R.I.L.Y Forever

by Norah Bennett

  Then they would be able to build a life together without secrets blocking their way. Julia couldn’t avoid Ethan’s parents forever—they were a part of his life and he would tell them, sooner or later, that she was in his life again. They were all adults now and his parents didn’t have power over them as they did when they were teenagers.

  The problem was Ethan’s father may be older, but he was still powerful. Twenty-two years ago he was powerful enough to shatter her world to get his way. Things hadn’t changed much except now she had Lilly to worry about and to protect. She survived Mr. Sullivan’s destructive reach into her life the first time, but if anything happened to Lilly because of her relationship with Ethan, she wouldn’t survive it. Aimee assured her Ethan would never let anything happen to them. Once he knew the truth of what happened to her and to Ella, he’d protect her and Lilly from everything and everyone, including his father.

  Julia was so lost in her thoughts she didn’t realize they arrived home until Ethan opened her door and guided her out of the car. Startled, she let him pull her into his arms.

  “You okay?” he asked as he kissed her forehead.

  “I’m fine. Just thinking.”

  “You know nothing you tell me is going to change the way I feel about you.”

  The night was dark, but the full moon and bright stars gave her enough light to see the sincerity and love in his gray-blue eyes. “Yes, sweetheart. I know. It’s time we talked.”

  He touched his lips to hers then laid his forehead against hers. “I’m glad to hear that. Why don’t I put Lilly down while you shower and change? We can relax and chat after I’ve done the same.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Julia took a long, relaxing shower. It had been a hot, sticky day and it was good to clean up and cool off under the gentle spray of the cool water. She finished and liberally applied the wildflowers and vanilla lotion Ethan loved. Finally, she brushed her teeth and dressed in a rose-colored tank top and shorts. Not finding Ethan in the bedroom as she expected him to be, she searched Lilly’s room. Lilly slept peacefully, but Ethan was nowhere in sight.

  As she made her way down the stairs, she heard Ethan’s voice coming from the back deck. Puzzled at who he could be talking to so late, she walked toward the deck, opened the door, and stepped outside. Ethan turned around and by the strained look on his face, she knew something was wrong. She had no idea who he was talking to, but there was a lot of medical jargon being thrown around and she thought perhaps he was talking to a patient’s family or to the hospital.

  He ended the call telling the caller he would leave tonight and be there as soon as he could and to call him if there were any updates.

  Julia went to him and placed her palm against his chest. “What is it, Eth? What happened?”

  He gazed at her with troubled eyes. “It’s Dad. It sounds like he’s had a massive heart attack. I’ve got to go home right away. He’s in critical condition and mom is overwhelmed.”

  Julia did her best to control her reaction. She hugged him to her. “I’m sorry, Ethan. Of course you have to go. How can I help? Want me to pack for you while you shower and make travel plans?”

  He studied her face and then hugged her back. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “That would be great. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. I’ll call Lakes in the morning. Will you and Lilly be all right?”

  “Please don’t worry about us. We’ll be fine. Go be with your family.”

  Julia saw Ethan was struggling, torn between her and his parents. She touched his face and kissed his lips. “Ethan, sweetheart, I promise Lilly and I will be fine. We’ll talk when you get back. This can wait. Go be with your parents. We’ll still be here, where you left us, safe and sound when you return. Until then, we can FaceTime every day. Okay?”

  That seemed to do it. He gave her a small smile and touched his lips to hers. “Okay, FaceTiming it is. I want to talk to Lilly every day so she doesn’t get confused when she wakes up and finds me gone.”

  God, how she loved this man. Even in times of crisis, he thought of her and Lilly first. “Yeah, sweetheart. That would be good. She’ll like that. You know possessive she is about her daddy.”

  The next hour passed in a blur as Ethan booked a red-eye to Indiana, showered, and dressed while Julia packed for him. He left with a quick hug and a kiss and drove himself to the airport saying he would park the car in long-term parking and deal with it later.

  After he left, Julia was wide-awake. She stalked around the house straightening up here and there and when there was nothing left to do, she went to her bedroom. Ethan wouldn’t land in Indiana until the crack of dawn and then he planned to rent a car and drive straight to the hospital to check on his father. He promised to call her as soon as he landed, but that wouldn’t be for hours.

  She lay in bed remembering the last time she saw Ethan’s father. She was young then, barely eighteen, and Mr. Sullivan was the mayor of their city, although he was well on his way to being governor. When Mayor Sullivan entered the ice-cream parlor where she worked late one night, she was surprised and a bit fearful. She didn’t think he knew where she worked, but that had been a stupid thought. Mayor Sullivan knew everyone who lived in his city and everything that happened in it.

  Julia hadn’t seen Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan in weeks, not since Ethan made his grand announcement about Duke. While she could say with all honesty she disliked Ethan’s mother, she never knew what to make of his father. Mayor Sullivan was a formidable figure that focused all his attention on his dinner and his newspaper whenever she was in his presence. He was a man of few words, but when he spoke, he expected to be heard and obeyed. He was never warm toward her, but he wasn’t hostile like his wife. Mayor Sullivan barely acknowledged her presence one way or another, not until the day his son crossed him. Then, he turned his scowl on her and his laser-like stare penetrated her and almost liquefied her in her seat.

  The night he visited Julia at work the mayor didn’t waste any time getting down to business. He waited until she served the last customer and locked up for the night. Then he offered to fund all of Julia’s education and pay for all her expenses for the next four years if she broke up with Ethan and never contacted him again. Julia knew the Sullivan’s didn’t like her, but she was shocked at the lengths they’d go to cut her out of Ethan’s life. Although he intimidated the hell out of her, Julia refused him without a second’s delay.

  “I know you think I’m trash and honestly, I don’t care anymore. I love your son and that’s the only reason I’ve put up with so much from you and Mrs. Sullivan. I’d do anything for him. He’s everything to me and I’ll never leave him. If he wants to break up with me, he’s going to have to tell me himself. I’m not interested in your money, not now, not ever.”

  The mayor, nonplussed, gave her a hard look and in a smooth, menacing voice said, “Young lady, you’re making a grave mistake. I dislike being crossed. You’ve caused my family a great deal of turmoil and I’ve been a patient man. But I think this teenaged crush you and my son share has gone far enough. Now I’m a reasonable man,” he continued with a cold smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m going to allow you a week to think about my rather generous offer. Remember your choices have consequences.”

  Julia was petrified. Did the mayor just bribe her and then threaten her? She didn’t have time to analyze their conversation. With her spine straight and her legs shaking, she walked to the door, unlocked it, and opened it. Then in the strongest voice she could muster said, “Please leave sir. I think we’re done here.” When he left, she locked the door and collapsed on to the nearest chair trembling all over.

  True to his word, he came back a week later. This time their conversation was much briefer.

  “Have you made your decision?”

  “Sir, the answer is still no and will always be no. Please leave me alone. Don’t do this. Don’t break your son’s heart.”

  Mayor Sullivan studied her for a full minute. Then wi
th a resigned sigh, his lips thinned and he said. “You’ve made a bad choice for both you and your mother.” Without another word, he turned and walked out leaving a stunned, scared and confused Julia behind.

  That evening, Ella never made it home from the hospital. At 1 a.m. Julia woke up to the sound of the doorbell and a persistent knocking on the front door. Two police officers informed her Ella was attacked in the hospital parking lot and offered to give her a ride to the hospital. They waited as Julia, with shaking hands and a racing heart, changed and got into the back of the cruiser. In front of the ER, one of the officers came around to let her out of the car. In a low, cold voice meant to intimidate, he told her he had a message from a friend.

  “The mayor is deeply concerned about your future and some of the poor decisions you’ve been making. He expects from now on, you will make better decisions and do what he asked you to do. He wants you to understand your actions and the choices you make have consequences. Do you understand?”

  Julia was bewildered. When the burly officer repeated his question as he squeezed her upper arm painfully, her eyes filled with tears and she nodded and whispered, “Yes. Yes, I understand. Tell him I understand, please,” as the tears streamed down her face.

  Now, as she lay in bed with only the sound of the ceiling fan whirring overhead, she felt tears slide down her face once more. This time she wasn’t afraid when she recalled those memories. She was hopeful. God help her, but she hoped he died. If these thoughts made her a monster, so be it. The man almost destroyed her life and she’d lived in fear for twenty-two years. Although she never saw or heard from him or his goons again, he effectively delivered his message in a way that impacted her life for decades.

  Undoubtedly, Mayor Sullivan knew all about her past—those records were easy to retrieve. He played on her fears and won. After the childhood she endured, she hated violence of any kind and wouldn’t even watch violent movies or TV shows. By hurting Ella and taking Ethan out of her life, his actions had triple the effect he probably intended or maybe he was smart enough to know the damage he’d do and didn’t give a damn.

  As Ethan raced across the country, probably praying for his father’s life, she lay in bed and prayed for the opposite and she wasn’t the least bit sorry. She was, however, completely unsure of what to do and what to say to Ethan. She couldn’t tell him what his father had done, not now anyway. If his father died, there would be no reason to tell him anything. The person who’d separated them would be dead and there would be nothing to gain from hurting Ethan with the past. Even if he lived, she wasn’t sure she could tell Ethan after all.

  Julia felt Ethan’s loss profoundly. She rolled onto her side and grabbed his pillow, burying her nose in it. It was all Ethan. She cuddled it close and closed her eyes, willing her brain to shut down so she could get some sleep before Lilly woke up. Although Julia had taken the next two days off to spend them relaxing with Ethan, Lilly didn’t understand the term vacation and relaxation. She would be up at her usual, ridiculously early time, and Julia would walk around like a zombie all day if she didn’t sleep.

  Morning came too quickly and after a night spent tossing and turning, Julia woke at 6 a.m. to the buzzing of her cell. She grabbed it and answered knowing it had to be Ethan.

  “Hi, Eth.”

  “Hi. I’m sorry I woke you up. I wanted to let you know I arrived and am on my way to the hospital. You okay?”

  “I’m fine. Lilly’s still asleep. I’m glad you called. How was the flight? Did you get any sleep?”

  “The flight was fine, but no, I couldn’t sleep. You?”

  “Not really. Any news from the hospital?”

  “I just got off the phone with Mom. Nothing new. The hospital is about thirty minutes from the airport. I should be there soon.”

  “Okay, sweetheart. Drive safely and let me know if anything changes. I love you.”

  “Love you too, Jules. Give Lilly a hug and kiss from me. I’ll try to call later and chat with her.”

  “Okay, bye.”

  Julia hung up and heard Lilly call for her. She dragged her body out of bed to get her daughter and start the day. Julia and Lilly spent the day lazing around the house because Lilly was running a temperature and was fussy. She gave her a dose of baby Tylenol and encouraged her to drink juice. Julia hoped this was nothing more than a summer cold. As an infant, Lilly had ear infection after ear infection, but she hadn’t had one in a long time.

  At 7 p.m., Ethan called sounding exhausted and stressed. He said his father was in much worse shape than he thought and the next forty-eight hours would be critical. The heart attack damaged the heart muscles and it would be a miracle if he pulled through. Ethan’s mother was beside herself and was sedated. Finally, the media was having a field day in front of the hospital as the elder Sullivan had been making a speech when he collapsed onstage. Although he wasn’t involved in politics any longer, he was a well-known figure.

  Julia did her best to sound supportive, but she was sure Ethan heard the distance in her voice. He asked what was wrong several times. She insisted nothing was wrong and distracted him by having Lilly FaceTime with him. Lilly asked for her daddy several times that day and was thrilled she got to talk to him. Lilly told Ethan she was sick and that only made him worry more. Julia reassured him it was nothing more than a cold, but she would take Lilly to her pediatrician tomorrow if she still had a fever.

  This pattern repeated over the next three days. Ethan called at the end of every day and they exchanged information about their day. Daily, he sounded more exhausted and despondent. He told her his father was not improving and his mother was unable to cope with the reality her husband would most likely pass away. Ethan split his time between the hospital and the house, taking care of both parents.

  Lilly developed a raging ear infection that kept them home for a few days. Each day Ethan spoke to Lilly and even though she was sick and in pain, Lilly always smiled for her daddy. She babbled and sang him songs that made him smile. Each night he ended the call by playing the how-much-do-I-love-my-angel game.

  “How much do I love my angel baby? As deep as the…?” Ethan asked.

  “The shee,” Lilly said, the sea.

  “As high as the…?”

  “Sky.”

  On Saturday morning, as Julia prepared Lilly’s breakfast, Ethan called. He never called in the morning and she knew his father must have died. Yesterday, Mr. Sullivan woke up briefly and told his son how much he loved him. Shortly after, he slipped into a coma and was placed on life support. Ethan said he wasn’t expected to make it past a few hours. He was sad, but accepting of the situation.

  Julia placed Lilly’s breakfast in front of her and answered the call. “Hi, Ethan.”

  “Hi. Dad, he’s … he’s gone,” he said, his voice breaking with emotion.

  Julia sat at the kitchen table and closed her eyes as an overwhelming feeling of relief flowed through her. He was dead! She was free! She knew the call was coming and thought she was prepared to handle this conversation. She even practiced the words, so that she’d sound genuine. But now the words were lodged in her throat refusing to budge and she couldn’t find her voice.

  He was gone. It was done! The man that had Ella beaten half to death was gone. The man who threatened to continue to hurt them if she didn’t break up with Ethan was gone. The man who separated her from the love of her life causing them both years of immense pain was gone, dead. It was over. Other than relief, she didn’t feel anything, nothing at all. She was numb.

  “Julia? Are you there? Did you hear me?”

  “Ethan. Yes, I heard you.”

  She couldn’t say the words, “I’m sorry.” That would imply she was sorry the son of a bitch was dead. She wasn’t sorry and she couldn’t lie. She was sorry for Ethan, however. She was sorry he lost a parent, even if the parent was a miserable excuse for a human being. That was the best she could produce, God help her.

  In a flat, emotionless voice, Julia said, “I’m
sorry for you, Ethan. I’m sorry for your pain. Is there anything I can do?”

  Ethan was quiet for a long time and then he sighed. Even in his grief, it was evident he understood what she was and wasn’t saying. She was sure he understood she wasn’t sorry his father was dead. Julia understood she just added to Ethan’s pain. She never wanted to hurt him. If she could, she would do anything to spare him a second more of additional pain. The problem was she didn’t have it in her to rise above and if Ethan knew the truth, he wouldn’t ask her to.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The next two weeks passed in a blur for Ethan. He arranged for and attended his father’s funeral and wake and dealt with his mother’s physical and emotional state. He tried to convince his mother to stay with him in New Jersey for a while, but when she heard the state of his house, she refused. Instead she agreed to stay with a favorite cousin in New Orleans for a few weeks so she wouldn’t be by herself. After Ethan put his mother on a plane, he dealt with his father’s affairs. That alone took a full week.

  Being the only child meant he was the executor of his father’s will and, thus, the entire burden fell on him. His mother knew nothing about the family’s finances, the property they owned or even what bills needed to be paid. His father took care of every detail of their lives and his mother relied on him for everything. She enjoyed being taken care of and now it was up to Ethan to do that. He doubted she would ever live on her own. His gut told him her stay with her widowed cousin would most likely be permanent.

  Although Ethan’s relationship with Julia continued to deteriorate since the day he called to tell her his father died, he called daily if only to speak to Lilly. Each time he called, he and Julia said less and less to each other and he spent most of the time chatting with Lilly. He had no idea what to make of Julia’s odd behavior and each day that passed he got angrier.