vegas. Not too bad, although with Natalie being only six months old it might be a little more difficult, but hopefully she’d sleep for much of the drive. My decision made, I needed to let Marcy know I would be coming and that she wouldn’t have to pick me up from the airport. I didn’t have the Caldwell’s phone number or an email address, so I decided to write a letter, using the return address on the letter she’d sent me. I would have to buy stamps before I could mail it as I rarely sent anything through snail mail, and decided to drive to the post office after Natalie woke from her nap.
I went into the kitchen to straighten up, and moments later Greta, my sweet German-Shepherd, came bounding through her dog door and into the room. With her tail wagging, she rushed over to me, looking for attention.
I squatted next to her and gave her a good scratching. “Hi there, you good girl.”
She seemed to smile at me as her tail wagged even harder.
“You’re such a good girl, aren’t you?” I cooed to her. “I’ll have to see if Marcus will take care of you while I’m gone.” Thinking of Marcus made me smile. Over the last few months he’d grown to mean so much to me and Natalie, but when I thought about the day I’d met him, I felt my face heat with remembrance.
I’d gone next door to see if Trish’s husband could help me carry in the crib I’d just bought, but a man with the most incredible green eyes answered her door. It turned out that Trish’s son, Marcus, had just come home from Afghanistan. He’d carried the crib into the house, then set it up for me. Since I wasn’t obviously pregnant yet, it had been a bit embarrassing for me to have him discover my pregnancy that way.
After a bumpy start to our friendship, recently we’d become closer. I still regretted that I’d had to lie to him about my real name and the fact that I’d been in hiding from my husband, but I hoped he’d truly forgiven me. We hadn’t taken our relationship past friendship yet, but I felt like we were on the verge of that next step, and I was eager for Marcus to feel the same way.
Greta perked up her ears and I heard sounds coming from Natalie’s room upstairs. I stood, listening to her baby sounds, and smiled, then headed toward the stairs. I paused at the bottom, suddenly recalling the horrible day four months before when Trevor had knocked me unconscious and taken Natalie with the intention of letting his girlfriend, Amanda, become Natalie’s mother. My heart contracted in anger and terror at the memory. That day had been the worst day of my life.
Why am I thinking about that now? Then I realized it must be due to the letter from Trevor’s mother. Ever since Trevor’s death, I’d tried very hard to put the events of that day behind me, but hearing from Trevor’s mother had dredged up many of the bad memories, broadcasting them in vivid high definition pictures in my mind.
Closing my eyes, I shook my head, forcing the images away, then I opened them and hurried up the stairs to my baby girl’s room. When I opened the door my gaze went directly to Natalie, who lay on her back, her little fingers wrapped around her toes as she watched the bright colors on the mobile above her head.
“Hi, baby,” I murmured to her as I approached her crib.
Her head turned in my direction and her face lit up with a smile. Every time she did that, my heart brimmed with love—my baby girl knew I was her mommy, and once again gratitude flooded my body that Trevor had failed in his attempt to take her away from me.
I reached down and lifted her from her crib and held her close, breathing in her precious baby scent. “My sweet, sweet, Natalie,” I whispered in her ear.
She giggled and I kissed her soft neck, bringing on more peals of laughter. I gazed into her vivid blue eyes—one trait she inherited from Trevor—and smiled. “I love you so much.” Warm tears filled my eyes as I gazed at her. This little baby was my absolute world and I’d do anything for her. I blinked the tears away, then changed Natalie and fed her.
A short time later I carried her out to the car and set her car seat in its base. “In a few weeks you’re going to meet your grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles.” As I said the words, I realized that without Trevor’s family, the number of people in Natalie’s life was tiny—just me and Marcus. And Marcus was just a good friend.
I stroked Natalie’s cheek—she deserved to have lots of people in her life who loved her—then climbed into the car and drove to the post office. After mailing the letter, we went to the park and I pushed her on a baby swing for a while, pushing her from the front. She smiled brightly as the swing brought her closer to me, then giggled loudly as the wind blew across her face.
There were very few people at this park and it felt like I had the place to myself. Across town was another park, one that was much more popular, but I hadn’t been able to make myself go there. It was the park where I’d met Trevor to make an exchange: He would give me Natalie if I gave him the money I’d found buried in the Nevada desert.
Against all odds, I’d managed to get Natalie back that night, but I’d had to fight for my very life, and would have died if Greta hadn’t intervened. Pushing the painful memories aside, I focused on my baby, who smiled with innocent joy, completely unaware that she’d been at the center of such a dramatic event.
After a while the heat of the June day became uncomfortable, and we headed home. When we pulled up to the house, I was pleased to see Marcus’s Jeep parked out front, although I didn’t see Marcus. I brought Natalie into the house, and when Greta didn’t meet me at the door, I knew where Marcus must be. Holding Natalie on my hip, I smiled as I went to the kitchen door and out into the backyard. My smile widened as I watched Marcus playing with Greta. His back was to me, but when
Greta ignored him to race over to Natalie and me, he turned around and saw us.
“Hi, Lily.” He strode toward us, smiling. “I hope you don’t mind that I let myself into the backyard.”
I smiled in return. “You know I’m fine with that.” I sat on the porch steps with Natalie balanced on my lap.
Marcus squatted in front of me and put his finger in Natalie’s hand, then gazed into her face. “Hi, baby girl. Were you out with your mommy?”
Natalie squealed with happiness, kicking her feet, and held on to his finger. I watched Marcus’s face and felt my attraction to him grow. He’d been there when Natalie had been born—the most important moment of my life—and after he’d gotten past the lies I’d told him about my true identity, he’d been part of our lives ever since. For all intents and purposes, he was the closest thing to a father Natalie had.
As I watched him watching my baby, my heart filled with warmth. He was a good man and my feelings were deepening all the time. A couple of months before I’d thought he was feeling the same thing, but then he’d seemed to back away into the friend zone. I knew he’d been hurt by an old girlfriend, but I thought he should be over that by now.
His gaze shifted from Natalie’s face to mine, and the intensity of his gorgeous green eyes drew me in. “How’s your day going?” he asked.
“It’s been . . . interesting.”
His eyebrows went up in question. “Yeah? How so?”
On the night Greta killed Trevor, Marcus had arrived at my house just after the awful event had happened. He’d seen the aftermath of Trevor’s attack and had stayed by my side as the police had questioned me, but in all that time we’d never talked about Trevor. I had no desire to talk about my late husband with Marcus—there were too many painful memories—and Marcus had never brought it up either, so it was with hesitation that I broached the subject of the letter I received.
Lily's Story: The Complete Saga Page 46