by Kay Maree
“C’mon Ebs,” he chided. “You love a good tickle.” He reached for her, but she pulled away.
“I’d prefer Ebony.”
“Ok . . . ay,” he drawled. “Well, Ebony, I have almost finished here, and then I would like to take you and your sister out for donuts and a movie.”
“Dope.”
“Dope?” He turned back to Grace, vaguely amused.
His sister raised and dropped her shoulders in a shrug. “Teens,” she sighed.
* * * *
They reached Donut House after an initial squabble over who got the front seat. Ebony insisted she needed it, as she was the oldest and therefore more entitled. Lucan had managed to settle the argument by allowing the older child to have her way, with the provision that Mindy take the front position on their return journey.
They placed their usual order for donuts and the obligatory milkshake, strawberry for Ebony, and spearmint for Mindy. He was glad to see that hadn’t changed. He ordered a chocolate milkshake for himself. Ebony mostly managed to drop her façade as they laughed and joked over their Saturday morning ritual. Lucan savoured the moment, knowing things were changing in their lives; the girls were growing up. It wouldn’t be long before they were too cool to hang out with their Uncle Luc.
“Are you following me, Sir Lucan?”
He had just ushered the girls through the mall toward the cinema when he heard Kiera’s voice. No one else called him Lucan. Most people called him Luc, he usually introduced himself like that. It irritated the hell out of him when they made the connection to the knights of the round table. However, for some odd reason, when Kiera called him that, it filled him with a sense of pride.
He found it nearly impossible not to smile as he turned and took her in. “Well, it seems perhaps you might be following me.”
“I’m just shopping.” She didn’t try to hide her smile. “Hello, I’m Kiera, what’s your name?”
“Ebony.”
“And I’m Mindy,” the younger of the girls piped up, not wanting to miss out. “We’re going to see Goldy and the bear. Do you want to come?”
“Mindy,” Ebony groaned and rolled her eyes.
Lucan shifted uncomfortably on his feet as he watched on, feeling like his nieces had just hi-jacked his conversation.
Kiera’s questioning gaze flashed to him before returning to Mindy. “You girls are having a special day out with your dad.”
“He’s not our dad,” Ebony drawled.
“Our dad is an ass,” Mindy added.
“Hey,” Lucan admonished.
“Well, that’s what you say, Uncle Luc.”
Heat crept up his neck, and Kiera turned to him for an answer.
“Luc is our uncle,” Ebony explained. “Our parents separated when we were little. He’s not married. He’s very single actually, and he talks about you to our mum all the time.”
“Ebs,” Lucan barked.
Kiera tossed her head back in a laugh. It was beautiful, and he realised it was the first time he had really heard her happy.
“I am fortunate to have met your Uncle Lucan,” she explained. “He saved my life, did you know that?” The laughter in her voice dropped, and a sombre tone took its place as she found his eyes. “I wouldn’t be here now if it weren’t for you.”
“So, are you going to come to the movie with us?” Mindy interrupted the moment. “It’s starting soon.”
Lucan shrugged. “You can come if you want.”
“It’s just a kids’ movie,” Ebony interjected. “It’s my annoying little sister’s turn to choose.”
“I love kids’ movies,” Kiera beamed. “I would love to come.”
* * * *
“Uncle Luc was holding her hand in the movie, and she bought us popcorn, and she’s really nice.” Mindy’s words ran over the top of each other as she excitedly retold her morning to her mother before they were barely inside the door.
“Wait, what?” Grace asked, trying to make sense of the barrage of information she was receiving.
“I bumped into Kiera as we were heading into the movies and my little wing ladies here,” he laughed, nodding toward his nieces, “decided it was a good idea to invite her to the movie.”
“And you held her hand? In Goldy and the bear?”
“It was scary, wasn’t it Mindy?”
“Ohhh,” Mindy wiggled her fingers in the air mockingly.
“You don’t muck around, do you?” Grace eyed him incredulously.
“Says the one who has pestered me forever to find myself a girlfriend.”
Grace rolled her eyes, just as her daughter had earlier. “Whatever. I hope it all works out for you. When are you seeing her again?”
“When she’s ready.” He reached for his phone. “I gave her my number and told her to call.”
“Do you think she will?”
“Oh, I think she will,” Ebony chimed in. “I think she really likes him.”
Lucan just hoped his niece was right.
* * * *
He didn’t have to wait long. Within a couple hours, his phone began to ping.
Kiera: It was great to see you again today. I really enjoyed the movie.
Lucan: It was a kids’ movie.
Kiera: Didn’t you like it?
Lucan: The company was great. I’d love to do it again sometime.
Kiera: I’m free tomorrow night. Dinner?
Lucan: Absolutely. Should I pick you up? 7?
Kiera: Sounds good. I’ll text my address in the morning. Good night, Sir Lucan.
Lucan: Good night, Kiera X.
He agonised over the X for several minutes before sending the last text, then finally deciding to add it. He longed to kiss her, to taste her sweet lips, there was no point sending mixed messages. After all, she had held his hand in the movie cinema.
It had started out as a bit of a joke, with her pretending to be scared when Goldy was confronted by the bear. He had closed his fingers around hers, and she made no attempt to pull away. When they had parted ways at the end of the movie, Lucan hadn’t known what to do; he felt both anxious and relaxed with her at the same time. Comfortable in her presence and anxious he might do or say the wrong thing and scare her away. Nothing she could do or say could scare him off. He had seen her at her worst and had fallen in love with her, with all her broken and jagged pieces. Now he just hoped he’d have a chance to have her in his life.
Chapter 22
Pulling into the drive of a nondescript suburban house, he rechecked Kiera’s text to ensure he had the right address. He had worried all day she might pull out. After all, he was virtually a stranger to her. Sure, he saved her life, but she didn’t know him. Not like he knew her. He hoped that once she had the chance to get to know him, she would still want to.
“Oh, hey, you’re early,” she smiled, swinging the door the open.
“I said seven.”
“Yeah, and it’s . . . ,” she turned her bare wrist, before giggling nervously and looking around the room for a clock.
“Six fifty-five,” he added, looking up from his own watch.
“I’m sorry.” Colour filled her cheeks. “I’m not . . . I mean,” she flustered. “I haven’t been out on a date for . . . well, actually ever.”
“Ever?”
“Ever,” she repeated. “This will be my first real date.”
He remembered the promise he had made to her all those months ago. He wanted to take her on a million dates. Show her everything she never had with Karl. Give her everything she deserved.
“Well, I’ll excuse you for being late then,” he laughed. “We’ll count this as date number one.”
* * * *
By the time they reached date number three, he had told her everything. He told her about his sister Grace, and all she had been through with her ex-husband. About his childhood, his parents, and most importantly, about losing Kelly. Refreshingly, she had listened and hadn�
��t offered platitudes meant to somehow show sympathy. No one who hadn’t suffered the pain of losing their partner to a serious illness could really understand what it felt like. Kiera didn’t pretend to.
By date number five, he had learned that after that fateful day on the bridge, the police had taken her to a women’s refuge where she was put in contact with a domestic violence and trauma counsellor. They helped her realise she was a victim of domestic violence. After all, Karl had conditioned her to believe he was a good guy who often reminded her that he never hit her, not with his fists. It was his words and actions that had done all the damage. She had made contact with Graeme, her old boss, who had not only offered her job back but allowed her to take up his rental property at a reduced rate.
Karl had begged her to return home. The police had recommended she place a violence restraining order against him. It had taken several months for her case to be heard by a magistrate, by which time he had moved on. The last Kiera heard, he had moved interstate with his new girlfriend, Bianca. Graeme was encouraging her to seek out a divorce settlement, stating she was entitled to half their marital home, but she didn’t want anything from him. Other than to be left alone to get on with the rest of her life.
“I’ve learnt so much,” she explained. “For the longest time, I thought there was something wrong with me. I tried so hard to be the perfect wife, but nothing I ever did was going to change him. There would always be Mariahs and Biancas. Women with low morals who were sucked into his web. There was something fundamentally wrong with Karl, probably due to his childhood, but that wasn’t my fault, and I couldn’t change that, nor take responsibility for it. The problem wasn’t with me, it was him. I nearly let him destroy me.”
“You’re a beautiful, amazing woman, Kiera. You deserve so much better than Karl.”
“Someone like you, you mean?” she laughed.
“Maybe,” he shrugged. Even though he wasn’t sure he could ever be even close to what he wished for her. “Have you ever been back to that bridge?” he asked.
“Nope.” Kiera shook her head. “That day at the bridge was both the worst and best day of my life. I have spoken at length with my therapist about it. She feels it might be re-traumatising for me to go back there, so I haven’t. I think about a lot, though.”
Lucan listened and nodded as she spoke. “I have,” he confessed. “It made me feel somehow grounded to think of you.” Kiera’s brows raised high on her forehead. She had cut her hair since she and Lucan had started dating. It was short but still hung softly around her face. Coupled with the extra kilos she had gained over the months, it only served to make her even more beautiful than the day they’d met. “I could take you there. If you want to go, I mean. I wouldn’t want to force you.”
Kiera let out a contented sigh as she leaned forward and took a sip of her chocolate milkshake. “Maybe on our one-hundredth date?”
Chapter 23
Four months passed from their first impromptu movie date, although they hadn’t counted that as date number one. Over the months, they had spent almost every day together. If they couldn’t be together, they would text. Kiera was the first person on his mind in the morning and the last in the evening before falling asleep.
As promised, Lucan took her on as many dates as he could, dinners, movies, bowling, mini-golf which, as it turned out, she was excellent at. She couldn’t, however, beat him at monopoly. Ebony and Mindy insisted she join them each Saturday morning for donuts and a movie. His nieces loved her as much as he did, and Kiera, in return, thrived in their presence. Somehow, she just fit in the family like she had always been a part of it.
She had reconnected with Haley, who was engaged to a pilot and soon to be married. She had asked Kiera to be her matron of honour.
Sadly, she hadn’t re-engaged with her mum. “Too much hurt,” she insisted. “Too many awful words were said.” He hoped one day that, too, would change. She needed people in her life.
* * * *
“We don’t have to do this if you’re not ready,” he said, trying to read her face. Kiera had spent the night in his bed, and waking up with her in his arms had been the best feeling in the world. She had chosen the eve of their one-hundredth date to finally stay the night. She’d wanted it to be special.
“No,” she sucked in an audible breath. “I promised that on date one hundred, we’d return to the bridge. I like to keep my promises. I know I will be all right, so long as you’re there with me.”
They drove in silence, and Lucan’s stomach churned. He had been back there many times before he had found Kiera again. He couldn’t articulate why, other than it helped him feel close to her. Grace had told him he had a hero-complex. That he wanted to save someone else, but it was something more than that, something more profound.
“Are you sure?” he asked again, pulling off the shoulder and bringing the car to a halt.
“Yes,” she confirmed, reaching for the door handle. “I’ve had plenty of time to think about it, and it’s time.”
“I’ll be right there with you, and we can turn around at any time. Okay?”
She didn’t answer as she was already out of the car. Scrambling for the door handle, he climbed out after her and scooped her hand in his, giving it a tight squeeze. He wasn’t a psychologist and had no idea if taking her back there was a good idea or not, but it was something she wanted to do, and he wanted to be there to support her.
The wind whipped around their ears, and below them, the water thundered. A shudder rattled through his bones at the thought of Kiera’s body hitting the cold water. If he had arrived seconds later that day, everything would be different. He may not have even known, perhaps he would have seen the news report. Maybe he would have seen her fall, witnessed her drowning, jumped in after her.
Kiera pulled her hand from his as they reached the location and wrapped her arms around herself in a hug. They had sat for hours, staring at the railing while Kiera had shared the story of her life. Every line, every bolt, and every divot in the metal bars were etched in his mind. He imagined the same was true for her.
When she stepped up close to the railing, he kept a respectful distance. She had to deal with her own ghosts. This was the very place she had intended to take her life. They were her demons. Ten long minutes passed. The sound of the traffic hummed as it rattled overhead. It was a sound he had become all too familiar with, one he had found soothing. The cascading water beneath them didn’t have the same effect.
“Do you want to go?” he asked gently.
Kiera shook her head from side to side but didn’t say a word, just stared downstream. He moved in beside her and placed a gentle hand on the small of her back.
“Kiera?” he asked again. Not sure what to do. Was she regretting him saving her?
When she finally turned to him, her eyes were wet with tears. “A little over a year ago, my life ended on this spot. I died down there,” she pointed to the water below. “My life was swept away with the tide. Gone. The old me died, and the new me took her place.” She wiped away a tear as it slid down her cheek. “I couldn’t see the light. I thought it was lost. I couldn’t imagine a life without Karl, and yet I couldn’t stay. I was so scared. Then you came along, you saved me. You reached out to me when I had no one. You saved my life, and you brought me back.”
“You saved me, too, Kiera,” he admitted. “I fell in love with you that day on this very same spot. I thought I would never see you again, but that didn’t stop me from loving you.”
“You . . . never told me that before . . . .” Her voice quivered as she spoke.
“I didn’t want to scare you away. You needed your space. You needed time to heal, to find yourself and your place in the world. I wanted that for you. Me wanting to be with you was selfish.”
“You could never scare me away.” She shook her head. “I have learned so much over the past years. I have learned it’s hard to know who to trust. I was hurt and broken, to what I thou
ght was beyond repair. Then you came into my life and gave me a part of yourself without expecting anything in return.”
“You deserve everything, Kiera.”
She smiled and brushed back a lock of hair. “I love you, Lucan. Thank you for saving my life.”
THE END
Acknowledgements
I want to say a quick thank you to Kay Maree and Susan Horsnell for all their hard work and dedication in getting this anthology off the ground.
Also to the amazing authors who have contributed. I am proud to be published alongside you.
A big shout out to my amazing editor Leticia Sidon who stepped in to edit this piece with short notice.
My husband for his feedback, through-out the writing and editing process.
Finally, to all of you, who have taken the time to read this story. I pray that if you find yourself in Kiera’s position, that you reach out. Help can come from the most un-expected places; all you have to do is ask. Reach out and share your story.
Sending you all love and peace. Happy reading.
Tee
Also by Tee Smith
Where the Sad Roses Grow
Broken Masterpiece
The Last Goodbye
An Irish Contract
Blue Belles Investigations Series
August
Davina
Mercy
The Elegant Series
Elegantly Denim
Elegant Retribution
Elegant Deception
Elegant Betrayal
Collecting Scars
Chasing Dragonflies
Finding Reason