by K. I. Lynn
I heard a gasp to my right and looked at Nathan. Four years ago, Jack lost his daughter; Nathan’s wife.
“Why then?” I asked.
“Antonio,” Jack said, and I stared at him confused. “When the relationship with Antonio and Karen blew up, shortly after… It was maddening, what I found out, and I became obsessed. I had to know everything about all of my employees. I was not going to allow anyone else to get hurt. Any background check that came back questionable, I dug into. Yours was the one of greatest concern to me at that time, Delilah.”
“Why me? What happened that would make you do all that?”
“Antonio was using Karen to gather information for him. It was when Antonio was caught with another woman that Karen went off and spilled everything. None of us knew… I trusted Antonio.”
“You aren’t making sense. What is the deal with Antonio?” Nathan was just as confused as I was.
I was there when things blew up, but it was becoming apparent I didn’t know anything about the sordid details. “You put the non-fraternization policy up because of them. I don’t see the connection.”
Jack swallowed hard and looked straight at Nathan. “Antonio has a cousin he’s very close with. I didn’t know. No one but Karen did. Antonio is Vincent Marconi’s cousin.”
Nathan’s eyes widened and his hands began to shake, evidence of the panic boiling inside him. I slipped my hand into his, and he squeezed it. He brought my hand up to his lips, placing a light kiss there and he took a calming breath.
“They killed my daughter. It made me sick to know someone close to me fed them information to end the lives of my family,” Jack said. His composure faltered, tears brimming in his eyes. “Excuse me.”
“The rumors said Antonio was fired because he attacked Karen.” I wondered now what the truth was.
“He did. He became angry when she said she was ending their relationship, and she wasn’t going to help him any longer. She said she was going to go to the police and expose him,” Jack explained. “Antonio didn’t take to kindly to that. We found him with his hands around her neck, Karen pinned to the floor. I’m thankful we made it in time. It was a combination of that and the lawsuit by her that followed. Those were the reasons we put the policy in place—to protect our employees and the company.”
“What happened to Antonio?” Nathan asked.
“Antonio was put in jail for assault and battery. Karen pressed charges, and I’ve been working with the Feds ever since to make sure he stays in jail for a very long time.”
“What about Karen?” I asked, afraid I already knew the answer.
Jack’s eyes saddened, his voice dropping. “Karen disappeared before she could testify.” Nathan tensed beside me. “She’s probably fine. More than likely, the Feds put her in witness protection. Don’t worry.”
Nathan was going to have a full-blown panic attack if he kept on the current train of thought that was circling in his head. I knew it would lead him to me and thinking about if they made me disappear. He would pull away, and I wasn’t going to allow that again. I was going to be with Nathan, Marconi be damned.
“When did you put this massive plan into motion?” I turned to Jack, trying to draw the conversation away from Karen’s disappearance.
Jack smiled at that, still happy with his plan and the outcome. “When I decided to move you and Vivian into the same space, I did so with purpose, more so than simply you two sharing duties. I had already contacted Nate and offered him the position.”
“But, that was four months before Vivian left,” I said in shock. He’d planned it, planned the whole thing.
That caught Nathan’s attention, and he was back in the conversation.
“I had to give Nathan time to take a few classes and get caught back up after being away for a few years, before I fired Vivian.”
Nathan snorted and shook his head. “The combined office was a set up.”
“Yes,” Jack revealed. “I really hoped you two could help one another. I want you both to be happy. She wouldn’t want this for you. She would want you to move on, not trapped in this purgatory you’ve created.”
“How do you know what she would have wanted?” Nathan asked with a scowl on his face.
Jack’s expression faded. “Because that was her nature. She always wanted you to be happy.”
“It’s so hard,” Nathan said. The pain was evident in his voice.
“Why?” Jack asked.
“Why is she dead, Jack? Why is your daughter buried six feet under?”
Jack sighed. “Because there are bad people in the world, Nate. You can’t control what they do. No one can, so we deal with it and move on.”
CHAPTER 13
Jack’s reveal still had me in shock days later. Not only did he know about Nathan and me, he orchestrated the entire thing. He said it was still going to be a few weeks before the new policy rolled out, and even then, Nathan and I were not safe. It allowed two people to be in a relationship as long as they were not in the same section, such as Nathan and me, or directly over someone.
So, we would remain in hiding until we figured out what to do professionally. Overall, we thought it best to stay as is—secretive about our relationship. We didn’t need any added stress at the time.
Nathan was acting strange. He had an overwhelming desire for me to see the remodeling of his condo. I reminded him I’d seen it a few weeks prior with Erin, so I didn’t know what he was going on about, but followed anyway.
He held the door open and I hobbled through, where he picked me up and headed toward the darkened living room. He set me down and I turned in his arms, only to be blinded by the light coming on and a loud “Surprise!”
Standing in Nathan’s condo were all my friends and my family smiling and awaiting my response: Teresa and Armando, Caroline and Ian, George and Sarah, Erin and Trent along with their little boys, and Andrew. I was stunned speechless, as well as confused until I looked to see a huge banner hanging above the mantle that said “Happy 30th birthday, Lila! We love you!”
It was my birthday? I hadn’t even noticed, like every one that came before.
I looked around the room and found a beautiful cake decorated in varying shades of red from wine to pink, a table full of gifts, and one full of food and drinks. There were even party hats which I had no doubt were Erin’s doing. Best of all, the walls were sans holes.
I was so overwhelmed; my lower lip began trembling, my eyes stung with tears, and I turned into Nathan’s chest. My fingers clenched around the fabric of his shirt, and he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me tight, placing a kiss on the top of my head.
“Happy birthday, Honeybear,” he said.
The tears left my eyes, slipping down my cheeks.
Everyone came over, and Nathan released me so I could give them all hugs. They all wished me Happy Birthday, told me they loved me, and were happy I was better.
We all had a wonderful evening, my first birthday party…ever. We ate, drank, told stories, laughed, drank some more, opened presents, and enjoyed each other’s company. It was the perfect celebration.
I was presented with the beautifully decorated birthday cake, another first, and blew out the candles, making my very first birthday wish. I knew what I asked for was a lot, but I also figured I had twenty-nine previous years of wishes I was due.
Nathan woke with a start, jostling the bed. I was blinded when he turned on the light, and he began a frantic search in the nightstand.
“Nathan?” He jumped from the bed with the dream journal Dr. Morgenson had given to us in his hand.
“I’ll be back soon,” he said, walking out into the living room. I lay back down and tried to get to sleep, but I tossed and turned with worry.
Sniffles echoed off the walls, cutting through the silence of my condo. He was crying.
I must have fallen asleep not long after because an hour later, Nathan was shaking me awake. I shifted to face him. The expression he wore confused me; it was triumphan
t yet filled with sadness. In his hand was the journal.
“I need you to read this,” he said, motioning to the book in his hand. “I need you to know.”
My eyes blurred, and I tried to focus to grab hold of it, but couldn’t. It was only four in the morning, after all.
“Will you read it to me?” I asked.
He nodded and slid onto the bed next to me, and I curled into his side as he began to read.
The world always seems to stay the same, but a person grows and evolves constantly. From infant, to adult, and beyond. When you are younger, you’re invincible, but it only takes one act to realize you are far from it and one act can destroy you.
I was dreaming. God and the Devil were playing a game of Chess, and I was the pieces. Each time a piece was taken, it was destroyed, turned to dust. Like in Wizard Chess in Harry Potter.
A dark version of me, cloaked in shadow, was me at the point between the time in which I lost Grace and met Lila; he was played by the Devil. A light version that reminded me of myself fresh out of college, full of life, was being played by God.
In my sleepiness I confirmed that Nathan had much more interesting dreams than I did.
I noticed the hand of the King on the light side had a red string wrapped around his pinkie finger, the end dangling down, and the dark version had a pile of ash in his hand.
It was an odd dream to have; I’m not religious. It was even odder when I realized all the pieces were protecting not the King, but the Queen. The dark me had the morbid decaying Grace, while the light me had a broken winged angel Lila.
My mind woke more at his last sentence. Me, an angel? I was nowhere near angelic, broken wing or not.
If I really thought hard, it wasn’t that odd.
I watched as they strategically played the pieces. Pawns were lost, bishops and rooks broken to bits, and castles crumbled to the ground until all that was left in the middle of the board were the two Kings. The Queens stayed locked in place. The rules were different, but I supposed God and the Devil could make up whatever rules they wanted.
The ultimate showdown began, and I watched my two halves fight for survival.
There was a loud, splintering crash, and when the dust settled, the victor was revealed.
I was awake, my mind immersed in his story. My body tensed as Nathan paused. We had reached the climax. I knew, just knew, the outcome would define our future.
The light.
I stopped breathing, my body frozen, curled up against his. Was it true?
God won and beat the Devil. He laughed jovially while the Devil cursed.
The light King ran across the board to Grace and took her to God, begging him to let her in and keep her safe. God agreed, saying her soul was already safe and she was happy in Heaven. He said he had a message from her.
“Be safe,” God spoke in Grace’s voice. “Be happy. Live, Nathan. Live for the both of us, make the most of it. Love with everything you have, and don’t be afraid. Fear is a product of the Devil. Don’t let him rule you.”
He made her a promise of affirmation before rushing over to the broken angel, taking her into his arms and declaring his love and life to her. She too, had a red string hanging down from her finger, and when she took his hand the two strings came together, binding them as one before disappearing in a flash of brilliant light.
Tears pricked my eyes when he spoke of the red string.
The red string of fate: soul mates. Destined lovers regardless of time, place, or circumstance.
When I awoke, I reflected on the dream and realized why it was that Lila was the angel. My time with Grace was up; her thread of life was gone. Lila was hope. She was love, and she was life. She would be my resurrection, and in this new life, the fates would bind me to her and she would make me whole.
I lay frozen in his arms, taking in his dream, lost in thought.
Could it really be this was Nathan’s mind saying enough? That he had overcome his final hurdle needed to be over Grace? He had reached acceptance after all this time?
My head moved up to look at him, hoping what I understood his dream to mean was indeed the truth.
“I will always love Grace, and I will always hurt when I think about her and my son, but they’re gone now. You are my everything, my future, my Lila. I’m in love with you. I’m so in love with you I can’t even imagine my life without you. You fill my heart and make me whole. No one will ever compare to you or the way you make me feel. If she met me now, I doubt either one of us would want the other. She couldn’t handle the real me the way you can. With you, I am reborn.”
I stared at him in disbelief, uncertain of how to react or what to say.
There was only one thing I knew for certain: birthday wishes really do come true. My mind was spinning with the dream he had read to me.
“I don’t need you to say anything,” he started, his eyes gazing into mine. “I needed you to hear me out. I’m ready to let go of some of the guilt that holds me back.”
Holy. Shit. I wanted to pinch myself to make sure I was awake. Was it for real, or was it simply a dream?
My emotions were all over the place. Was this an impulse? Would he retreat back into himself in the morning?
I really didn’t want to get my hopes up, but his past behavior left me guarded.
“Take your time. I want you to think about what I said. We’ll talk more in the morning,” he said, kissing my forehead and snuggling back under the covers, lingering longer than normal. He pressed a few more light kisses at my temples as he pulled me close.
My forehead tingled as it always did when he kissed me there. Sweet and simple, a contrast from his kisses in the beginning of our relationship, but it held so much more meaning than the demanding ones. I liked the demanding ones as well, a lot.
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t sleep. My mind replayed his dream over and over again until I eventually drifted off.
I still hadn’t figured out anything the next morning. I wanted to believe it with every fiber of my being, but the sting of the past kept rearing its ugly head.
We got dressed and the air was different. Very tense, but also uplifting.
“I want to talk to Darren about your dream.” He nodded in understanding. “I just…I…”
Nathan stepped toward me and leaned forward, placing a kiss on my forehead. “I’ll give him a call and set up an appointment today.”
I sighed with relief. I didn’t need to say it; he knew because he felt the same way. We needed Dr. Morgenson’s help for something that big and momentous.
As soon as we entered the office, he was on the phone, making an appointment. The effort did not go unnoticed. He wanted it, needed it, as much as I did.
A short while later a text message popped up on my cell phone.
Couldn’t make appointment for today, so meeting him for dinner at Erin and Trent’s. Will talk then.
Dinner couldn’t come soon enough.
CHAPTER 14
It was almost seven when we pulled up to Trent and Erin’s home, a large two story in a nice suburban neighborhood. The walk up to the door was tense because we both knew Nathan’s dream held so much significance and were in desperate need of Darren’s guidance. It seemed like we couldn’t do anything without his input anymore; we didn’t want to screw things up again.
Erin answered the door, her bright smile slipping as she took in our appearance. I was sure we looked as off as we felt. “Hope you two are hungry.”
Neither of us said anything, but our fingers were intertwined as we stepped through the doorway.
Trent came down the stairs, his gaze moving from us to Erin, who shrugged her shoulders.
“Good to see you guys.” Trent stepped forward to give us a hug.
We moved to the dining room to find Darren sitting with Alec and Brennan, going over Alec’s latest drawings. Trent’s parents were on their way over to take the kids to dinner so there would be no interruptions.
Darren studied us, mo
st likely trying to understand our behavior and need to see him, but he stayed with small talk for the moment. Erin and Trent looked at each other a couple times, but didn’t say anything. It didn’t seem strange to us, but maybe that was because we were in it together and knew what was going on.
We sat at the table and Erin passed out margaritas, which I began devouring. I was going to need it to get through the night. Nathan glared at the drink in my hand but didn’t say anything. I could tell he was mentally going through what medications I was still on. After a few minutes, he must have been satisfied the yumminess in my hand wouldn’t interact much with any of them, and the scowl left his handsome face.
He picked up the glass to join in, and I pulled it from his grip. He turned to me, surprised. “You’re on pain meds, and you’re driving.”
He gave a heavy sigh and nodded, while I moved the glass to my side of the table, happy to have the refill I was going to need.
Nathan had good days and bad days in regard to the amount of pain he was in, but the last few weeks the bad outweighed the good. Taking care of me and carrying me around, had taken its toll on his glued together body. The stress of it all had him in more pain than normal. Though it had been lessening since I’d become more independent, it still made me feel a little guilty I was the reason he ached.
“So, how are things going?” Erin asked, diving right into it.
Trent groaned, and our faces fell. Darren shook his head before saying, “Erin, I don’t think that topic is appropriate dinner table conversation.”
“I’m only asking a simple question.”
Darren chuckled. “Always the inquisitor.”
“What?”
“You know that question isn’t going to get a simple answer, and you’re being nosey,” Nathan said, pointing a chip at his cousin.
Erin pursed her lips, unhappy about not knowing what was going on. “Well, then, what can I talk about? What is a safe topic, Nate?”
I was munching on some of the chips and guacamole Erin made. “Oh, what about Erin’s cooking skills? This guacamole is fantastic!”