“Yes! I didn’t raise the monster they depicted in the press. I told you that my son, Frank Pierce, was innocent! We thank Sarah Larker for coming forward. Justice has prevailed, thank God.”
A tear rolled down my face, and since I’d never been one to cry, I could only blame it on the hurricane of hormones caused by my pregnancy. I’d been through so much that it was only natural to shed a tear or two, but I had cried rivers. I’d thought my husband was sacrificed in an ancient ceremony, I’d discovered that I was pregnant and that a madman was after my baby, I’d put my parents through hell, and my ex had almost gotten a death sentence for presumably murdering me. It was a lot for a girl to take in, Immortal or otherwise.
I’d never seen Frank so happy as he talked to the reporters. His green eyes beamed with joy as he flashed his brilliant white smile. I was overwhelmed with joy myself, knowing that Frank had been declared an innocent man. After all, it was my fault he was in the mess in the first place. I tried to swallow down the guilt and focus on the positive. Frank would hold his baby and have the chance to be the most wonderful father in the world to his and Beth’s young son.
Chapter 16
I decided I would meet Frank in the park like he asked. He needed closure, and it was the least I could do. I was sure he expected me to return to Tastia; he had no idea I planned on staying in the States for quite a while.
When he saw me, he flashed me that bright white grin, the one that used to get me every time. “You look beautiful.”
I smiled. “Thanks, but save it for Beth, the mother of your child.”
“I take it you haven’t heard.”
I inched closer, concerned by the sudden worry on his face at the mention of Beth’s name. “No. What’s going on?”
His eyes narrowed, and I knew something was wrong.
“Is Beth okay, Frank? What happened?” I asked frantically.
“She was in a car accident. She’s at Mercy Hospital. I saw her the second they freed me.”
My heart sank. “How is she?”
He sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “She’s in critical condition. I wish they would’ve let me see her longer, but she’s pretty sedated.”
“And the baby?” I asked. “Please tell me the baby is okay.”
“He’s fine and with Beth’s grandma. I’m going to see him tonight when she brings him over to my house.”
Curiosity overwhelmed me. “What name did you decide on?”
He reached for his wallet and pulled out a picture. “Christopher Marten Pierce. He’s adorable, if I do say so myself, and the little brute weighed in at ten pounds. I couldn’t be happier.”
I clutched the picture tightly and looked at it lovingly. I was happy for both of them, and I wished both of them all the happiness in the world. “I know you and Beth are going to make great parents.”
“Thanks, Sarah.” He looked away. “I appreciate that, but Beth and I aren’t together as a couple anymore.”
“Oh. Sorry.”
“It’s fine. We’re great friends, and we will both be there for our son.”
I frowned. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “I couldn’t get you out of my head, and Beth knew that. When I got arrested, the stress was too much for both of us. We just kind of fell apart.”
“Oh, Frank.”
“When I stepped through the portal and realized you weren’t behind me, I panicked. I thought King Victor had forced you to stay. We tried everything to get back.”
“You can’t unless you follow a Guardian through the cave and into the portal.”
“Yeah, I learned that the hard way. You don’t know how many stakeouts Beth and I made waiting for a Guardian to enter the portal. Before I got arrested, I was gone for days at a time, but I didn’t see even one of them, no matter what I did. I felt like shit for leaving you behind.”
“You didn’t leave me, Frank. I wanted to stay. I changed my mind at the last minute.”
He blinked, confusion washing over him. “You what?”
“You heard me,” I whispered.
“Do you have any idea what you put me through? I was worried sick about you every day, every hour, every minute…hell, every single second! Sarah, a day didn’t go by when I didn’t think about you and wonder where you were and if you were all right.”
“How was I supposed to tell you, Frank? I couldn’t exactly Facebook you or tweet about it. Wait…maybe I should have texted you,” I said sarcastically.
“A pigeon-o-gram might have been nice,” he said, and we both burst out in laughter.
“You always know how to make me laugh,” I said.
“Meh, most women find me to be a comic genius.”
I laughed again.
“See? My point exactly.” He gripped my hands. “Well, at least now I have my answer. It is such a relief to know you weren’t hurt or being held against your will.”
“Victor’s been nothing but wonderful to me.”
“Nothing but wonderful, huh?”
I nodded, as I meant every single word. “Amazing.”
“Even when he threw you in that old, dirty dungeon? You call that wonderful? Was it so amazing when he threatened your life and threw you up against a wall? Gosh, Sarah. If you thought that was amazing and wonderful, I shudder to think what you must have thought of me to break it off.”
“Frank, he’s changed. If you could see the wonderful things he’s done in Tastia, you’d be amazed. He gives unselfishly now and expects nothing in return. He’s…my life.”
“Guess that doesn’t leave much room for me.”
“I’m happy for once, and I love Victor. There is nothing you or anyone else can do can change that.”
“I’ve never stopped thinking about you, Sarah—not once. I can’t believe you’re here with me now. It’s like a dream,” he said, moving threateningly close.
I pushed him away. “Frank, I—”
He gently grabbed my arm. “Damn it, Sarah, I love you.”
I stared at him, but no words would come out of my mouth. I had no idea what to say.
He cupped my face with both hands. “Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”
“At one time, it would’ve meant the world…but things have changed.”
“How am I supposed to walk away from the only person I’ve ever truly loved?”
I touched his hand that was resting on my face. “Frank, you have to move on,” I whispered.
“But I love you, and I’m going to fight for you.”
“So we can be together forever?” I said. “Forever is a whole new ball game for me, remember? I’ll live to see your great-great-great grandchildren.”
He grabbed my hand and put it over his heart. “You can send me away, but I’ll always love you. You’ll always be in my heart. Always my sweet love, my sweet Sarah.”
Running into an old lover can be daunting and exhausting. I remembered how much I had loved him at one time, back when I’d have given up anything for him, but that made no difference anymore. “Frank, I’m pregnant,” I finally said. The words just slipped out of my mouth, and I hoped he’d back off once he knew I was having Victor’s child.
His jaw dropped in stunned disbelief, and then he hugged me. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you. It’s a boy.”
He shook his head, as if gathering his thoughts. “I-I can’t believe it.”
“I know. I’m still quite stunned myself.”
“You’re the most caring woman I know. You’ll make a fantastic mother.”
“I hope so. Things went haywire on the other side of the portal. The Immortals tried to kill us, and Ethano will stop at nothing to get his hands on my baby. That’s why we’re here.”
“That bastard tried to poison you, and now he wants your baby?”
Technically, he’d tried to poison Victor, but he was hoping to end me too, since we were connected by the ring. Ethano had left me to die. At
the time, I’d been quite shocked, but after everything Ethano had put me through since, I wouldn’t have put anything past the jerk. He was one psychopath I hope to never see again.
“Why does he want your son?” he asked again when I didn’t answer straightaway.
“The baby is destined to fulfill a great prophecy, and…” I trailed off, unable to say the words. The thought of somebody wanting to take my baby away from me was too much to bear.
He wrapped his arms around me. “It’s okay. You don’t have to talk about it right now.”
I nodded.
“I wish I could hold you like this forever,” he whispered. “It feels so real, so right.”
“I’m a married woman now—very happily, I might add.”
He stared deeply into my eyes. “You’re not really married to him, you know. We were just scamming him to get that ring on your finger.”
“Oh, Frank…” Being with him churned up so many old feelings. Somewhere in the corner of my heart, there were feelings for Frank that I’d always keep tucked away.
“Sarah, we could run away somewhere, and he’ll never find us. I can raise the baby as my own, and I’ll love him because he’s part of you. That’s how much I love you.”
“Don’t ask me to leave the love of my life, Frank. Twice now, I’ve thought I lost Victor, and I will not go through that pain again. It’s never gonna happen.”
He didn’t speak, so I knew he was getting the message. My heart ached. I knew for the first time that he truly loved me, but it was too late. My heart belonged to Victor, and I would never love anyone but him. We connected on a level I couldn’t even convey to Frank.
Frank softly stroked my hair. “Where did I go wrong? The biggest mistake I’ve ever made is losing you. If I could go back in time, I’d change everything.”
“When we were together, I loved you with everything I had,” I said softly.
“Then how do you just turn off those feelings like a water spicket?”
I opened my mouth to answer, but he placed a strand of hair behind my ear and continued.
“If I hadn’t asked you to marry King Victor to get us out of that mess, you’d be in my arms this very second.”
The wind tousled his brown hair as I gazed into his green eyes. “Life doesn’t always turn out the way we expect it to, Frank. I’m happy now, and if you care about me like you say you do, that’s all that should matter to you.”
His gaze narrowed. “The marriage wasn’t supposed to be real.”
“Maybe not in the beginning, but it’s very real now. Love shows up in the most unusual places. I love him so much that I was willing to sacrifice everything to be with him, including giving up my world.” Then I said the words I knew he’d dread to hear. “I love him, Frank. I love him with all my heart, and now we’re going to have a family.”
“You never got over that fight we had at Susan’s party. That was the night we were really over, and we both know it.”
“You broke my heart,” I whispered, my voice wavering.
“I’d been drinking and never meant to say those hurtful things.”
“Let’s face it,” I snapped. “You were embarrassed to be seen with me because of my job.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “I was an idiot, but I don’t care about any of that anymore.”
“It’s a little late for that now.”
He nodded. “It’s never too late.” Looking deep into my eyes he said, “It’s hard to tell your mind to stop loving someone when your heart still does.” When I didn’t say anything, he let out a long breath. “Answer one question for me.”
“What?”
“Were you happy? When we were together, did I make you happy?”
“Yes, until the end. In the beginning, you swept me off my feet. I’d never been happier.”
He smiled. “I just needed to know that.”
I cupped his face. “I’ll never forget you, Frank.”
“Please don’t give me the lame goodbye speech. I’m not very good at that crap anyway. As cliché as it sounds, hell, I just hope we can still be friends.”
“Definitely.”
He hugged me tightly. “Stop by and see Beth in the hospital if you can. She misses you like crazy.”
“Count on it.” I smiled at him, and he smiled back. “Liz and Charles are here too,” I said.
“It’s great that you have your sister back. Tell them I said hello.”
“I will.”
“I still have the same phone number. Call me for anything, day or night.”
I grinned. “I’ll do that.”
He kissed my forehead softly. “You’re truly an amazing woman. I’ll let you go because I want you to be happy, but I’ll always be here for you, Sarah—always.”
As I watched him walk off, part of me wanted to call out to him, but I knew that would accomplish nothing. There was a good reason that Frank was my ex, and I had to remember that. I had fallen out of love with him and into love with Victor, my true love and soulmate.
Chapter 17
“These were your sleeping quarters?” Victor asked.
“Yeah. Don’t you just love the pink paint? When I was a teenager, it was my favorite color.” I laughed. “I have no idea why. Now I love bright colors.”
My room was furnished with a canopy bed, large windows, lace curtains with draped valances, a floral-print sofa, an oak dresser, a bedside table with a lace tablecloth, an antique clock, and fresh flowers that my mom had bought from the grocery store.
Victor stripped off his shirt, and I couldn’t help but stare at his beautiful body. My gaze drifted from his broad chest to his hard stomach, those rippled washboard abs.
“Try this one,” I said, handing Victor another one of my dad’s shirts. I had pulled tons of them out of my father’s closet, but none would fit. I watched him stretch the white material over his broad chest. “Dang it. Two sizes too small. None of my dad’s stuff really fits you.”
He folded his muscular arms across his chest, his eye twinkling in the sunlight that shining directly on his face. “How many more must I try?”
I looked him up and down. “Black pants and a white t-shirt with a beer logo. This will have to work for now. I guess we’ll go shopping right after we visit Beth in the hospital.”
“Every country in the world has its own customs,” he said, fumbling with the button on the pants, “but this clothing is very strange.”
I smoothed out my hands across his chest to flatten the wrinkles. “That’s because it’s my dad’s, and he has no taste whatsoever.”
He smirked as I smiled widely.
“It’ll take a while to get used to,” I said, “but you and Charles need to make an effort to blend in. We don’t need to attract any unwanted attention.”
Staring in the mirror, he said, “Your father says I need a haircut.” His long, midnight hair spilled over muscled shoulders.
I wrapped my arms around him from behind. “You’re perfect just the way you are. A lot of guys in my world wear their hair that way.” When he turned to look at me, I met his intense gaze. “This is the first moment we’ve had alone,” I said. “I’ve been dying to catch up with you. I have so much to tell you.”
We both shared our gut-wrenching stories with each other. I listened intently as he told me about Ethano’s men capturing and imprisoning him. Reliving the pain, I told him all about that dark night when I saw him murdered before my very eyes and the events that followed. I also told him every single detail about Helena, my new gift, and the cave drawings. Victor was troubled at the thought of our son being used by such a sinister fiend for such sinister purposes. Because of that, he was willing to stay in my world for a little while; I only hoped I could stretch his stay to at least eighteen years so we could be a real family.
“So you can tell the future?” he asked.
“I wasn’t sure I believed her when she first told me I’d have the gift of sight, but then I saw a tiny glimpse.”
<
br /> His eyes widened. “You actually saw into the future?”
“When I touched the wall, I saw our son’s first birthday.” I grinned widely. “You and I were so happy, singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to him and everything.”
“Will our son look like me?” Victor asked, anxiously awaiting my answer.
“Yes. He will have your amazing blue eyes,” I said.
Victor smiled. “I can’t wait to meet him.” He put his hand on my stomach, knelt down, and kissed my belly. “Do you have any idea how much your mother and father love you, little one?”
My heart about melted when he spoke into my tummy. “I’m sure he can sense it, and talking to the baby is good. He’ll know your voice when he’s born.” I glanced down. “We need to come up with a name, and I might have the perfect suggestion.”
He cocked a brow. “Which is?”
“My grandfather was my hero, and I’d love to name our son after him, Alexander.”
“Alexander Fesque.” Victor stood, and his face was beaming. “Sarah, it’s perfect.”
“It means ‘helper and defender of mankind’, and I think that’s the exact opposite of what Ethano wants him for.”
“You never cease to amaze me, my love.” He stroked a strand of hair from my eyes. “Alexander it shall be, in honor of a great man and chosen by a wonderful mother.”
“Thank you. That means the world to me. We’ll call him Alex for short.” I gazed into Victor’s big, beautiful eyes. “So much has happened in the last month, but no matter what happens, I’ll always love you with all my heart.”
“Do you know how long I’ve waited to kiss your lips? To tell you that you are my world, my life? To let you know I never want to live without you ever again?”
I gripped his hands. “I feel exactly the same way.” We loved each other with an eternal fire that burned deep down inside our souls.
“When I was in that dungeon, I thought I might never see you again. Ethano told me he had sacrificed you. I didn’t know if he was lying or telling the truth. If he had killed you, Sarah, I don’t know how I would have gone on. I just—”
I touched his face, stopping him from thinking those dark thoughts. “When I thought you were dead, my world was shattered. My dead heart knew nothing but darkness, grief, and pain. I wept and sobbed a million tears.” Tears welled up in my eyes. “Seeing you in that dungeon resurrected my heart.”
Eternal Fire - Book 3 of The Ruby Ring Saga Page 18